In celebration of a fine genre, we explore my Top 10 pirate films of all time

I am squirming in juvenile anticipation for tomorrow's release of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

The tickets are in hand (for Thursday, rather than opening night, due to Piers' work schedule) and I am contemplating a piratical picnic dinner to take to the theatre. Cold jerked chicken, mango and prawn salad and rum punch? Yes, I know the second and third films were verging on the terrible, saved only by great actors, lavish sets and a fine seam of humour running throughout. But the first was, to my mind, the best pirate film ever made. And I, as regular readers know, am a girl who believes there are few things that give as much unadulterated, childish pleasure as a good swashbuckler.

Pirate films are, of course, ridiculously formulaic. There's our hero, a pirate ... but one with a noble soul. Often, he's an aristocrat or naval officer who's gone under cover to right some wrong. There's always a plucky girl, usually a governor's daughter but sometimes another member of the buccaneering community. While our hero pursues and eventually defeats an unremittingly evil bad guy with flamboyant taste in frock coats and hats, he's also sparring with the girl who never wants him at the start, but who always realises he's her dream man by the end. Spice this up with lavish costumes, sailing ships, palm-fringed islands and several fights that will always include people swinging to the rescue on ropes, curtains or chandeliers, and you have yourself a pirate flick.

There's a wide range of quality in that genre, however. There are a lot of pirate movies; more than 300 by some lists. Unless we're talking about one of the originals that created the genre ... Fairbanks' Black Pirate of 1924 or Flynn's Captain Blood of 1935 ... the pirate greats delight because they introduce some twist on the formula, often poking fun at it with wry wit. That's the angle that made Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl so great. For the other nine on my Top 10 list, read on.

2. Against All Flags (1952) - A mature and sexy Errol Flynn plays a naval officer who masquerades as one of the brethren to bust the crime racket in Madagascar. Like most of the best of the genre, this one has its roots in real history; Madagascar was the capital of pirate operations and a scourge on shipping from India until politics and the British navy moved the brotherhood to the Caribbean. A young Anthony Quinn makes a great baddie, but the special element here is Maureen O'Hara as Spitfire Stevens, a pirate's daughter who's meant for better things. O'Hara is the consummate feisty, independent heroine who can wield a sword and capture a heart.

3. The Sea Hawk (1940) - Here's a much younger Flynn, who's not technically a pirate if you're on England's side. We're in Elizabethan times and our hero Geoffrey Thorpe is one of those guys Queen Elizabeth calls a merchant adventurer, but the Spanish call pirates. These days, this film is most memorable for its rip-roaring soundtrack by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, which stands as one of the best scores of the 20th century. But worth watching as it's also one of the formative ancestors of all pirate films that would follow. There are plenty of political manipulations and betrayals for plot interest and Claude Raines for the bad guy, all of which compensates for the uninspiring black-and-white production values.

4. Swashbuckler (1976) - One of my favourites, despite a contemporary reception and review that caused it to sink quickly from general view. The 11-year-old Ellen thought it was one of the best movies she had EVER seen. Part of the run of bawdy historical epics like "The Three Musketeers" that hit the big screens at the time, this was an attempt to revive a genre that had been fairly dead since the late '50s. That it didn't work may have more to do with timing and the decade's cynicism than the quality of the film. James Earl Jones and Robert Shaw save noblewoman Geneviève Bujold from unfair imprisonment, then the trio takes off for Jamaica to save the island from a heartless governor. The quality cast also includes Beau Bridges and a young Anjelica Huston. Without question, the finest sword fighting scenes to hit the screen during my childhood, and a deeply pleasing ending that sees everyone get their just rewards.

5. Princess Bride (1987) - Stretching things a bit, perhaps, to put a film that takes place almost entirely on land in this genre, but as the dread pirate Roberts is the main character, it makes the cut. One of those films that works on two levels, delighting children with its obvious charms and adults with its more subtle wit. Mandy Patinkin steps off Broadway to do a sexy turn as swordsman Inigo Montoya (you killed my father, prepare to die...) but it's Cary Elwes who'll make your heart throb (and your head ponder why he didn't emerge from the '80s as a leading man).

6. The Black Swan (1942) - Terribly derivative of the Errol Flynn classics, even down to Maureen O'Hara as our plucky lead, but it's an enjoyable romp. Tyrone Power plays the rough pirate with the heart of gold, forced to go straight now that his old pirate boss Sir Henry Morgan is named Governor of Jamaica. (Yup, it really happened. Morgan's one of history's finest characters.) O'Hara, as the former governor's daughter, is engaged to a suitable nobleman, but of course is drawn instantly to Power's bad boy. Meanwhile, he has to foil a plot that's undermining Morgan's administration, and prove that the good guys aren't as good as they seem.

7. The Buccaneer (1958) - Most reviewers criticise its slow plot and bad direction (Anthony Quinn, believe it or not, under the guidance of Cecil B DeMille), but it wins my vote for being the only film I know of to explore one of the most fascinating stories in American history. The pirate and smuggler Jean Lafitte and his men came to the aid of the American Army in the War of 1812 and were the deciding factor in the U.S. victory over the Brits at the Battle of New Orleans. Yul Brynner plays Lafitte straight, serious and noble. He's far too worthy to bring any fun to the plot (ditto Charlton Heston as Andrew Jackson) and the script's a bit weak to carry the serious historical drama they were going for. But if you're interested in this rarely explored war and Lafitte's role in it, it's a must see.

8. Blackbeard's Ghost (1968) - I stumbled upon this film on television last year, having not seen it since I was a very small child, and was amazed by how funny it is. This is primarily thanks to Peter Ustinov, who was born to play the role of the meddlesome, flamboyant yet oddly sensitive ghost. It's classic old-style Disney, all innocence and silliness with a foolish plot (ghost helps reluctant athletics coach to win championship so evil property developers won't turn residents out of old ladies' home filled with piratical descendants), but it will make you laugh. Dean Jones, as the coach, will bring happy memories to any American who grew up in the '60s and '70s, and Suzanne Pleshette brings a touch of class. Pirates of the Caribbean fans will be interested in the sets. Released just a year after the ride opened at Disneyland, the film's clearly linked in look and feel to all that would eventually inspire the modern revival.

9. Treasure Island (1990) - No list of the greatest pirate films would be complete without Treasure Island. But which version? Most people would go for Disney's 1950 film, where Robert Newton arguably created the definitive Long John Silver. But for a complete piece of drama I choose this more modern effort, made for TV. Charlton Heston plays Long John Silver, seeming to have more fun here than he did with Andrew Jackson in The Buccaneer. A young Christian Bale is Jim Hawkins, and Oliver Reed makes a brief appearance as the pirate whose death in Hawkins' inn sets off the whole plot. Its on-location filming and great soundtrack by The Chieftains are both worthy of the big screen; one suspects that in an era where nobody had seen a commercial pirate success in more than 20 years, no producer would risk it.

10. Hook (1991) - It would have benefitted hugely from a tight edit that sped up the plot, but even with its flaws it has to be in my Top 10. The concept of Peter Pan (Robin Williams) growing up, forgetting his roots and having to rediscover them to save his children is inventive. Julia Roberts does a clever turn as Tinkerbell and the soundtrack is a classic. The main reason to see this, however, is Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook. He steals the show with his swagger, his one-liners and his flamboyant self pity, foiled beautifully by Bob Hoskins' Smee. A magnificent piece of casting that's stood the test of time.

Hook, The Princess Bride and, of course, the whole Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy are fairly easy to get on DVD. Surprisingly, despite the resurgent love of all things piratical, things get challenging pretty quickly after that, with many of these not available commercially at all. In researching this article I have seen that some of the older ones are available for download on file sharing sites, which may be worth exploration. If you're a pirate film fan and you haven't seen everything on this list ... get to work!
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Post Script 20 May '11 - The verdict? On Stranger Tides is a fun return to form for the franchise, much closer to the original than the muddled second and third attempts. Penelope Cruz makes a fine pirate wench, most of the old cast returns, Ian McShane is solid as Blackbeard and there are some delightful cameos. It's probably not good enough to rise above the pirate sub-genre to be considered a really good swashbuckler, but fans of buccaneers on film should enjoy. Whether or not it will unseat any of the above in my Top 10 will be left to time and additional viewings.