The Cinematic Voyage of THE PIRATE: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work
296
The Cinematic Voyage of THE PIRATE: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work
296eBook
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Overview
During Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s glory days, the studio’s famous Arthur Freed Unit made an extraordinary string of dazzling musicals. One of its very best was The Pirate. Based on a successful 1942 Broadway production, the film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and starred Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. It showcased some of the brightest work of these three gifted moviemakers and entranced many critics and viewers with exotic set décor and costumes, brilliant Technicolor application, stunning dance routines, and a clever plot about an actor who pretends to be a famous pirate to win the love of a fanciful island girl.
The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work follows the model of Hess and Dabholkar’s previous study of Singin’ in the Rain. Drawing on exhaustive research in archives, memoirs, interviews, and newspaper coverage, it takes the reader from the original conception of the story in the mind of a German playwright named Ludwig Fulda, through S. N. Behrman’s Broadway production starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, to the arduous task of crafting a suitable screenplay at MGM. Behind-the-scenes issues such as Garland’s personal problems during the making of the film and the shaping of the film by Minnelli and Kelly are among the many subjects detailed here. While the initial reception of The Pirate reinforced hopes for its success, many audiences did not understand the film’s tongue-in-cheek aspect, and some critical reviews were mixed. This shaded the perception of the film and its significance. As this careful study shows, The Pirate was a commercial and critical success despite some early misperceptions. The movie made a small profit for MGM, and the film grew in public appeal over time.The Pirate has been studied by film historians, gender studies scholars, and film studies professionals since it was released in 1948. The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate contributes to a growing literature asserting the importance of single-film production history and the significance of the film musical in the golden age of Hollywood.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780826273185 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | University of Missouri Press |
| Publication date: | 07/21/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 296 |
| File size: | 10 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate
Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work
By Earl J. Hess, Pratibha A. Dabholkar
University of Missouri Press
Copyright © 2014 The Curators of the University of MissouriAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8262-7318-5
CHAPTER 1
The Pirate on Stage
The plot, themes, and characters of M-G-M's classic film musical The Pirate originated in the mind of a German playwright and social critic thirty-seven years before the movie was released in 1948. Ludwig Fulda conceived The Pirate as a sardonic commentary on deception, love, and the unreliability of human nature. His play, Der Seerauber, was written for the German stage, and it had only a brief run in the United States as The Pirate in 1917. But one of the actors in it, a young and still unknown Alfred Lunt, liked the play well enough to encourage Samuel N. Behrman to write a new version which starred himself and his wife Lynn Fontanne in 1942. This production was a resounding commercial success, with mostly positive reviews from critics. The popularity of this version of The Pirate on Broadway led to Hollywood interest, resulting in M-G-M's purchase of the rights to the play before the end of its run in 1943. Neither Fulda's nor Behrman's play was a musical, and the studio initially intended to make a nonmusical comedy as well. In fact, they employed several writers who worked on varied versions of the screenplay until Lemuel Ayers, an art director at M-G-M, had the bright idea to turn this property into a full-blown musical for the screen. Louis B. Mayer, head of M-G-M, agreed; it was then turned over to the studio's best producer, Arthur Freed, and his star director, Vincente Minnelli.
Before diving into the complex stage background that formed the basis for M-G-M's classic film, it may help readers who have not seen the movie to read a synopsis of the film. Even those who have seen the film long ago may be better able to imagine the plots of the stage versions with the film plot in mind.
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF M-G-M's THE PIRATE (1948)
The story is set in the fictitious town of Calvados, supposedly in the Caribbean and possibly in the early 1800s. (Minnelli purposely left the time period and the exact location vague to create the aura of fantasy.) A naïve young woman named Manuela (played by Judy Garland) dreams that the notorious pirate Black Macoco will show up and snatch her away from her boring village to a life of excitement and adventure on the high seas.
Unknown to her, the pirate (played by Walter Slezak) has "retired" from his criminal career and is now known as Pedro Vargas, the dull, staid mayor of her little town. Manuela's Aunt Inez (played by Gladys Cooper) has arranged a marriage between Manuela and Pedro to secure the family's material comfort. Manuela is dismayed to hear of this arrangement but accepts her fate stoically.
A strolling player, Serafin (played by Gene Kelly), comes to nearby Port Sebastian with his troupe and encounters Manuela. She has come there with her aunt to pick up her trousseau shipped from Paris. Her real motivation is to see the Caribbean Sea, which holds the last promise of romance for her. Serafin falls in love with Manuela and hypnotizes her during his performance that evening, thus learning of her fascination with the pirate Macoco. He pursues Manuela to her village, arriving just before her wedding to Pedro, and tries to persuade her to leave with him but to no avail.
When Don Pedro appears, Serafin recognizes him as Macoco from a past encounter and privately threatens to expose him. But then, realizing that Manuela will be only too happy to marry the man of her dreams, Serafin pretends to be the pirate himself in return for keeping Don Pedro's secret and for a chance to give a performance in the town of Calvados.
Pedro agrees to the scheme, but later it dawns on him that he can have Serafin arrested and hanged as Macoco. So he rushes off to fetch the militia to arrest Serafin. Meanwhile, Manuela finds out that Serafin is not really Macoco, and after throwing a fit at being tricked, she inadvertently hurts Serafin during her tantrum. On seeing him prone and motionless, she realizes that she loves him after all. She manages to wake Serafin and tell him so, just before the Viceroy (played by George Zucco) arrives and arrests the actor.
Right before his planned execution, Serafin begs the Viceroy to allow him to give a last performance, secretly hoping to hypnotize Pedro into revealing his true identity as Macoco. Although the Viceroy agrees to the performance, Serafin's plan to hypnotize Don Pedro backfires. But Manuela saves the day. She pretends to be hypnotized and shows her adoration for Serafin (as Macoco), goading Pedro to reveal, in a fit of jealousy, that he is the pirate. All's well as the militia captures the real Macoco and leads him away, and Manuela joins Serafin as his partner in life and as part of his strolling band of players.
The basic elements of the story that M-G-M brought to the screen in 1948 lay within Ludwig Fulda's initial stage play of 1911. But Minnelli's motion picture contained a plot that was far more simple and streamlined than Fulda's. It also was more streamlined than all subsequent versions of Fulda's concept, including Behrman's stage play and the various attempts by M-G-M screenwriters who worked on the project before Minnelli put his stamp on it. The making of The Pirate for the cinema was a long and complex task stretching across two continents and thirty-seven years.
LUDWIG FULDA
Ludwig Fulda was born Ludwig Anton Salomon on July 15, 1862, in Frankfurt-am-Main.
He studied at the University of Berlin and in universities at Leipzig and Heidelberg, earning his doctoral degree in 1883. After changing his name to Fulda, the writer moved to Munich in 1884 and to Berlin four years later, making the German capital his home for the rest of his long life. Behrman described Fulda as "a passionate liberal and democrat" who in many ways was uncomfortable in the world of the Second Reich. Kaiser Wilhelm II refused to approve the award of the Schiller Prize to Fulda because of Der Talisman, a play inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale "The Emperor's New Clothes." In Fulda's version, a mysterious man promises to make a suit of clothes for the emperor that he claims only the wise can see. The emperor struts down the street in his underwear, believing he is wearing the promised magical robes, until a child exclaims, "His robes? His majesty has nothing on!" The political message was not lost on Emperor Wilhelm. But by withholding the Schiller Prize, he made it obvious that he identified with the emperor in the play, and Wilhelm's decision brought more fame to Fulda.
Fulda initially visited the United States in 1906 and returned for a second visit in 1913. According to Behrman, Fulda lectured in thirty cities and at sixteen universities. Between the two visits, he finished Der Seerauber, or The Pirate, in 1911. The American movie industry was attracted to Fulda's many works because of the clever twists and turns in their plots as well as the basic ideas underlying his critical view of traditions and social constructs. At least nine films were made from his plays in the United States and in Germany, including The Lost Paradise (1914); Das Verlorene Paradies (1917); Der Dummkopf (1921); Carlos and Elisabeth (1924); Her Sister from Paris (1925); Die Durchgangerin (1928), which was known as The Runaway Girl in the United States and the United Kingdom; Fraulein Frau (1934), known as Miss Madam in the United States; Two-Faced Woman (1941); and The Pirate (1948). Behrman had co-authored the screenplay for Two-Faced Woman, which George Cukor had directed. Ostracized by the Nazis, and distraught about the way they ran Germany, Fulda committed suicide in Berlin on April 8, 1939.
Five months later, Europe was engulfed in World War II. Having been born a few years before the creation of a modern, united Germany, Fulda had been spared the experience of witnessing its final descent into madness.
FULDA'S PLAY
A synopsis of Fulda's play is provided here so readers will have a clear idea of the original concept that The Pirate was based on and understand how later versions built on this or varied from it.
Fulda's version of The Pirate is set in Andalusia, a province of Spain, in the seventeenth century. A notorious pirate known as Estornudo has retired to Andalusia under the name Don Pedro Vargas. No one knows of his past, and he marries a local woman named Manuela, whose parents are Inez and Capacho. The family has many interactions with Mercedes and Hurtado, two gabby neighbors. Pedro boasts of his virtues to everyone who will hear him, but Manuela sees her husband as a fat and lazy clod. She is bored and frustrated, finding solace in novels of passion that allow her to fantasize about a life she can never enjoy. Her friend, a loose widow named Isabel Galvez, loans her these books and encourages her to have an affair. Pedro and Isabel hate each other.
Manuela's world is turned upside down by the introduction of Serafin, a poor, wandering minstrel who visits Manuela's town with his troupe of players. While the troupe is preparing for a performance, a beggar named Torribio recognizes Pedro as the pirate Estornudo, whom he had encountered years before. The former pirate reveals that all other witnesses to his past deeds have been drowned and that he has taken the identity of a businessman named Pedro Vargas whom he killed. He then hires the beggar as the overseer of his estate to keep him quiet.
The troupe gives its first performance but the town shows little interest. To increase attendance for the second performance, Serafin spreads a rumor that he is Estornudo. Serafin's ruse works as hordes come to see the notorious pirate, and the troupe raises the ticket price to rake in money. Serafin has a fling with Isabel and his aide-de-camp Trillo romances Lisarda, Manuela's maid. Manuela hears of the pirate's presence in town, becomes excited, and goes to the performance.
Meanwhile, Serafin has learned that Manuela is the richest woman in town, which excites the player's ambition. When they meet, Manuela believes that Serafin truly is Estornudo and becomes fascinated by him and his exploits. Serafin flatters her, interested mostly in her money. They plan a rendezvous when Pedro will be away at his estate. Isabel overhears the two plotting their meeting and is jealous. She brings the Alcade (or mayor) to Manuela's house to arrest "the pirate."
Manuela promises to run away with Serafin and bring her money along, but the mayor and his guards show up, so she quickly hides Serafin in her bed. Pedro returns unexpectedly and is frightened when he sees the Alcade, but recovers when he realizes that Serafin is the target of the search. He orders the guards to leave, not realizing that Serafin is hidden in the house. When the coast is clear, Manuela urges Serafin to escape, promising to join him, to which he replies, "Don't forget the money." He then walks across a clothesline tied between Pedro's home and the next house but gets stuck because the neighbor's window is closed.
While Serafin vainly tries to extricate himself from his predicament, Manuela ties money and jewels in a handkerchief and abruptly tells Pedro that she has met the pirate Estornudo and is in love with him. Pedro looks out the window, sees Serafin, and threatens to cut the clothesline. The strolling player quickly walks back and explains he is only a juggler. But Pedro starts to choke him and Manuela enjoys watching them fight. Serafin manages to get away and escapes through the front door, with Manuela hot on his heels. Pedro screams for help, saying that Manuela has been abducted. Several neighbors arrive, followed by Manuela's parents. Everyone assumes that the pirate has kidnapped Manuela, but Pedro insists the man is not a pirate, without explaining how he knows this. People start to wonder if Pedro has gone mad.
Serafin tells Trillo to steal two fast horses from Don Pedro's estate so the actor and Manuela can escape quickly. Trillo steals the horses but rides away with Lisarda instead. Serafin and Manuela are prevented from making a speedy getaway and are easily captured by the cavalry sent after them by the Corregidor (or chief magistrate).
But Manuela refuses to allow Serafin to be charged with abduction, insisting that she had willingly gone with him. Pedro becomes furious. Screaming, "If you only knew," he reveals that he is the pirate. Now everyone is convinced that Pedro is crazy, but he provides complex proof, backed by the beggar's testimony, and Serafin explains why he pretended to be the pirate. Manuela is stunned.
The Corregidor believes Pedro deserves the gallows, but because a war is raging, he decides to use the ex-pirate to fight sea battles instead. He pronounces Pedro's marriage to Manuela to be void because it had taken place under false pretenses. Manuela's mother, Inez, wails on hearing this, but her father, Capacho, insists that Serafin marry Manuela. Serafin is delighted because Manuela is so wealthy. The play ends as Manuela warns Serafin that if he gets fat and lazy like Pedro, she will find someone else.
As readers can see, many aspects of Fulda's play found their way into the film, but many other aspects were changed drastically. The basic premise remained as the core attraction for all who were interested in the property, but the cast of characters, the way in which they interact with each other, and the thrust of the comedic elements were altered quite a bit. Deception, crass materialism conducted with a worldly flair, and a willingness to break down the boundaries encompassing social morals characterized Fulda's original conception, and much of those elements were retained in one way or another through the many permutations into the final screen product.
BEHRMAN, LUNT, AND FONTANNE
The one brief showing of Fulda's The Pirate in the United States was a one-week production by the Pabst Theater stock company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beginning August 20, 1917. Alfred Lunt, then about twenty-five, played Serafin, and Cathleen Nesbitt performed as Manuela. Although popular, the production was not satisfying to Lunt, who later blamed the translation of the original German play by an Englishman named Louis N. Parker. Lunt never detailed what he thought was wrong with the translation, but Parker was an experienced writer and musician who had been involved in about ninety stage works in England from 1890 to 1913. The play gave Lunt an opportunity to eat a raw onion on stage, which he recalled as a personal highlight of his career, and which dismayed poor Nesbitt, who had to play opposite him while he ate it. The production also led to Lunt's first offer to perform on Broadway in October 1917, in Romance and Arabella.
Many years later, after he had gained stature as a stage actor, Lunt recalled the translated Fulda property as "'no great shakes as a play, but it did have a vastly amusing idea.'" Lunt explained the plot to his friend, writer and actor Noel Coward, in an effort to revive the play. He also discussed it with playwright Robert E. Sherwood and composer George Gershwin. In fact, Gershwin was reportedly working on a musical comedy based on Fulda's play when he passed away in 1937. Two years later, Behrman became involved in the project. Lunt wanted some songs, and he also longed for a production in which he could do something unusual, like perform tricks of magic and walk a tightrope across the stage before a live audience. The Theatre Guild of New York committed to staging the production.
By the time they became interested in The Pirate, Lunt and Fontanne were among the leading actors of the American stage, specializing in light comedy. Alfred Lunt was born in Milwaukee in 1892 and began to act at an early age. His mother moved the family to a farm near Genesee Depot, twenty-seven miles west of the city, in 1906. Lunt attended college and entered acting as a profession, gaining his first big break with the leading role in Clarence in 1919, the same year he met Lynn Fontanne. Clarence was also Helen Hayes's big break in show business.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate by Earl J. Hess, Pratibha A. Dabholkar. Copyright © 2014 The Curators of the University of Missouri. Excerpted by permission of University of Missouri Press.
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