The Battle of New Orleans, which took place on on 8th January 1815, was one of the most futile battles ever fought. The absurd War of 1812 had been brought to an end by the Treaty of Ghent, signed on 24th December 1814, but news of the peace treaty had not yet reached America by the time of the battle. The battle ended in an American victory, but even if it had ended in a British one it would have made no difference to the outcome of the war. It might, however, have made a difference to subsequent American history- had Andrew Jackson, the American commander, been defeated, he might never have become President.
The film tells a largely fictionalised account of the battle. The "buccaneer" of the title is Jean Lafitte, a notorious French pirate, who teams up with Jackson and Governor Claiborne of Louisiana to thwart the British attack. A completely fictional sub-plot deals with a love triangle involving Lafitte, the Governor's daughter Annette, and Bonnie Brown, the daughter of a rival pirate. (Lafitte was a real person, Annette and Bonnie are fictitious). This was the second film version of this story; the first "The Buccaneer" had been made in 1938, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, who also intended to direct this version. Ill health, however, meant that he had to delegate the direction to his son-in-law, Anthony Quinn. DeMille, who was to die the following year, contented himself with acting as executive producer and speaking a brief prologue. He here reunites Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston, the two stars of his last completed movie, "The Ten Commandments". This was the second film in which Heston had played Andrew Jackson, the first being "The President's Lady" from 1953. Brynner, unusually for him, has a full head of hair; contrary to popular belief he was not naturally bald.
This was the only film which Quinn ever directed. (Other big-name stars who only ever directed a single film include Charles Laughton ("Night of the Hunter"), Marlon Brando ("One-Eyed Jacks") and John Mills ("Sky West and Crooked")). I have never seen the 1938 version, and we cannot know how the 1958 film might have turned out with DeMille at the helm, but somehow we can tell that it was the work of a rookie director, because the action never seems to flow easily. This, however, is not the film's only fault, and some of the others could not have been overcome, no matter who had been directing. The plot is often confusing and some characters' motivations can be difficult to discern. Why, for example, is Annette in love with Lafitte when she believes (wrongly) that he was responsible for the death of her sister? And why does Bonnie fall in love with him when she knows (quite correctly) that he was responsible for the death of her father?
The film's moral position is equally difficult to make out. In the fifties the Production Code, which forbade sympathetic portrayals of criminals, was still in force. This was, however, a period when pirate movies were popular, so some sort of excuse for the pirates had to be found to keep the Hays Office happy. (In "Against All Flags", for example, Errol Flynn's character turns out to be an undercover agent helping the Royal Navy to suppress piracy). Here the excuse found for Lafitte is that he turns out to be a sincere American patriot, despite his French origins. The mood of patriotism is set from the start when DeMille tells us in his prologue that the United States was "fighting for its very existence" in the War of 1812, which is quite untrue. (If there was a country fighting for its very existence in that war it was Canada).
Much stress is made of Lafitte's refusal to attack ships flying the American flag, not because he fears reprisals from the US Navy but because he admires the ideals enshrined in the American Constitution. We are also supposed to accept that Lafitte's decision to assist the Americans rather than the British has everything to do with this political idealism and nothing to do with the fact that Jackson has offered him a free pardon if he does so. We are also asked to accept that those inhabitants of New Orleans who do not share Lafitte's enthusiasm for the American cause are traitors to their country, even though most were French citizens forced to become Americans against their will by the Louisiana Purchase.
Brynner gives a reasonable performance as Lafitte, but Heston is not at his best here. (I have never seen "The President's Lady" so cannot say how his two portrayals of Jackson compare). "The Buccaneer", however, is a confusing, muddled film which tries to mythologise the bloodshed involved in a futile battle. It would have been more appropriate to have concentrated on the tragic irony of men killing each other when the countries for which they fought were officially at peace. 4/10.
The film tells a largely fictionalised account of the battle. The "buccaneer" of the title is Jean Lafitte, a notorious French pirate, who teams up with Jackson and Governor Claiborne of Louisiana to thwart the British attack. A completely fictional sub-plot deals with a love triangle involving Lafitte, the Governor's daughter Annette, and Bonnie Brown, the daughter of a rival pirate. (Lafitte was a real person, Annette and Bonnie are fictitious). This was the second film version of this story; the first "The Buccaneer" had been made in 1938, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, who also intended to direct this version. Ill health, however, meant that he had to delegate the direction to his son-in-law, Anthony Quinn. DeMille, who was to die the following year, contented himself with acting as executive producer and speaking a brief prologue. He here reunites Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston, the two stars of his last completed movie, "The Ten Commandments". This was the second film in which Heston had played Andrew Jackson, the first being "The President's Lady" from 1953. Brynner, unusually for him, has a full head of hair; contrary to popular belief he was not naturally bald.
This was the only film which Quinn ever directed. (Other big-name stars who only ever directed a single film include Charles Laughton ("Night of the Hunter"), Marlon Brando ("One-Eyed Jacks") and John Mills ("Sky West and Crooked")). I have never seen the 1938 version, and we cannot know how the 1958 film might have turned out with DeMille at the helm, but somehow we can tell that it was the work of a rookie director, because the action never seems to flow easily. This, however, is not the film's only fault, and some of the others could not have been overcome, no matter who had been directing. The plot is often confusing and some characters' motivations can be difficult to discern. Why, for example, is Annette in love with Lafitte when she believes (wrongly) that he was responsible for the death of her sister? And why does Bonnie fall in love with him when she knows (quite correctly) that he was responsible for the death of her father?
The film's moral position is equally difficult to make out. In the fifties the Production Code, which forbade sympathetic portrayals of criminals, was still in force. This was, however, a period when pirate movies were popular, so some sort of excuse for the pirates had to be found to keep the Hays Office happy. (In "Against All Flags", for example, Errol Flynn's character turns out to be an undercover agent helping the Royal Navy to suppress piracy). Here the excuse found for Lafitte is that he turns out to be a sincere American patriot, despite his French origins. The mood of patriotism is set from the start when DeMille tells us in his prologue that the United States was "fighting for its very existence" in the War of 1812, which is quite untrue. (If there was a country fighting for its very existence in that war it was Canada).
Much stress is made of Lafitte's refusal to attack ships flying the American flag, not because he fears reprisals from the US Navy but because he admires the ideals enshrined in the American Constitution. We are also supposed to accept that Lafitte's decision to assist the Americans rather than the British has everything to do with this political idealism and nothing to do with the fact that Jackson has offered him a free pardon if he does so. We are also asked to accept that those inhabitants of New Orleans who do not share Lafitte's enthusiasm for the American cause are traitors to their country, even though most were French citizens forced to become Americans against their will by the Louisiana Purchase.
Brynner gives a reasonable performance as Lafitte, but Heston is not at his best here. (I have never seen "The President's Lady" so cannot say how his two portrayals of Jackson compare). "The Buccaneer", however, is a confusing, muddled film which tries to mythologise the bloodshed involved in a futile battle. It would have been more appropriate to have concentrated on the tragic irony of men killing each other when the countries for which they fought were officially at peace. 4/10.