PHENOMENALITY: *naturalistic*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *sociological*
Though the writers of this mediocre pirate-flick were responsible for THE MAN FROM PLANET X, and the director for THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE, the film's only slightly relevant to my project in providing one of cinema's few "crossovers" of famous pirates in their own pirate-society.
Rather surprisingly, the story actually has some slight historical fidelity with regard to the titular pirate captain. In real history, the governor of New York, then under English rule, gave William Kidd the duty of becoming a privateer for the English crown. Kidd was accused of having become a pirate and the governor betrayed Kidd, luring him into a trap and having him hanged.
KIDD picks up with the captain (semi-dashing Anthony Dexter) in a New York jail, about to be hanged. Evil Governor Bellomont arranges to fake the execution with the idea that once Kidd is freed, he'll make a beeline for his buried treasure, along with his hook-handed buddy Simpson (Alan "The Skipper" Hale Jr). In order to keep tabs on the pirate as he ships out for his treasure isle, Bellomont arranges for a confederate to be on the same ship as Kidd and Simpson: Judith (Eva Gabor), a woman of dubious repute but no specific background.
Naturally, during the trip Kidd and Judith fall hard for one another, though he's less than pleased to learn that she's an agent for his enemy. Once he uses his reputation to take over the ship, Kidd subjects the seductress to various indignities-- chaining her to a desk, forcing her to do manual labor-- though she's never any sort of literal "slave girl." Assorted things happen and the two of them end up on the treasure isle, which is also where a brotherhood of pirates meets. Bellomont and his henchmen show up and there's a big fight, so that unlike real life, the evil governor meets his doom and dashing Captain Kidd gets away with his lover, though not his treasure.
Dexter's a pretty routine swashbuckler, though he's better than Gabor, who's nowhere near evincing the charm the actress showed in GREEN ACRES. She's not even interesting when she gets into a catfight with pirate-girl Anne Bonney, as played by Sonia Sorel, a minor B-actress who still shows more moxie than anyone else in this dud. Of the other "name pirates" standing alongside Kidd and Bonney, only Blackbeard (Mike Ross) has anything much to do. The names of Calico Jack, Stede Bonnet and James Avery are tossed out haphazardly and with no real characters attached, while another famous pirate, Bartholomew Roberts, gets both of his names farmed out to two separate characters, a Captain Bartholomew and a Captain Roberts. I guess the writers got a short list of famous pirate-names and ran out. Anyway, as far as crossovers of legendary historical characters are concerned, only Kidd, Bonney and Blackbeard rate.
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