Buccaneer

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demille flunks history
About 1959, I would have been 8 years old, my great aunt Louise saw "The Buccaneer" and had a stroke. She had a stroke each time she saw it. She saw it 5 more times and died. The term "Kentucky Long Rifle" did not exist prior to the battle of NO; {NO}; it was the "Pennsylvania Rifle" from 1739 to 1815. LaFitte's part is overstated. The exact Brit battle plan was delivered to Jackson by two of George washington's former spies, Owen Thomas and William Thomas, sr. On the frontier, the 1776 war for independence never paused but continued till the 1820s, with the Brits using Indian proxies wherever possible. The vastly outclassed Americans were driven to innovation and the Kentucky Long Rifle was one result. The way it happened was Daniel Morgan's Sharpshooters- George Washington's;{GW}-favorite regiment continued to refine their tactics and weapons from 1776 right through the beginning of the 1812 war. The Morgans and Thomases were cousins to the Remys and the Remys were Melungeon metallurgists and gunsmiths from the Clinch River area, now Giles county, VA. About 1780, James Booth (yes, THAT Booth!) and his partner John Thomas ,sr, on a multi-year surveying mission under GW were massacred-and their families, too- by British allied Indians. The only Thomas survivor was 5 year-old John D who was kept by the Indians as a "pet". Renowned fiddle player, Jeanette Thomas, defended her 8 children with superhuman fortitude and violence which is wondered at to this day in those parts. Twelve years later, John D made a risky escape into the gunsights of his cousin, William Thomas , jr., who, inexplicably, held his fire. Pretty soon, John D fell in with Henry Remy, melungeon, descendent of Spanish crypto Jews, inturn descended from Egyptian Leprous Jews (Gypsies-yeah thats right; take your history book and burn it; its worthless) who had been abandoned by Colombus and his immediate successors. Inbred lot to say the least. Beautiful women though, if you dont mind 6 toes-which John D didnt. John D was no fool...and he was also "the fightingest soldier that ever lived". After many twists and turns, the crypto jews melted down their super hard and dense religious objects to make high velocity balls for a new high pressure long rifle fashioned from the unique phosphorous (lucifer) rich iron ore of eastern Tennessee, to which was added a trace of arsenic. John D got the girl-Anna (Remy) Thomas- and never regretted it. She died instantly from a Brit/Indian musket ball in 1809. The improved "Pennsylvania Rifle" was turned over to the phenomenal marksmen of Morgan's GW sharpshooters , among them MG John Thomas, Owen Thomas, William Thomas jr,capt. John D Thomas, Adairs,Coffees, Clarks, Morgans, etc. The plan was to decapitate the Brit invaders at NO, make their comrade, Jackson, a US President, then drive west all the way to the Pacific and make the US a continental power and impregnable natural fortress where pacifistic and progressive notions could grow into self sustaining movements. It worked. John D never slowed down and was a rickety but-razor sharp civilian scout at Antietam. He died in 1878 in Iowa, age 103. Thats what happened. from "MOUNTAIN MUSIC, a true story", copyright 2006, kenneth b thomas, in progress.

Big, Lavish Hollywood Epic
I used to love these types of big, bold, colorful costume epics as a kid and I still like them today. It's been a number of years since I've seen The Buccaneer but it was always one of my favorites. Directed by Anthony Quinn the film stars Charlton Heston as General Andrew Jackson and Yul Brynner as pirate Jean LaFitte and is sent against the backdrop of the war of 1812. Lafitte and his pirates control a local and strategically placed Island near New Orleans. While he refrains from attacking American vessels he's still not in the good graces of Jackson. Jackson is faced with a dire dilemma...the British are massing a large force and planning to attack New Orleans and the American forces are vastly outnumbered. They turn to ally with LaFitte. Lafitte's men want them to side with England as they think they will certainly win, but LaFitte gets assurances from Jackson that his men will be pardoned if they aid the Americans. This deal is complicated when one of the Pirates under LaFittes command attacks an American ship and kills everyone except a boy who escapes. Even though LaFitte new nothing about the attack he accepts responsibility. This is a truly lavish epic with great costumes, epic battles and dramatic performances by the entire cast. Some might argue that Heston and Brynner tend to ham it up a bit but I think this is more of a product of their era when bold, over-the-top performances like this were the norm and subtlety was not in the equation. The battles are staged quite well with lots of action. The fine supporting cast includes Charles Boyer, E.G. Marshall, and Lorne Greene. Quite well done and I hope we will see a DVD release soon. It's too good to be only on VHS and out of print.

Jean Lafitte, Prince of Pirates
A swashbuckler with pirates, smugglers and patriots, this is marvelous entertainment, with two actors who are riveting to watch, and some history, which though embellished in some places and condensed in others, is in essence correct. Jean Lafitte was flamboyant and a favorite of the ladies, and with his horde of sea robbers had his headquarters on an island in Barataria Bay, and controlled the waterways known as the bayou. As Lord Byron wrote of Lafitte, "He left a Corsair's name to other times-Linked with one virtue and a thousand crimes".Yul Brynner is terrific as Lafitte, with swagger and strut, and even singing a beautiful Creole ballad, which Lafitte was known to do. The Costume Design in this film received an Oscar nomination, and should have won for the way they managed to fit Brynner's numerous outfits.In the smaller but pivotal part of Andrew Jackson, Charlton Heston is downright magnificent and looks fabulous. With thick white hair, his resemblance to General Jackson is a marvel. Both Brynner and Heston, who two years earlier had starred in C.B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments", have command and presence that fills the screen and is a joy to watch. Others in the cast are Charles Boyer, charming and humorous as Brynner's friend and fellow pirate, Inger Stevens as Brynner's love interest and the daughter of Governor Clairborne (E.G. Marshall), and Claire Bloom as tough girl Bonnie Brown. The score by Elmer Bernstein is wonderful, and cinematography by Loyal Griggs very good, especially the scene of the British advancing, with bagpipes and drums, in the Battle of New Orleans, which took place in the Winter of 1814-15. The Red Coats falling to Jackson's troops was accurate, as the British lost an astounding 2,600 to the loss of only 13 of Jackson's men.A remake of Cecil B. DeMIlle's 1938 film, this was supervised by him, and directed by actor Anthony Quinn. DeMille also gives us a small history lesson at the start of the film, with maps to demonstrate where the action takes place.Total running time is 121 minutes.

The Buccaneer should have won Oscars
The Buccaneer is one of my all-time-favorite pirate flims. This movie should have won a few Oscars. It was, however, nominated for Best Costume Design and it should have won that award, because the costumes were exactly accurate to the time era of 1812. It should have been nominated for Best Cinemaography, Best Art Direction, Best Musical Score by Elmer Bernstien, Best Interior Design, and for Best Set Decarations. Even though this movie didn't get any awards, it's still a great flim. If you love pirate movies and if you want a piece of American history, give The Buccaneer a try.

The Buccaneer should have won Oscars
The Buccaneer is one of my all-time-favorite pirate flims. This movie should have won a few Oscars. It was, however, nominated for Best Costume Design and it should have won that award, because the costumes were exactly accurate to the time era of 1812. It should have been nominated for Best Cinemaography, Best Art Direction, Best Musical Score by Elmer Bernstien, Best Interior Design, and for Best Set Decarations. Even though this movie didn't get any awards, it's still a great flim. If you love pirate movies and if you want a piece of American history, give The Buccaneer a try.