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Swashbuckler | 
| Director: James Goldstone
Actors: Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle, Genevieve Bujold, Beau Bridges
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $3.64
You Save: $11.34 (76%)
New (43) Used (17) from $3.64
Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 24539
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd, Live, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD20514D
ISBN: 0783230516
UPC: 251920514256
EAN: 9780783230511
ASIN: 0783230516
Theatrical Release Date: July 29, 1976
Release Date: January 5, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Practically a nonstop brawl between pirates and anybody who gets in their path, this lighthearted, high-energy 1976 movie set in 18th century Jamaica is short on an actual story but thick with stunts and swordplay. Robert Shaw stars as the bawdy, swaggering pirate Red Nel Lynch, whose lusty crew of thieves comes to the aid of Lynch's right-hand man and close pal (James Earl Jones), then helps a beleaguered noblewoman (Genevieve Bujold) whose father and property have been seized by a local tyrant (Peter Boyle). Plot details are pretty much relegated to filling in the spaces between rollicking scenes of flying fists and gleaming blades, and a sort-of love story between Shaw and Bujold never gets the chance to go anywhere for all the orchestrated scuffling. Boyle's performance as a Basil Rathbone-style villain has got to be the least persuasive role of his career, but there are compensations, particularly Bujold's feisty turn as the heroine and a kooky scene in which Shaw and Jones amuse each other by trading dirty limericks. Directed by James Goldstone (Winning). The DVD release includes production notes, cast and filmmakers' bios, a theatrical trailer, and Web links. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
Bonus features: production notes talent bios film highlights theatrical trailer and web link. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Robert Shaw Peter Boyle Run time: 101 minutes Rating: Pg Director: James Goldstone
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| Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...
 Swashbuckler September 13, 2008
Judy Cochran (Long Island New York)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This film came out in '76 I believe and was overshadowed by The Godfather and all those others. It is a fabulous gem for those who love swinging around on ropes, the call of the open sea, slashing swords and comraderie that rivals the best of Star Trek! Robert Shaw is mesmerizing in this romantic lead, and a huge surprise! Genevieve Bujold is also a small but plucky rapier wielding delight! Amazing supporting cast with Geofrey Holder as Cujo the knife thrower and his street theatre band, Beau Bridges in his stunning 20's, Peter Boyle in black satin and slicked back hair of the degenerate villain and Angelica Huston in a wordless performance as "Woman of Dark Visage". Astounding! This is not a major film, but an enormous delivery of fun wrapped in some of the best rousing music I've ever heard! Y'gotta see this one!!!! Way too much fun!!!!
 More a disappointment than a disaster July 25, 2008
Trevor Willsmer (London, England)
In the scathing but short-lived satire of amoral movie producers, Action!, the first and most important thing uberproducer Peter Dragon teaches his daughter is "No pirate movies." Certainly before Pirates of the Caribbean finally broke the curse, the industry was littered with the sporadic wrecks left by those few foolhardy producers who would try at least once a decade to revive the genre only to end up with costly disasters like the rival 1982 versions of The Pirates of Penzance, Roman Polanski's Pirates or Renny Harlin's Cutthroat Island. 1976's The Scarlet Buccaneer (aka Swashbuckler) is certainly no exception to the rule. It even has a pirate called Polanski in it.
On paper it has everything it needs for an enjoyable romp but on screen it doesn't make the most of the hand it's been dealt. The script is more than serviceable, there's no shortage of talent among the cast - Robert Shaw, Genevieve Bujold, James Earl Jones, Geoffrey Holder and Peter Boyle - though none are at their best, the Mexican locations are good, Philip Lathrop's scope photography pleasing, The Golden Hinde, the full scale replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship, earns its own above-the-titles screen credit as the kind of galleon any pirate would be proud to command and John Addison's infectiously easygoing score is a treat. Yet as Ned Lynch and the men of his Blarney Cock (it's the name of his ship, and at one time the working title for the film) free the poor people of Jamaica from its corrupt and tyrannical "English" governor you get the distinct impression that while most of the cast had fun making it, it's not particularly infectious, translating more as laziness than a good time had by all.
Shaw may have made his name as a pirate in the low-budget 50s children's adventure series The Buccaneers but as a big screen buccaneer he might have his moments but often lacks lustre. It doesn't help that at times he seems to be modelling the hero on both Albert and Harold Steptoe rather than Burt Lancaster or Errol Flynn. He's also rather visibly a little worse for wear in the finale when a sudden turn very obviously leaves him unsteady on his feet after what you suspect was a long liquid lunch. Still, Genevieve Bujold makes a fine and rather gorgeous heroine, throwing in some gratuitous nudity for good measure (how times have changed: at the time the studio were so worried she might look underweight they put her on a diet of double-helpings to pad her out!).
Holder and Jones overdo it mightily, though neither can compare to Beau Bridges, who displays all the lightness of touch of a stampeding elephant in tap shoes, possessed of the curious delusion that the LOUDER and slllooowwweeerrr he shouts the funnier his lines become. Even Gordon Brown has better comic timing. But the film's biggest problem is the pantomime villain, with Peter Boyle's corrupt and perverted governor so staggeringly hammy and unmenacing that the only ones with anything to fear from him are Jewish cannibals. Spending most of his screen time going through a personal grooming routine or playing with toy boats in the bath with his toy boy while a silent Angelica Huston lurks on the sidelines, he's a less convincing adversary than he is a persistent irritant who all but holes the film below the waterline every time he appears.
With no English actors but Shaw in the cast there are plenty of bad accents on display, the initially clumsy editing does little to disguise the under-rehearsed action scenes and poor swordsmanship, yet somehow despite everything the film somehow manages to right itself enough to improve a lot around the halfway point as it starts to get the tone right and there's finally some real fun to be had. The result is more a disappointment than a disaster, but still a modestly entertaining one if you dial down your expectations.
The Region 1 DVD is a disappointing disc, but those with multi-region players might want to seek out the English-friendly German PAL DVD, which includes trailer, a making of featurette from the film's release, stills gallery and even a 16-minute Super 8mm cutdown version of the film!
Swashbuckler September 15, 2007
Jillly Bean (MARKHAM, Ontario Canada)
Came across this by accident, unfortunately after it had started, but that didn't matter as it only takes a minute or two to recognize the plot. It did take me a while to recognize Peter Boyle (not one of his better performances.) It was great fun and passed the time until we left for the airport. Lots of lovely scenery and costumes and characters and the "blood and gore" kept to a very acceptable low level, which imho, makes for an enjoyable fun movie. Good grief I think I'll look for a copy to keep for a visit from the grandchildren!
Fun and Frivolous August 19, 2007
John A Lee III (San Antonio, TX)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a pirate movie made in 1976 hearkening back to the swashbucklers of old and paying tribute to that genre without quite being of it. The emphases here is on getting treasure, getting the girl, getting the bad guy and showing off fencing skills (or the lack of them). Its all done in good fun and is enjoyable to watch if not taken too seriously.
The story takes place in the Caribbean waters around Jamaica. The island is run by a corrupt governor who does not hesitate to kill political opponents in order to confiscate their estates. He answers to nobody except the crown and the crown is very far away. In short, he is a "legal" pirate and has a penchant for the perverse. He is ably played by Peter Boyle.
The pirate captain is played by Robert Shaw. He is popular with his crew and struts around with a devil may care attitude plundering the governor's interests. He is also quite popular with the common folk of Jamaica and seems to be a sort of seagoing Robin Hood. He is aided by his sidekick/first mate played by a very young James Earl Jones.
Genevieve Bujold plays the daughter of a local nobleman imprisoned by the governor. She does not care for the pirate but is willing to swallow her pride in coming to him with a scheme to free her father. Predictably, she and the captain fall for each other.
Everything in this film is predictable as clockwork but is quite fun to watch. There are some differences between this product of the 70s and the original movies in the 30s. Bujold shows a lot more skin; Errol Flynn did not engage in dirty limerick contests with his first mate and the pirate ship is anachronistic by several centuries. These bits may serve to actually increase the modern viewer's interest factor.
 One Star is reserved for Airport 79 August 13, 2007
King Lemuel (Puyallup, WA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have recently viewed some of my favorite worst films ever. Airport 79 takes top (bottom?) billing. If you recall, these were a series of airplane disaster flics (Airport, Airport 75, Airport 77, and the grand turkey of all time: Airport 79). These movies gave birth to the spoof, Airplane, though after Airport 79 there is no longer a need for a spoof movie.
Swashbuckler is supposed to be a light comedy action pirate movie a la the current rage Pirates of the Caribbean. Though the cast is tremendous, the acting, the action scenes, the drama, the love story, the building tension leading to the finale is anything but tremendous. About the best thing I can say for this movie is that it is not quite as bad as Airport 79. This movie is far and away the worst pirate movie I have seen. I cannot think of a near competitor.
I was surprised by the number of very generous 5 star ratings. About half the reviews give this film top honors.
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