Black Pirate | 1926 | Adventure, Swashbuckler

Title: Black Pirate | 1926 | Adventure, Swashbuckler Director: Albert Parker Studio: The Elton Corporation; Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Donald Crisp, Sam De Grasse, Anders Randolf, Tempe Pigott Release Date: March 8, 1926 Runtime: 94 Format: Silent; two-strip Technicolor ; 9 reels ; English intertitles Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Adventure, Swashbuckler --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Raid at sea and a vow of vengeance 00:18:00 The stranger joins the pirates 00:38:00 Single-handed capture of a prize ship 00:58:00 Hostage bargain and rising stakes 01:18:00 Betrayal, return, and final reckoning --- Summary: After pirates sack a ship, a survivor swears revenge and infiltrates the buccaneers under the guise of the Black Pirate. He proves his mettle, seizes a prize alone, and persuades the crew to ransom a noblewoman rather than destroy her ship. His ruse collides with the ambitions of the pirate lieutenant, leading to betrayal, a forced walk off the plank, and a climactic counterattack. The story resolves with the rescue of the hostage and the revelation of the hero’s true noble identity, blending romantic chivalry with swashbuckling action. --- Background: Produced by Douglas Fairbanks through The Elton Corporation and photographed in two-strip Technicolor, the film was designed from the outset for natural-color cinematography, a rarity in 1926. It premiered in New York on March 8, 1926, via United Artists distribution, and is commonly cited at 94 minutes. Restoration work has revealed the production employed multiple cameras; a 2023 MoMA–BFI effort drew on surviving color negatives and rediscovered reels from the preferred “A” negative, helping to recover the film’s intended palette and famous set pieces. --- Trivia: The film is among the earliest feature-length productions photographed entirely in Technicolor’s two-color Process No. 2, celebrated at the time for its controlled, painterly palette. A celebrated sequence shows Fairbanks sliding down a ship’s sail, a set piece long associated with the star’s athletic screen persona. Mary Pickford is credited with an uncredited cameo as Princess Isobel in the final embrace. The picture was selected for the U.S. National Film Registry in 1993 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. A major restoration premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2023, with further screenings in 2024, showcasing a reconstruction from multiple original negatives. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: March 8, 1926 Original Studio / Distributor: The Elton Corporation / United Artists Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: DouglasFairbanks TheBlackPirate SilentFilm Technicolor Swashbuckler ClassicCinema PublicDomain 1920sCinema Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Pirate_(1926).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Black_Pirate_%281926%29.webm