Yellowbeard * (1983, Graham Chapman, Peter Boyle, Cheech Marin, Thomas Chong, Peter Cook, Eric Idle) – Classic Movie Review 7797

Graham Chapman stars as pirate Captain Yellowbeard, who is allowed by the authorities to escape from prison to lead them to his cut-throat treasure, in Mel Damski’s failed 1983 British pirate comedy romp Yellowbeard.

You would expect good boisterous fun from a spoof swashbuckler written by and starring Chapman and Peter Cook (along with Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock), and with such a distinguished cast of clever performers from both sides of the Atlantic. But unfortunately this crude and clumsy film soon turns into a sea of heartache. Damski’s frantic direction highlights the leaden performances and banal writing.

Peter Cook as the clueless drunk Lord Lambourn, Marty Feldman, Graham Chapman, Peter Boyle, Cheech Marin, Thomas Chong and Eric Idle have the best of what little is going. And luckily it is short at 96 minutes.

How did they talk James Mason (as Captain Hughes) into appearing in it? Rock legend David Bowie appears uncredited as The Shark.

Tragically, it was Marty Feldman’s swansong, as Gilbert. The film is dedicated ‘For Marty’. He died of a massive heart attack caused by shellfish food poisoning while filming Yellowbeard in Mexico City on 2 December 1982, aged 48. He died on his last day of filming when he was supposed to film a scene in which his character died, but a double completed the death scene. A week earlier he said: ‘I am too old to die young, and too young to grow up.’

The main cast are Graham Chapman, Peter Boyle, Cheech Marin, Thomas Chong, Peter Cook as Lord Lambourn, Marty Feldman, Michael Hordern, Eric Idle as Commander Clement, Madeline Kahn, James Mason, John Cleese as Blind Pew, Susannah York, Beryl Reid, Martin Hewitt, Kenneth Mars, Spike Milligan as Flunkie, Stacy Nelkin, Nigel Planer, Ferdy Mayne, John Francis, Peter Bull, Bernard Fox, Ronald Lacey, Greta Blackburn, Nigel Stock, Kenneth Danziger, Monte Landis, Richard Wren, Gillian Eaton, Bernard McKenna, John Dair and Carlos Romano.

A section of the harbour at Acapulco, Mexico, was converted to look like 18th century Portsmouth, England.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7797

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com