Strong and Moving!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

One of several Italian-made films of the early '60s centered around a sometimes woman pirate captain. Others include: "Tiger of the Seas", with the same lead actress, and "Queen of the Seas". Hollywood had already produced at least 2 such films, in "Anne of the Indies", and "Against All Flags". Each has a different complex story to tell, thus justifying seeing all, if you can(most are currently free on YouTube). In this one, the beautiful daughter(Gianna Canale, as Sandra) of sea merchant Milko(Jose Jaspe) rebelled against the ruling Duke's(Paul Muller) tax collector, come to collect excise taxes on the goods they export. Others, as well, complained. The Duke's soldiers arrived and arrested Sandra, her father, and a number of other women, who were thrown in the dungeon, to await assignment of their punishment. The captain was sentenced to hang, and Sandra to be publically whipped. But, Count Cesare arrived on cue, interfering with both punishments. The Captain's sentence was commuted to a silver mine slave, while Sandra was shipped with other young women to become slaves of the Ottomans. Again, fate intervened, and neither reached their prescribed destination. Sandra, her father, several crew, and the condemned women staged a mutiny, and took over the Duke's prize ship: the Isabella, named for his eligible knockout blond daughter(Scilla Gabel). Soon, they attracted a crew of men, with Sandra at the helm(her father deferring to her). They soon became the scourge of the Mediterranean, as the Isabella was the Duke's best fighting ship. Count Cesare, who was betrothed to Isabella, suggested that he go alone, with his squire Battista, to try to board the Isabella from a small rowing boat. This was accomplished and Sandra greeted him enthusiastically. She and her father told the count of the bad things the Duke and his daughter had been doing. The count decided to switch his allegiance to Sandra and her pirates, but returned to the Duke's castle to parley. Later, the Duke's men found Count Cesare and Sandra alone in the tunnel leading from the sea to the castle. The count made up the story that he had lured Sandra into the tunnel , and was escorting her to the castle. Now, Sandra was again uncertain whose side the count was on. She was thrown in the dungeon, to await execution by hanging. Meanwhile, her pirates, those of her ally: 'The King of Pirates', as well as a horde of dissatisfied villagers and peasants, prepared to storm the castle, to free Sandra and depose the Duke. WARNING: Spoilers relating to the climax and finale are ahead! .... The ferocious battle between the Duke's men and the allies, mostly in the courtyard, and climbing over the walls, is part of the climax. Count Cesare rescues Sandra from the scaffold, and tells her that she is the rightful head princess, not Isabella. Captain Milko had told Cesare that he was not her biological father; the Duke was!(long story). With his dying words, the Duke confirmed this claim. And since she was born to the Duke's first wife, she had precedence over Isabella as his succeeding daughter(having no son). Thus, with the battle finally won, she should retire from her pirate life, and assume the duties of the ruler of her principality, allied with that of her husband- to- be: Cesare. We may wonder about Isabella's fate. Since Sandra hated her, she would probably do best to try to marry another aristocrat.....I thought the screenplay was excellent, although there were a few important unbelievable events. Also, clearly, this was a budget film, and only 75min. long. A lot of action and intrigue packed into that time!

Juvenile high-jinks involving good-natured pirates, a moral (if impoverished) nobleman, a rapacious duke, his sadistic daughter, and a plot involving who is the rightful heir, this movie is given a few extra touches of interest by high-budget filming on actual medieval- looking locations. It's also brightly costumed. Miss Canale shows a deft hand with the rapier, even if she allows herself to be upstaged in the histrionic and looks departments by both Scilla Gabel and Moira Orfei. The rest of the players, including the hero and the duke were nothing much to start with and are rendered less important by English dubbers whose combined acting experiences seem firmly in the realm of TV commercials. Aside from a few attractive compositions with the crowds and the final all-out battle climax, the direction is no more than competent. Even Rusticelli's score sounds third-rate. Despite two or three original touches, the screenplay is one we have seen many times before in the piratical genre, but fortunately there's enough action to stave off sleep.

This film is strikingly similar to Luigi Capoano's "Tiger of the Seven Seas" in some aspects, the most obvious one's being the fact that both film use the same leading actress and to some degree even same action scenes. The Queen of the Pirates is a classic budget peplum film set on the sea, with classic budget (many times hilarious especially if its English version) dubbing and story plot. Sandra (Gianna Maria Canale) is a daughter of a ship-owning merchant Mirko (slavic pirate?). He, together with his previously mentioned daughter and the crew already rebels against the "injustice" by the local authorities by the beginning of the film, and together on their ship Isabella, they head out to sea defeating many more authority-owned ships across the Adriatic Sea. Soon a "deeper story" involving a lover, castles and evil leaders evolves. No use writing any more details. Just watch the film if you like Italian/European 60's budget peplums with some hilarious moments in-between. Take note that the film "Tiger of the Seven Seas" released two years later is actually somewhat better paced (except the battle sequence) as well as more coherent regarding the plot, but do not let that turn you away from this little but daring "gem".