While scrolling social media yesterday afternoon, I stumbled across a small blurb about a free screening of an old silent film, The Black Pirate. The evening was jointly hosted by two storied entities, the Henry B. Plant Museum and the Tampa Theatre.

Since the historic theater is undergoing a massive renovation in preparation for it’s centennial celebration, the event was held at Sykes Chapel on the University of Tampa campus.* The film, starring Douglas Fairbanks, had been selected since it was the second movie shown at the theater back when it opened in 1926.

Though the film footage had survived, apparently the entire accompanying score had not so Steven Ball, a UT professor and artist-in-residence at the Tampa Theatre, composed an original one. As Steven explained during intermission, the viewing location had been carefully chosen for access to a pipe organ, though this 55′ tall masterpiece with its 3,184 pipes is vastly superior to the “unit orchestra” ones played in theaters a hundred years ago.

The film was a rollicking tale that followed the hero as he avenged his father’s death after merciless pirates pillaged and plundered their ship. As happens when dealing with scoundrels, the promise of easy money changed allegiances, trickery was abundant, plots were foiled, and unexpected alliances were formed.

In between sword fights, gun battles, cannon fire, and athletic acts of derring-do there was also a love interest – a hostage princess. Known on board the ship as the Black Pirate, our hero suddenly had more than one reason to defeat the scurvy dogs.

Though intertitles were few, the storyline was easy to follow and the movie was thoroughly enjoyable. I was impressed with the action scenes and Fairbanks’ athleticism (his sliding down a sail with a knife stunt is legendary). Though to be honest, I was most charmed by the one-armed MacTavish, an older pirate with a soft heart.

The movie was a standout when released, notable not only for it’s daring stunts but also as the first full-length feature filmed entirely in Technicolor. Though expensive for the time at $1.3 million, it did well at the box office and more importantly, it’s credited with paving the way for modern cinematography.

It was a fun adventure on the high seas and a great way to wrap up my day!