The Black Pirate Pillages the Music Box At Noon Tomorrow

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 8, 2011 4:45PM

Filmmakers had been experimenting with Technicolor since the heyday of the Silent era, in which a two-tone process was used. The Black Pirate, directed by Albert Parker and starring Douglas Fairbanks, was the third movie and first feature to experiment with two-tone Technicolor, using two film strips to create vibrant palettes on the screen.

United Artists co-founder Fairbanks wasted little expense to get the color tones he desired for the film where he played the son of royalty who swears vengeance on the pirates who killed his father. We saw a screening of the film years ago as a restored print from the Silent Film Society of Chicago at the Gateway Theatre and was blown away by the vividness of the tinting. If you ever have a chance to see this film on a large screen, you should.

And you do have a chance. The Black Pirate screens at the Music Box tomorrow at noon as part of the film house's "Saturday Silent Cinema" series. Admission to the film is $10; $8 for students and seniors, and the screening starts at noon