The Buccaneer (1958) on Netflix
Approved19581h 59mAdventureDramaHistory
A British fleet closes on New Orleans. Andrew Jackson has 1,200 men and needs the bayous held by the buccaneer Jean Lafitte, while Lafitte's own men urge him toward Britain.
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- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb6.4/103,060 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
During the War of 1812, General Andrew Jackson holds New Orleans with only about 1,200 men when word comes that a British fleet of 60 ships and 16,000 troops is sailing to take the city. The bayous and the island near the city, one possible route for the British, belong to the buccaneer Jean Lafitte. Lafitte leaves American ships alone, yet Governor William Claiborne hates him for selling goods without paying taxes, and the citizens favor him for the same trade. Jackson asks Lafitte for help and offers a pardon and American citizenship in return. Lafitte is drawn between the two sides, his heart with America while his men press him toward the power they expect to win.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Buccaneer (1958)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Buccaneer's $6 million budget included $1.2 million just for promotion, and director Anthony Quinn was given 12,000 extras, 60,000 props and $100,000 worth of antique furniture.
- Cecil B. DeMille directed the 1938 original, but he was seriously ill by the time of the 1958 remake, so he served only as executive producer and left directing to his son-in-law Anthony Quinn. It was the only film Quinn ever directed.
- The romance between Jean Lafitte and Governor Claiborne's daughter is entirely invented: Claiborne's only surviving daughter, Sophronie Louise Claiborne, was just two years old at the time of the Battle of New Orleans.
- Screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr. said the historical events were so over the top that he only had to line up the dialogue, and that his only real job was shoe-horning a romance into the script.
