Movie Review: Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954)
Synopsis: Judith Duvall enjoys the finer things in life but is also running out of money to pay for them. As a result, she accepts an offer from the Earl of Bellomont to take part in an elaborate scheme to trick pirate Captain William Kidd into leading Bellomont to his hidden treasure. When Kidd proves to be too smart for Bellomont, figures out the plot and discovers Judith's involvement, he punishes Judith by forcing her to perform various chores on his stolen ship while continuing on his way to the hidden treasure, which he needs to earn his pardon.
Who's in it? The movie stars Eva Gabor, Anthony Dexter, Alan Hale, Jr., James Seay and Lyle Talbot.
Review: I have had Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl on my "maybe" list for a couple weeks but was reluctant to watch it because the whole concept seemed like something that wouldn't age well. However, the film has quite a few recognizable stars, so I finally decided to give it a try this morning.
As it turns out, I ended up not liking it for other reasons.
I think the biggest problem with this movie is it tries too hard. For a film with a relatively simple plot, there is a lot that really is unnecessary. For example, the decision to add Blackbeard (Michael Ross) as an antagonist when the movie already had two of them was overkill that reduced Bellomont's (Seay) screentime and pretty much made the other bad guy, Captain Avery (Richard Karlan) useless. And that's without even getting into the whole confusing pirate hierarchy that made it seem like Avery outranked other pirates even though he was helping Bellomont catch them.
As for the plot of this movie that made the title, to say it was rushed would be an understatement. Judith (Gabor) was made to wash clothes and help row a boat but not long after that and with no explanation other than he saved her from drowning, her and Kidd (Dexter) were in love. Honestly, it felt less like love and more like Stockholm Syndrome considering Kidd wasn't even remotely kind to her. Only in the movies, I guess.
Oh, and as expected, I did cringe a bit when Kidd referenced the slave trade while putting an iron chain around Judith's neck. I'm sorry, but rich white girl being forced to do laundry isn't quite the same as one of the worst events in human history.
I will give Alan Hale, Jr. some props for his performance as Jerry Simpson. Like many things in this movie, he didn't get enough screentime to really give his character any depth, but I think he made the most of it. I would have loved to see why he remained so loyal to Kidd, even after getting shot twice, suggesting there was more of backstory there, but it was still a solid sidekick for the pirate.
Final Opinion: The main plot didn't do this movie any favors to start and the attempt to build on that by introducing all the famous pirates, while limiting the main bad guy only hurt it. Even if you lower your expectations, it's just that that good of a film compared to the dozens of other pirate movies out there.
My Grade: D
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1954:
Movie Review: The Caine Mutiny (1954)
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