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5.9/10
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A group of ruthless pirates attack a seventeenth century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.A group of ruthless pirates attack a seventeenth century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.A group of ruthless pirates attack a seventeenth century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.
Diane Aubrey
- Margaret Blackthorne
- (uncredited)
John Bennett
- Penal Colony Guard
- (uncredited)
Richard Bennett
- Seymour
- (uncredited)
Ronald Blackman
- Pugh
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Sir Christopher Lee, the pond fording at Black Park was a horrible experience. The water was polluted and the bottom consisted of three or four feet of mud, sludge, broken trees and branches, stench, and general filth that the stuntmen refused to do it. Michael Ripper nearly drowned, Oliver Reed contracted an eye and ear infection, and Lee claims he couldn't walk upstairs for nearly six months because of the after-effects.
- GoofsThe 'golden' statue is clearly made of wood, the size and weight of it would have crushed the wagon, would have been impossible to pick up without a heavy block & tackle pulley system, and it easily rocks in the wagon when jostled, as well as when the tree fell and knocked it off the wagon.
- Quotes
Jonathon Standing: [to the elders] I am not guilty. The cause of Maggie's death... was fear. Fear of her brutal husband. Yes, fear is your weapon, and it's a dangerous weapon because one day it will recoil on your heads.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: At the end of the seventeenth century, men, women and children voyaged far from their mother country, seeking some haven from persecution.
They were known as the Huguenots. They found their haven and called it the Isle of Devon, and gave thanks to God for their deliverance.
But in years to come, the just laws of the Colony began to yield to greed and tyranny.
Happiness became an echo of the past. Freedom-just a memory.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood! (1987)
Featured review
Routine Hammer swashbuckler suffering from budget limitations
THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER, a 1962 swashbuckler from Hammer Studios, is one of their lesser outings. You can put this down to Jimmy Sangster's lacklustre story and the lack of a decent budget, which substitutes British locations for the tropics and doesn't even include a pirate ship (apart from in an opening stock shot).
Of course, those of us who enjoy B-movie fare will no doubt enjoy the spectacle of some nondescript British woodland standing in for a more exotic locale - adding a single fern leaf into the shot and a couple of pot plants isn't doing much to fool the viewer! At least it helps take the viewer's mind off the plot, which after a decent first half hour soon descends into repetitive inanity.
Kerwin Matthews (THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) stars as the youthful, romantic hero figure who's sent to a penal colony after falling foul of his puritan elders. He escapes just in time to help his villagers defend themselves from the clutches of a group of dastardly pirates looking for treasure.
One of the problems with the production is the lack of a sense of menace. The pirates just don't seem to be particularly villainous and the script resorts to them fighting between themselves to supply the action. It doesn't help any when all the best actors play the pirates either: Christopher Lee, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne and Oliver Reed are all having a ball, supplying endless energy, while the villagers (including Dennis Waterman as a kid and an extra-dour Andrew Keir) are a bore.
Still, it's as colourful as ever for a Hammer romp, and I'm predisposed towards this genre so that it held my attention from beginning to end. But with a little more imagination, it could have been a whole lot better and more like the above-average DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES that Hammer made a couple of years later.
Of course, those of us who enjoy B-movie fare will no doubt enjoy the spectacle of some nondescript British woodland standing in for a more exotic locale - adding a single fern leaf into the shot and a couple of pot plants isn't doing much to fool the viewer! At least it helps take the viewer's mind off the plot, which after a decent first half hour soon descends into repetitive inanity.
Kerwin Matthews (THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) stars as the youthful, romantic hero figure who's sent to a penal colony after falling foul of his puritan elders. He escapes just in time to help his villagers defend themselves from the clutches of a group of dastardly pirates looking for treasure.
One of the problems with the production is the lack of a sense of menace. The pirates just don't seem to be particularly villainous and the script resorts to them fighting between themselves to supply the action. It doesn't help any when all the best actors play the pirates either: Christopher Lee, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne and Oliver Reed are all having a ball, supplying endless energy, while the villagers (including Dennis Waterman as a kid and an extra-dour Andrew Keir) are a bore.
Still, it's as colourful as ever for a Hammer romp, and I'm predisposed towards this genre so that it held my attention from beginning to end. But with a little more imagination, it could have been a whole lot better and more like the above-average DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES that Hammer made a couple of years later.
helpful•71
- Leofwine_draca
- Jul 21, 2013
- How long is The Pirates of Blood River?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Piraten vom Todesfluss
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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By what name was The Pirates of Blood River (1962) officially released in India in English?
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