Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953) User Reviews

Passable swashbuckler with John Payne as the legendary pirate Barbarossa against the Spanish armada

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 10 January 2014]

An agreeable as well as decent John Payne swashbuckler about the Pirate Barbarossa, a real personage against the Spanish Main. This classic story of romantic adventure come to life enriched by Technicolor photography and adapted rightly to the screen. Since man's earliest venturings upon the oceans ..into the icy breakers of the North.. or the warm waters of the golden gulf have come down wondrous tales of Raiders of the Seven Seas . Barbarossa was one of them , sailing recklessly through the seventeenth Century , from India's Ocean to the Caribbean islands , today he still lives in hundreds of legends . This is one : It begins in Morocco , in the palace of the Sultan , where Barbarossa (John Payne) flees . As Barbarossa takes over a Spànish ship called Santa Margarita and frees a bunch of prisoners and makes them his crew , as his aide Peg-Leg (Lon Chaney) and deputy Renzo (Anthony Caruso) , among others . As a corsair captain and a crew of escaped convicts plundering for loot and revenge . On a raid, he takes as a prize a Spanish countess (Donna Reed) , Alida , governor's daughter . He has fallen in love with her by the time he manages for her ransom by the captain Salcedo (Gerald Mohr) who was to marry her . Meanwhile, Barbarossa goes to Santo Domingo and Turtle Island . Exposing her intended as a liar and a coward , he goes to ask for her hand but she has fled , and Barbarossa believes she is the one who murdered his assistant . Barbarossa encounters dangerous situations while trying retrieve his lover , as he is double-crossed and after that , he attacks La Habana , Cuba , where is the residence of the governor general and his officer , Captain Goiti (Henry Brandon).

Amusing pirate movie , plenty of action , thrills , colorful cinematography and luxurious costumes . Although the story has been told before , tight filmmaking and nice acting win out . Overwhelming battle ships , sword-play and full of villainy , romance , swashbuckler and heroism . The picture is fast-moving , exciting and thrilling right up to the almost balletic climatic confrontation between John Payne and Gerald Mohr . Average-budgeted film by United Artists Pictures , using appropriate ship shots and miniature sets when possible . Nice acting by John Payne as a famous pirate who uses all kind of shrewdness in order to penetrate a well-defended stronghold on La Habana . Payne starred various swashbucklers and classic adventures such as ¨Tripoli¨ with Mauren O'Hara , ¨Captain China¨ by Lewis R. Foster , ¨Caribbean¨ by Edward Ludwig with Arlene Dahl , ¨Crosswinds¨ by Lewis Foster with Rhonda Fleming , among others . ¨Raiders of the seven seas¨ results to be one of John Payne's swashbuckling best though hasn't achieved a classic status . There appears the gorgeous Donna Reed as a hot-tempered countess moll who swoons over Payne ; furthermore , an enjoyable support cast such as Gerald Mohr as Captain Jose Salcedo , Lon Chaney Jr as Peg Leg , Anthony Caruso as Renzo , Henry Brandon as Captain Goiti and Frank DeKova as Captain Romero .

United Artists took advantage of the unused as well as left sets from other A-movies by scripting and shooting a hastily assembled B-picture . This is a good-natured Technicolor romp with glamorous cinematography by Howard Greene and evocative musical score by Paul Sawtell. The motion picture was professionally produced and directed by Sidney Salkow , a craftsman who had already filmed other adventures . He realized all kind of genres such as routine westerns (Sitting Bull , The great Sioux massacre , Pathfinder) , Adventures (Prince of Pirates , Sword of the avenger) , war films , Sci-Fi (The last man on Earth) , Terror (Twice-told tales) and melodramas (City without men) . Salkow first worked for Republic, after joining Universal . At Columbia , he handled , among other assignments, four installments of the popular Lone Wolf series . After 1953, Salkow was primarily active as director of episodic television . Rating : 6 , acceptable pirate movie , entertaining stuff . It will appeal to John Payne and Donna Reed fans .

Light-hearted pirate adventure is entertaining...

[ccmiller1492 · 6/10 · 3 February 2006]

The light-hearted nature of this pirate adventure is immediately evident as the film opens with Barbarosa (Payne) being discovered romancing some harem ladies whereupon he's furiously chased by soldiers. He manages to reach the seacoast and swims out to the nearest ship. This is the best part of the film as he surreptitiously climbs aboard and rather than becoming a galley slave, he persuades the crew to mutiny and then to piracy with him as their chief!

From then on it's pretty standard pirate movie fare. Henry Brandon and Gerald Mohr are surprisingly effective as wealthy but dishonest Spanish schemers, but their modern haircuts don't go very well with their elaborate 17th century court costumes. Donna Reed looks good, but is not convincing as the haughty daughter of a Spanish governor. The film comes alive only when John Payne is on screen, but nevertheless manages to entertain.

John Payne and Donna Reed make a pretty good pair in Raiders of the Seven Seas

[tavm · 7/10 · 8 July 2012]

Just watched this obscure pirate flick on Netflix Streaming. Since I've been devoting these summer months-in honor of the recent new "Dallas" series on TNT-to the original cast, regular and recurring, of the first series in order to review their work, on TV and film, in chronological order, this was next on the list with the second Miss Ellie-Donna Reed-in the heroine role opposite that of the hero-John Payne. Payne plays Barbarossa, a pirate who fights the villainous Spainards, one of whom was planned for an arraigned marriage with Ms. Reed. I'll stop there and just say that I found much of the action and dialogue much fast paced but also clear enough for me to understand what and why whatever happens is going on. Also, I liked Lon Chaney Jr.'s supporting performance as sidekick Peg Leg. So on that note, Raiders of the Seven Seas is worth a look if you're interested in these obscure old-time adventures.

RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS (Sidney Salkow, 1953) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 11 December 2008]

My fourth trip to the Maltese sexton who's been an avid film buff/collector/projectionist all his life provided me with the opportunity to watch this solid seafaring adventure (albeit opening rather incongruously in a Moroccan Sheik's harem!) which, in the words of the award-winning lyricist friend who (as usual) set up the screening, was very popular locally in its day among schoolboys and is still fondly remembered today among people of his generation. Although perhaps not one to be mentioned in books on film history (much less criticism) – I don't think I've ever come across it in essays I've read specifically dealing with the swashbuckler genre – the title itself has a familiar ring to it and, actually, I do recall catching a glimpse of it in the early days of Cable TV.

Another reason for the film's relative neglect over the years is the fact that it was not a major studio effort (Global Productions but released theatrically through United Artists) and has second-league stars (John Payne and Donna Reed) as leads. Furthermore, the film-makers behind the low-budget studio-bound RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS may not have had the required dough to erect the necessary sets but at least proved savvy enough to shoot it in Technicolor – by pioneering color cinematographer W. Howard Greene, no less – for added vividness (even though the print I saw screened theatrically boasted the tell-tale signs of aging via a constant reddish hue for most of the film's first half). Having said that, this negative aspect is ironically suited to the material at hand since Payne stars as legendary Pirate Barbarossa (Red Beard) with his hirsute attributes appropriately colored in that fashion (even when posing as a beggar in his nemesis' household, which begs the question of why he wasn't suspected at all); wondering why Payne seemed to drop off the cinematic radar in the late 1950s, I learned from his IMDb biography that he had suffered facial scars in a terrible car accident in 1962! For the record, I have obtained (and have further access to) several John Payne movies of late – although, regrettably, not his other Technicolor pirate yarn CARIBBEAN (1952).

Anyhow, to get back to the film proper: no self-respecting pirate goes without a genial sidekick by his side and Lon Chaney Jnr. (as the one-legged old sea dog Peg-Leg) fits the bill here and in turn has a resourceful kid to take care of. Perhaps thankfully, however, we are spared the would-be comic relief characteristics that usually pervade both these personalities in similar fare and, in truth, it must be said that RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS has an admirably somber tone throughout that is atypical for pirate adventure pictures. Indeed, having Peg-Leg murdered by a duplicitous member of their gang (Anthony Caruso) and the awaiting folk – including, so we are told, women and children – mercilessly wiped out at their hide-out by the villainous Spaniards (Gerard Mohr and Henry Brandon) gives the whole an unexpectedly Shakespearean tragedy feel a' la "Henry V"!

It also goes without saying that Reed is, at first, understandably miffed that Payne has abducted her from her pampered surroundings to his island hideaway and that she bribes Caruso to set her free but, what is also unusual here is that Payne's predictable love for Reed actually seems to cloud his judgment and make him see red {sic} with jealousy whenever she's around Caruso and, if that wasn't enough evidence of his true feelings for her, he gives up the gold ransom he had been paid for her freedom! Director Sidney Salkow – who was an old hand at this type of thing, including a Sterling Hayden/Rhonda Fleming swashbuckler called THE GOLDEN HAWK (1952) which, happily, also proudly forms part of the above-mentioned projectionist's collection – doubled as a co-writer/producer here but, at least from this one preliminary viewing, it's rather unfortunate that, for all its incidental pleasures and uncommon ingredients, RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS lacks the requisite number of memorable sequences or characters (perhaps even strong musical backing would have sufficed) which might have made it a much-better known film of its type – rather than being relegated to the hazy recollections of an age-old theatrical visit in their childhood days of an appreciative few.

not that bad

[rickdumesnil · 7/10 · 18 September 2012]

Just saw 7 seas movie. I did not hate it at all. the scenery is adequate and the color was alright. Some scenes were a little hard to swallow but the actors made the film believable. Was fun to see sexy John Payne is something else different from Twentieth Century Fox musicals. Mr.Payne can really show emotions when especially he is mad...watch his forehead and his eyes.Donna reed i simply adore...she has a face that you cant forget. Reminds me a lot of my all time favorite MISS PAULETTE GODDARD. The supporting cast is all recommended and the plot is simple but effective. Really worth a watch. You no what.....todays movies may be advanced and up to date.....id rather see JOHN Payne as a pirate anytime compared to Johnny Depp who has everything handed to him on a silver platter. Yester years actors really worked and sweated to give the best performance ever...and they didn't have much help like the actors of today have.

Not much wind in these sails

[dinky-4 · 5/10 · 26 August 2003]

First, the good news. This movie is only 4 minutes and 23 seconds old before John Payne takes off his shirt, revealing a V-shaped torso which, unlike many of his earlier unveilings, is gloriously unshaven and only a few years past its prime. Now the bad news. It's all downhill from here. Even fans of pirate B-movies will find this concoction an anemic affair which lacks energy and style and which, due to a tight budget, has a disappointingly studio-bound quality. Throwing in an "adorable" child actor only accentuates the vapidity of the proceedings.

John Payne manages to get by without serious damage to his reputation, aided, of course, by that bare-chest scene, but adding a reddish dye to his dark hair tends to make him look more silly than rakish. Donna Reed doesn't have the fire and flash needed for her part but, to be fair, no one could do much with lines such as: "I will enjoy (your company) even more when you are stretched to the four winds on a torture-rack!"

A better grade-B pirate movie from this era is "Prince of Pirates" with John Derek and Barbara Rush.

Lightweight pirate adventure

[gordonl56 · 6/10 · 21 February 2008]

When one considers the amount of acting talent here it is a shame it was so misused. With the likes of B-movie vets John Payne, Donna Reed, Gerald Mohr, Anthony Caruso and Lon Chaney i was expecting much more. It is just your basic story of a ship's captain, John Payne, who frees a crew from the nasty Spanish and takes off to be a pirate. It also features the standard pirate plot where Payne captures the local lord's wife to be, Donna Reed, who of course falls for the dashing pirate. Director Salkow did much better with THE GOLDEN HAWK and PRINCE OF PIRATES. Donna Reed would win a Best Supporting Oscar on her next film, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. She gave not a clue of such talent in this rather soft action flick. Same thing with the normally solid, John Payne. Not a complete loss since there are several brisk battle scenes and the odd comic touch from Lon Chaney. A grade b, b film. (color)

Flabby pirate epic--not good, not bad, just . . . meh!

[fredcdobbs5 · 4/10 · 28 June 2014]

Low-budget independent (released through United Artists) pirate adventure starring John Payne has him as famed pirate Barbarossa fighting against a corrupt Spanish officer (Gerald Mohr), with an uncomfortable-looking Donna Reed miscast as the "fiery" daughter of a Spanish governor who is Payne's love interest. In every one of director Sidney Salkow's films I've seen he's had problems with pacing, and his track record is unbroken here. It moves like molasses, with awkward dialog scenes broken up by mostly lackadaisical, by-the-numbers action scenes (and some rather shoddy miniature work for the ship-to-ship battles). Payne is earnest, and actually a bit more animated than he normally tends to be, but Reed looks like she wished she was somewhere else. A decent supporting cast helps somewhat, but overall the picture is pretty standard fare.

Fair Movie

[januszlvii · 6/10 · 14 April 2021]

Raiders Of The Seven Seas is a fair movie ( certainly not Errol Flynn). It Not John Payne's best ( which were all of the noir variety: The Crooked Way, Kansas City Confidential and.99 River st ( plus Silver Lode that although it was a western was very much a noir type)). Nor was it a musical which he did plenty of and I avoided. It is a movie you will forget you ever seen, because you will not love it or hate it.

Hollywood's idea of pirates ain't exactly the reality of piracy!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 30 January 2024]

As a retired history teacher, "Raiders of the Seven Seas" is a particularly annoying film. While I don't think anyone really wants a completely accurate portrayal of pirates and piracy, as it would be incredibly violent and far from romantic, this one is pretty ridiculous. It's not just that it's an older film...classic movies like "Captain Blood" and "Prince of Foxes" are wonderfully entertaining. No, it's more lazy filmmaking...as this COULD have been enjoyable but just wasn't.

John Payne of all people is cast as 'Barbarossa'...which means 'red beard'...though he hardly looks like a red-bearded man. In the female lead is Donna Reed, who plays the daughter of the Spanish governor of some Caribbean island. And, frankly, neither look nor sound nor act like they are Spanish. Worst yet, neither act like ANYONE from that period of time. He is way too nice and clean to be a pirate and she is a stereotypically feminist leading lady from the 1950s. Both took me completely out of the story and their antics just seemed tiresome.

I mentioned a couple wonderful movies above you might want to see instead. I'd add to that "The Sea Hawk". But "Raiders of the Seven Seas" simply doesn't even try to be real in any way...nor is it enjoyable on a camp level.

Excellent pirates movie

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 23 November 2022]

Didney Salkow was a real little master in terms of adventure and western yarns, he gav eus so many good features, check his filmography, even thrillers and an awesome adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel I AM A LEGEND, maybe the best ever made. This colourful littme movie is so exciting agreeable to watch for old timers moviegoers as I am. Plenty of action, exotic atmosphere, romance, treason, cloak and daggers, pirates ship battles, treasure hunts, all the ingredients that makes me forget the great films speaking of this topic. Gerald Mohr, as you can guess, is not the good hero here, on the contrary, some kind of Michael Pate; and John Payne, as good as he was in other colorful exotic films for Paramount pictures. This one is not though.

Pleasant viewing

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 17 May 2021]

After staging a mutiny and commandeering his own ship, famed pirate Barbarossa (John Payne) takes hostage a spirited Spanish noblewoman named Alida (Donna Reed), intending to trade her to her fiancé, Capt. Jose Salcedo (Gerald Mohr), for a handsome ransom. But Barbarossa falls in love with Alida, who meanwhile discovers that the roguish swashbuckler is more honorable than her erstwhile betrothed.

Usually known for musicals, film noir/crime and westerns, the underrated John Payne tries his hand at the pirate genre, and does an admirable job, showing much gusto and emotion in some scenes. Donna Reed does well as the spirited heroine who spurns our hero, but not for long. Gerald Mohr and Antony Caruso are the heavies.

Raiders of the seven seas is a typical pirate adventure, which is rather enlivened by Payne and Reed. There's some action, though it's quite brief, but it's the lively plot that carries you over. The second half is the best when Payne and his bunch find that the family and kids they left behind on the island are killed by the Spaniards.

An enjoyable film that should have ended with a duel between Payne and Mohr.

A crew of would be slaves

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 10 January 2013]

Raiders Of The Seven Seas looks like a project that would have fit Tyrone Power a whole lot better than John Payne. Even though the two looked similar and I've always believed that Payne was signed by 20th Century Fox to take Power's place in musicals, Payne just doesn't quite have the proper élan to be a swashbuckling pirate.

The story has Payne escaping from the Barbary Coast and taking over a slave ship that was sitting idle in calm waters. The cargo of would be slaves provide a very willing crew as they were to be sent to the Spanish West Indies as plantation help.

Payne goes there too and builds himself quite a little pirate fleet and gets himself involved with Donna Reed who is scheduled to marry Captain Gerald Mohr. Mohr himself has a nasty rivalry with a soldier sent from Spain played by Henry Brandon. Mohr's rivalry with Brandon and his jealousy of Payne prove to be his undoing.

Three other roles deserve mention, Payne's treacherous second in command Anthony Caruso, his loyal pilot Lon Chaney, Jr., who plays your typical peg-leg pirate in the style of Long John Silver, and young Spud Tergerson who is a kid in the crew. What he was doing there other than to attract a juvenile audience, God only knows.

Despite a miscast Payne, Raiders Of The Seven Seas is a pleasant enough average adventure drama. It will never take the place of such swashbuckling classics as Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, or The Black Swan.

A pirate abducts a Spanish noblewoman.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 21 July 2014]

Just one the many adventures of the legendary pirate Barbarossa. This fearless swashbuckler is played aptly by John Payne. Barbarossa stages a mutiny and commanders the ship for his own. He convinces the freed Spanish prisoners to stay on as his crew. He plans to kidnap a Spanish noblewoman, Alida(Donna Reed); to obtain a large ransom and destroy what he can of the Spanish war fleet. In the process, the pirate falls in love with the beautiful countess and has to contend with the officer she is supposed to marry. Very appealing scenery and plenty of action and adventure. Payne seems a bit throttled, but still shows Barbarossa to be pompous and fearless. Reed seems reserved, but so pretty and demure. Lon Chaney Jr. is notable as the pirate's aide, Peg-Leg. And young Skip Torgerson is a useful Datu. The supporting cast includes: Frank DeKova, Gerald Mohr, Anthony Caruso and Claire Du Brey.

Argh Era When Everyone Did Pirate Films

[DKosty123 · 6/10 · 19 April 2020]

There's a lot to be said for Amazon running this on prime. They got a pretty good shape copy as most of the technicolor is solid on . The only color thing I noted was a scene where some boats were pink, but am not sure why that snuck in since it was only one short clip. The film is designed as a B picture and is fast and breezy. It does do that as the 80 or so minutes go by in a hurry.

John Payne is solid in a script that leaves stuff to be desired he does come across quite well. Donna Reed in her early 30's here looks fine with dark hair playing a countess who somehow is not swept, but bullied off her feet by the gruff talking Barbarossa (Payne). I would rather have her off her feet at this age as she is ripe, this is not the TV Donna Reed at all.

The script is that the swashbuckling Pirate is wanted by an Arab with many wives to be killed. Then he starts stealing Spanish ships and arouses their anger. He signs up loyal men from slaves and dregs. Love the use of Lon Chaney Jr. as Peg Leg, the side kick and he makes the most of a limited support role. There's a boy child actor whose good too.

For all the pirate fun, the film seems to skip the conquest scenes and go straight to the parties. I figure it's because of a limited budget. The main battle scenes are near the end when Barbarossa decides to take Havana from the Spanish. While's it's not a great film, at least it's good fun though warning there's one scene where the Spanish act like baddies and kill a bunch of women and children looking for the Countess. The killings are not shown but the bodies are. Rare to see this type of scene in a Pirate film.

Harems and Sweaty Chests Its Only Appeal

[nafps · 3/10 · 15 December 2022]

The intended audience is clear in the first few minutes. A harem of white women posing as Arab wives, giving an excuse to show them in bikini tops and veils. Followed by John Payne shirtless and oiled up.

And that's it. The fight scenes are rare, tame, brief, and dull, and don't even happen until the middle of the film. The dialog is every cliche lifted from Treasure Island. Donna Reed is miscast as Spanish nobility, wearing Broadway dancer fashions. Lon Chaney Jr is stuck in this, proving he was best as a werewolf or aging sheriff in High Noon.

I gave up in frustration after fifty minutes. Doubt I will remember it tomorrow.

Second pairing of John Payne and Lon Chaney

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 22 October 2023]

1953's "Raiders of the Seven Seas" is a colorful swashbuckler for handsome star John Payne, the second time he was paired with Lon Chaney on the open sea. Where 1949's modern day "Captain China" found the two in brutal opposition, here they are 16th century comrades in plunder once Payne's Barbarossa escapes the Moroccan Sultan's harem and frees the slaves of a passing Spanish ship bound for Tortuga. Once there, Barbarossa is instantly mesmerized by the Governor's beautiful daughter Alita (Donna Reed), taking her prisoner once he appropriates more freed slaves for his growing crew. Her arranged marriage to Captain Salcedo (Gerald Mohr) is compromised by his greed and arrogance, as well as his rivalry with Captain Goiti (Henry Brandon), whose successes earn him a promotion to general. Barbarossa may be a rogue but with John Payne in charge, it's impossible to find anyone to outshine his endearing attempts to woo the stubborn Alita to his side. Lon Chaney's friendly Peg Leg is essentially Barbarossa's first mate, and his shocking murder at Alita's expense leaves her stunned and no longer willing to trust her deceptive fiancee. The various twists and turns make the climax well worth waiting for, and it's one of those rare opportunities to see gorgeous Donna Reed on screen in living color. The script may at first seem formulaic, but with such likable leads it comes off as more than a passing diversion (Chaney would play another sympathetic role in one final seafaring adventure, 1954's "The Black Pirates," opposite Anthony Dexter).

quintessential swashbuckling film.

[fuzthepoet · 10/10 · 24 September 2022]

Raiders of the Seven Seas - The quintessential swashbuckling film. Full of every possible trope! Unbelievable! Amazing! Fantastic! Highly Recommended, 10/10. Ugh 600 hundred character needed! Repeat :) Raiders of the Seven Seas - The quintessential swashbuckling film. Full of every possible trope! Unbelievable! Amazing! Fantastic! Highly Recommended, 10/10. Ugh 600 hundred character needed! Repeat :) Raiders of the Seven Seas - The quintessential swashbuckling film. Full of every possible trope! Unbelievable! Amazing! Fantastic! Highly Recommended, 10/10. Ugh 600 hundred character needed! Repeat :)

Standard Hollywood swashbuckling virtuoso show, all totally unrealistic

[clanciai · 8/10 · 24 April 2024]

It is all very well made but hardly convincing. Tom Payne is always good but seldom gets the opportunity to demonstrate any depth of character. Donna Reid is always lovely and charming and a good actress, but here her talents are rather wasted on superficial Caribbean intrigues so often repeated in other swashbuckling features. Lon Chaney makes a sympathetic performance, actually the most sympathetic character in the film, but he gets nothing for it. The boy helps the entertainment. The intrigue is muddled and complicated, there is no clarity, motives are banal and selfish, and the story is Caribbean pulp fiction. In brief, you have seen it all before and in better films than this.