User reviews

You won't find here any 18th-century ships in full sail photographed against a Caribbean seascape of azure blue skies. Instead, all of the action takes place on a mundane-looking island which offers little in the way of beaches or coves. (The geography of this made-in-England movie is disturbingly vague.) The result is somewhat drab and claustrophobic and makes one wish for the colorful sweep of "Anne of the Indies" or "The Crimson Pirate."

Partially making up for this weakness is an interesting cast which includes not only bound-for-better-things Christopher Lee and Oliver Reed but also a curiously-cast Glenn Corbett. Dennis Waterman pops up as a boy who's sent on horseback to warn of the pirates' attack.

Kerwin Matthews qualifies as an adequate hero. However, while the movie's poster shows him bound bare-chested to a ship's wheel, such a scene never appears in the print under discussion.

"Pirates of Blood River" starts out quite promising and exhilarating, to say the least… On a strictly Protestant island community, a young man and an adulterous woman are caught in the act by the woman's husband and the isle's ruler (who's also the young man's father). The petrified girl flees and jumps into a river where she instantly gets devoured by thousands of piranhas, while the man – Jonathan Standing – is exiled to a neighboring prison island for hard labor. He quickly escapes from there but then literally bumps into the eye-patched captain La Roche (Hammer deity Christopher Lee) and his motley pirate crew. They force Standing to lead them to his native island, as La Roche is obsessed with stealing the huge golden treasure that is allegedly hidden somewhere there. As many of my fellow reviewers already righteously pointed out, the most remarkable thing about these "pirates" of Blood River is that they don't have a ship! Sure there are some vague stock footage images of random ships in the distance and a couple of scenes with constructed cabin sets near the beginning of the film, but apart from that everything takes place on land! I can't really fathom why, as the film got produced in the early sixties and thus after a period when Hammer Studios booked some tremendous successes already with grisly horror movies like "Curse of Frankenstein", "Horrors of Dracula" and "The Mummy". In other words, I reckon that Hammer should have had some budget to spend on building a ship, but clearly they didn't think it was absolutely necessary. Don't allow for this to spoil the fun, though, as there are definitely several memorable sequences to enjoy. Any film that features bloodthirsty piranhas receives an additional point in my personal book, and there are more cool scenes, for example the sword duel between two blindfolded pirates (one of them being the almighty Oliver Reed in one of his early Hammer roles) and nasty traps hidden all over the island. There's also a fun scene in which the pirates march through soiled water. Fun to watch, at least, because reportedly many of the actors – including Reed and Lee – suffered from unpleasant little injuries after filming this. "Pirates of Blood River" is by no means a mandatory Hammer must-see, but I warmly recommend it to fans of entertaining low-budget action flicks, pirate lovers and admirers of Christopher Lee.

Pirates of Blood River is directed by John Gilling and written by Jimmy Sangster. It stars Christopher Lee, Kerwin Matthews, Glenn Corbett, Michael Ripper, Andrew Keir, Oliver Reed, Marla Landi and Peter Arne. Music is by Gary Hughes and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

When Huguenot Jonathan Standish (Matthews) is found guilty of adultery, he is banished from the village and sent to serve hard labour at the penal colony. However, managing to escape, Jonathan is captured by pirates led by Captain LaRoche (Lee) and forced to lead the pirates back to his home village, where, LaRoche is convinced valuable treasure is hidden.

One of Hammer Film Productions pirate ventures, Pirates of Blood River is landlocked but still a whole bunch of piratical fun. Sangster's screenplay dangles interesting carrots that aren't fully unearthed, such as the religious fervour holding the Huguenot village in its grip, and questions of main character's pasts are left unanswered, but cast are very spirited and Gilling, in spite of being brought in late and being a pain in the ass, crafts a fast paced picture of excitement and tension. The small budget and absence of a ship and seafaring malarkey is barely noticed, though this place of plunder doesn't look much like a tropical island. There's good action, especially for the "big" battle at the finale, while it's good to see low cost effects, such as a piranha attack simulated by ripples on the water, actually be very effective for dramatic purpose. Blindfold duelling, too, always a bonus.

Plenty of beards, jolly roger speak, bodily abuse and guerrilla warfare, enough in fact to lift it above its obvious flaws. 7/10

Good, colorful period adventure from Hammer Studios is also a curiosity - a landlocked pirate movie! The high seas are nowhere in sight in a tale set on the Isle of Devon in the late 17th century. People known as "Huguenots" have fled persecution, and set up a peaceable community. Young Jonathon Standing (Kerwin Mathews), found guilty of adultery and sentenced to 15 years in a nearby penal colony, ultimately falls into the clutches of a pirate gang who are determined - nay, hellbent - on discovering whatever treasures this island may hold.

"The Pirates of Blood River" is nothing great, but it thoroughly entertains the viewer for a well paced 87 minutes. It's got plenty of effective ingredients: action set pieces, rousing orchestral music (by Gary Hughes), wonderful widescreen photography, and a reasonably simple plot (screenplay by John Hunter and director John Gilling, based on a story by Jimmy Sangster). Said plot includes a theme of religious fervor, and how some people, like Jonathons' father Jason (Andrew Keir), allow this to completely dictate how they live their lives.

Jonathon is no innocent - he WAS guilty, after all - but he's still quite a likable chap, and one may admire him for attempting to take a stand. The villains are appropriately despicable, with the great Sir Christopher Lee taking center stage as a French accented pirate leader named LaRoche. Among his crew are Mr. Hench (Peter Arne), Brocaire (Oliver Reed), and Mack (Michael Ripper). This excellent cast helps to add life to the familiar but agreeable proceedings. (That's Desmond "Q" Llewelyn in the small role of Tom Blackthorne.)

The action is well executed, although the final battle is a little anticlimactic because there was a sequence earlier in the picture that was more intense. There's one show stopping sword fight where Arne and Reed duel (while blindfolded) over a woman. And there's a mild bit of gore, although scenes involving piranha attacks involve little more than splashing water and a bit of blood.

Fun stuff, for Hammer fans and lovers of pirate cinema.

Seven out of 10.

Having already made two Robin Hood movies, Hammer then tried their hand at a couple of pirate movies shot in the woodland surrounding Bray Studios in Buckinghamshire (co.scripted by John Hunter, son of T. Hayes Hunter, director of the pre-Hammer horror 'The Ghoul' in 1933). Their provenance as Hammer productions was underscored by suitably bloodthirsty titles ('The Pirates of Blood River', 'The Devil-Ship Pirates') and by their usual plush production values achieved within their modest means (the budget didn't actually run to a ship, for example). This, the first, certainly lives up to its title since several people get devoured by piranhas trying to cross the title river, while a couple of others get impaled on spikes by a booby trap.

My favourite scene in a Hammer film is Rupert Davies in 'Dracula Has Risen from the Grave' expressing relief that his prospective son-in-law isn't a Methodist; and then going ballistic when he instead reveals that he's an atheist. Religious zealots also receive short shrift in this movie in the form of Andrew Keir, who shows 'mercy' to his own son by sentencing him for adultery to transportation rather than death, declares "God has answered our prayers" when he (wrongly) thinks he's fought the pirates off, and would then sooner sacrifice the entire village than reveal the location of his hidden stash of treasure (which I figured out before anyone else in the film did).

Pirate captain Christopher Lee - "As strong as a lion, as cunning as a mongoose, and as vicious as a snake" - sporting a stylish eye-patch, presides over a mean-looking bunch of cutthroats (one of whom - wearing one enormous earring - is black). But Marla Landi as the female lead is absent for most of the first half, and although two of the pirates fight a duel over her only really comes into her own when she changes into leather britches and a blouse for the film's final quarter. Even then, alas, she's present largely as a spectator during the finale.

In the seventeenth-century, a young Huegonot (Kerwin Mathews) escapes from a West Indies penal colony and joins forces with a treasure-obsessed pirate (Christopher Lee)...

Action-adventure in the Carribbean, Hammer-style, with not one but two Hollywood flavor-of-the-month hunks -Kerwin Mathews & Glenn Corbett (whatever happened to him?). Plenty of cutlass clashing (including a climactic one between Mathews and Lee), derring-do, and faux French accents but with all the swamp chases, you'd think at least one character would get gobbled up by quicksand. Unfortunately, none did. There were, however, enough saber-stabbings, booby-traps (including a spiked pit), musket skirmishes, and death by piranha (hence the title, "Blood River") to satisfy the easily amused. It was filmed on the back lots of Hammer's Bray Studios and stereotypes abounded from the sexy, nearly iconic Christopher Lee as the black-clad, one-eyed pirate king to a barrel-chested Oliver Reed as one of his lusty mates. The killed-off-all-too-soon Ollie cut a handsome, husky figure as did an earnest Glenn Corbett who's constipated acting made the rather lethargic Kerwin Mathews look like Sarah Bernhardt. Oddly enough (or not), Kerwin didn't have a femme love interest but Glenn did -the lackluster Marla Landi who looked a lot like Madeline Rhue. All in all, an agreeable time-waster, of interest mainly for it's idiosyncratic international beefcake.

THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER, a 1962 swashbuckler from Hammer Studios, is one of their lesser outings. You can put this down to Jimmy Sangster's lacklustre story and the lack of a decent budget, which substitutes British locations for the tropics and doesn't even include a pirate ship (apart from in an opening stock shot).

Of course, those of us who enjoy B-movie fare will no doubt enjoy the spectacle of some nondescript British woodland standing in for a more exotic locale - adding a single fern leaf into the shot and a couple of pot plants isn't doing much to fool the viewer! At least it helps take the viewer's mind off the plot, which after a decent first half hour soon descends into repetitive inanity.

Kerwin Matthews (THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) stars as the youthful, romantic hero figure who's sent to a penal colony after falling foul of his puritan elders. He escapes just in time to help his villagers defend themselves from the clutches of a group of dastardly pirates looking for treasure.

One of the problems with the production is the lack of a sense of menace. The pirates just don't seem to be particularly villainous and the script resorts to them fighting between themselves to supply the action. It doesn't help any when all the best actors play the pirates either: Christopher Lee, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne and Oliver Reed are all having a ball, supplying endless energy, while the villagers (including Dennis Waterman as a kid and an extra-dour Andrew Keir) are a bore.

Still, it's as colourful as ever for a Hammer romp, and I'm predisposed towards this genre so that it held my attention from beginning to end. But with a little more imagination, it could have been a whole lot better and more like the above-average DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES that Hammer made a couple of years later.

I taped Pirates of Blood River off TCM only because it showed just before Morgan the Pirate w/ Steve Reeves, which I'd seen as a boy, but my appetite was whetted when the first credit indicated it was a Hammer Film. For post-boomers' information, Hammer was a unique studio from the late 50s through the 60s. The studio's most characteristic films were in the horror genre. The plots of these films featured stereotypical characters, dubious motivations, and exploitative outcomes. But the studio had a distinctive "house style" that featured lush colors, accomplished acting, and, for those Anglophilic times (Beatles, Stones, 007), nubile Brit babes displaying rosy cleavage. Sometimes the parts all clicked. A deep memory is of being home from college in NC around 1970 and walking with friends through the cold to a surviving downtown theater to see "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave." We expected a campy hoot-film but ended up marveling at its quality--haven't seen it since.

Point: given the convenience of a fast-forward button, I'll take a chance on any Hammer Film. Pirates of Blood River is outside Hammer's standard horror genre, but the very opening has the studio's look even if it's set on a lush island rather than in a Gothic castle. The color is rich, and the Maggie character with whom Kerwin Matthews dallies displays the overripe buxomness that was among the studio's signatures. Her escape from her angry husband and other Huguenot elders into a body of water where she is eaten by piranhas earns the film's "Blood River" title.

After that opening, it's not much of a pirate film or a Hammer film, and the Huguenot historical framework remains undeveloped. A painted-in pirate ship appears in one gorgeous landscape shot, but otherwise the pirates grow peckish as they attack a village on foot and carry a golden statue of a Huguenot leader back to the river. Christopher Lee and Oliver Reed, who would later play Dracula, Mummy, and Werewolf in other Hammer Films, embellish their characters with stylish physicality, but most of the other pirates are only irritating or bland beyond their standard costumes. The islanders stage an impressive ambush or two, but overall it's a low-budget, underwritten adventure that feels longer than its 87 minutes. What seems most impressive or charming--and maybe a minor testament to the 50s-60s in economic history--is that such a film could ever be made at all; unimaginable today.

Fleeing religious persecution, a group of Huguenots settle on the Isle of Devon and establish a village where they can live and worship in peace. Unfortunately, many years later the leadership of the village is taken over by greedy and self-serving men who begin to enforce a type of religious tyranny on the residents. In one particular case a man by the name of "Jonathon Standing" (Kewin Matthews) has fallen in love with a woman named "Maggie Mason" (Marie Devereux) who is the wife of one of the leaders. Although neither have actually committed adultery when they are found in each other's embrace the decision is made to punish both all the same. In fear Maggie tries to escape by swimming to the other side of a river but is attacked and killed by piranhas. Meanwhile Jonathon is caught and then tried for adultery with Maggie's husband as one of the jurors. Although he protests his innocence, he is sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a penal colony. A couple of months later, he attempts to escape but is captured by a band of pirates and taken to their leader, "Captain LaRoche" (Christopher Lee) who decides to march to the village and loot it. Now, rather than detail any more of the film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this turned out to be a decent pirate movie despite the fact that almost all of the scenes happened on dry land. I especially liked the performance of Christopher Lee who I thought played the part quite superbly. In any case, I recommend this movie to all of those who think they might enjoy a film of this type and rate it as slightly above average.

John Gilling directed this pirate adventure that stars Kerwin Mathews as Jonathan Standing, an inhabitant of a 17th century Huegenot village where he was exiled by his father for adultery to a penal colony. While there, pirates led by Captain LaRoche(played by Christopher Lee) kidnap him and force him to lead them back to the village, because the pirates want a rumored buried treasure that their founding fathers left behind, and LaRoche will stop at nothing to find it, not even murder. Marginal Hammer studios film certainly has a colorful title that sums up the plot, and good production values and acting, but story is strangely unappealing and unmemorable, despite an interesting "landlocked pirates" premise.

one of the most pathetic movies i have ever seen.even christopher lee cannot bring any excitement to this pitiful drivel.how this turgid nonsense can be described as an action adventure defies belief.a total waste of time.

Kerwin Mathews, the star of 7th Voyage of Sinbad, plays a Huguenot who falls into the clutches of pirate king Christopher Lee, who attempts to use Mathews in a dastardly plan to steal Huguenot riches, and ends up holding the people of a quiet French religious settlement hostage.

A full blooded pirate adventure full of action and some good swordplay, especially between Kerwin Matthews and Christopher Lee at the end. Though some bits were censored so it could be suitable for younger kids, there's still a trace of grimness and grit. It can be overly serious, but it's a colourful swashbuckler. Christopher Lee is at his villainous best, dressed in black and wearing eyepatch, and Kerwin Matthews acts really well as the hero.

This is an enjoyable Hammer adventure film with the charismatic Christopher Lee playing Captain LaRoche, a ruthless eye-patched pirate who, with the help of his motley crew, attack an unruly Huguenot settlement on a Caribbean island convinced there is hidden treasure to be had.

The usual budget constraints are there but it doesn't hinder the film as much as some of their other adventure films despite the fact the pirates are only seen on land and not at sea. Director John Gilling has a firm hand on proceedings with a script by Jimmy Sangster and a solid support cast of Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper, Andrew Keir, Desmond Llewelyn and an early acting role for future TV star Dennis Waterman.

It's fun B-movie fare wrapped up in a handsome period adventure yarn that is entertaining with simple storytelling and perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Christopher Lee has dozens of films attributed to him, so much so one is forced to acknowledge his superior talents. Among the many roles are characters who have but one eye. This movie " The Pirates of Blood River " is one in which Lee wears an eye patch. The story was originally written by John Hunter and directed by John Giling. It tells the story of a group of religious pilgrims called Huguenots who establish their community on an island to live in peace. Unfortunately, there is dissension among the followers due to it's unjust judgments, punishments and thereafter when a group of Pirates invade their commune. Kerwin Mathews stars as Jonathon Standing, who's own father is among those who condemned him. Glenn Corbett plays Henry his brother. The heavy is played to the hilt by Christopher Lee who plays Captain LaRoche, a French pirate, a scoundrel from the old school. Oliver Reed and Robert Shaw are among the faces in the movie. The film itself is sorry to say, uneventful despite the bullet flying, sword fighting, hangings and piranha fish attacks. The scenes were so edited, that what was left, proved milk-toast and amateurish, truly not Christopher Lee, caliber. Despite Kerwin Mathews best efforts, this movie remained a half hearted attempt at best. **

Different to what you might expect from the Hammer studios. It's better than "The Devil Ship Pirates", anyway. Christopher Lee is, as usual, brilliant as Captain La Roche (yes, I think they made up that name, too), speaking in very convincing French accent. It's fun, good for the family and Hammer fans. Watch out for Kerwin Matthews as the hero (would you believe!)- he's convincing hero.

Long adventure film about a bunch of pirates talking their way into the oblivion of boredom.

One of the actors you'll recognize is Glenn Corbett who appeared in 'Shenandoah' as Jimmy Stewart's oldest son, but more notably as a dude named Cochrane in the Star Trek episode 'Metamorphosis'.

I tried to watch this thing until the end, but it was so damned long and boring, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I finally turned off the TV and went to sleep. Then I was unable to remember not only the name of the film, but even what it was about.

A cool title is the only thing the film has going for it. Make a pot of coffee before viewing... you'll need it.

A disappointing Hammer film! I believe it may have been hastily written for the sets they had available. The plot is already pretty weak, which isn't necessarily a problem for entertaining story-telling, but almost all other elements are also under-whelming. To my subjective perception, there were only three noteworthy actors, with not one of them providing a memorable performance, due to sub-par writing with exceptionally stupid dialog. Andrew Keir is playing a stubborn village leader, who is seemingly written to grow more unlikable with each minute on screen. Oliver Reed is cast as an insignificant character and Christopher Lee is tasked with the role of an unusually bland pirate captain. He's skillfully leaning into it, but can't save that the character is given unconvincing actions and words.

The protagonist is played by Kerwin Mathews, an actor with good looks and some screen charisma. Sadly, I've never seen him in a leading role where he didn't seem dim-witted after a while of watching, due to exaggerated impulsiveness and righteousness caused by indoctrination rather than insight. At times it feels like he's helplessly stumbling through the movie, pushed around by events, causing trouble by absence of any wisdom, with almost all other actors stealing his show. His co-star, Glenn Corbett, has a lot less screen time, but uses it with far more charisma. Coincidentally (?), he's also given much better lines.

The movie doesn't have the inspiring visual quality of some of the better known Hammer productions and despite some good locations, it never manages to provide believable action. Even a sabre fight with Christopher Lee turns out dull, due to his opponent's lack of matching skill. Only barely worth a watch, for those with enough curiosity.

"The Pirates of Blood River", despite being in color, is a cheap film from Hammer. How cheap? Well, it's a pirate movie with no pirate ship...something done to save money. Instead, the pirates apparently left their ship behind as they attack a bunch of not especially likable folks who live on the island.

So is that story any good? Well, it's okay. But it's tough to love because everyone seems pretty jerky in this story. Overall, it's just okay.

By the way, this film isn't as bad as many, but in reality pirate captains were NOT autocratic rulers but served at the mercy of the crew. So, if the captain screws up, he's replaced...and captains never boss everyone around and kill crew members as you often see in films. The only pirate who generally scared his crew and might have carried this off was Blackbeard...but even he had some responsiblity to keep his crew happy. In this film, the captin (Christopher Lee) bosses folks around like a movie pirate...though at least there are a few grumblings among the crew very late in the story.