It be high time I was answering me own tag questions, and no mistake. If ye have not answered them yet and want to be copying them for your own use, they be listed on the kick-off post right here.
All right, blow me down and pick me up -- let's be getting on with it.
1. What are your favorite pirate movies or books?
The Black Swan (1942) is by far my favorite pirate movie, thanks almost entirely to Tyrone Power looking like this all through it:
I mean, it's almost criminal to be that attractive, don't you think? I like a lot of other pirate movies, but none of them do it for me quite the way Jamie Boy here does. Also, Maureen O'Hara is completely delightful in it, and she's my favorite actress, so it's just a big win all around for me.
I must confess I haven't read many pirate books, but my favorite is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. By the way, it is extremely fun to read that book aloud to your kids and do the Long John Silver lines in your best imitation of the Disney movie's Long John Silver. Wonderful stuff.
I'm really looking forward to Vanessa Rasanen's upcoming pirate fantasy On These Black Sands, later this year! And I just bought a couple of Rafael Sabatini's classic pirate novels, so I'm looking forward to trying those out.
2. Who are your favorite fictional pirates?
You really can't beat the Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes) from The Princess Bride (1987). But I also dearly love Jamie Boy from The Black Swan, as mentioned above. And it's pretty impossible not to love Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. So they're my top three. Which is why they all got to grace buttons for this party ;-)
3. What do you like best about pirate stories? (Themes, tropes, costumes, aesthetic, etc.)
How cheerful they tend to be. Nobody takes a pirate movie particularly seriously. Like, ever. They're always rowdy, rollicky jaunts. Lots of sword fights, lots of derring-do, lots of witty repartee. I'm definitely very much there for the overall tone of jolly lawlessness.
4. If you were going to play a pirate in a movie or a play, what would your costume look like?
I was a swooshy-sleeved black silk shirt, a bright red sash, and black pants with plenty stretch and give so I can get on with the swashbuckling. Also, I want a magnificent one-shoulder cape, bright red and big enough to be a tent if I need one. Plus, a snappy black pirate hat with one side of the brim folded way up high. And tall boots! I must have the tall boots.
So, actually, I just want Tyrone Power's costume from this part of The Black Swan, but in my size:
5. What pirate ship would you like to serve on?
Well, so, it might be a little bit weird if I dressed exactly like Jamie Boy and the sailed on his ship with him, so I'm going with the Revenge because I have a feeling that Inigo Montoya is going to make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts, and I bet we could have some fun adventures.
6. Any favorite sea shanties or pirate songs?
When I was like six, I once scandalized some friends of my parents by swaggering around singing "What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?" at the top of my tiny lungs, and I've been immensely fond of it ever since.
7. Have you ever participated in International Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Arrrr, that I have! I've been talking like a pirate on September 19 since... 2003, according to this post of mine from 2005. Check out the official site, if ye've a mind to. I once carried it off for like two whole hours while working 3rd shift at Walmart, much to the amusement of my co-workers. It was the dead of night, so not a lot of customers around, so my managers didn't even scowl at me, much less threaten to make me walk the plank.
8. Would you like to go sailing on a real tall ship?
I would! I LOVE tall ships, and they actually offer tall ship cruises, and I think that would be amazing. As long as I don't actually have to climb up in the rigging, because I'm disgustingly clumsy and would fall to my death. I'm reeeeally hoping to actually get to take a short river cruise on a tall ship for my birthday this year, actually. I've gotten to step aboard a few tall ships in places like Jamestown (see below), but sailing on one will be a dream come true!
9. Have you ever learned anything about real pirates, or do you tend to stick to the fictional kind?
I've learned enough about real pirates to know I infinitely prefer the fictional ones ;-)
10. Why is the rum gone?
Because I don't like rum, but my brother does, so I gave it to him.
That's all for me, folks! Hope you've been having fun with the party so far. I know I have!
I have to agree with you about Jamie Boy. That outfit is so amazing. Look amazing while sword-fighting and swashbuckling, and then, if you have a party to go to, transform the pants into a skirt and you have a gorgeous dress.
ReplyDeleteAnna & Irene, it really is just the perfect pirate outfit. And so versatile, as you say!
DeleteI must watch The Black Swan! love the song you chose.
ReplyDeleteSkye, well now that you won a copy in the giveaway, you'll get to see it! Soon :-)
DeleteThanks!
Loved your answers!
ReplyDeleteOh yes I have loads fun with this party.
Thanks, Rachel! So glad you enjoyed it :-)
DeleteI also know enough about pirates to prefer the fictional ones, preferably those in Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't really know any others, but clearly The Black Swan is a movie worth seeing!
ReplyDeleteLivia Rachelle, yeah, fictional pirates are the way to go. Definitely try to see The Black Swan!
DeleteA cloak big enough to serve as a tent would be a very useful accessory, indeed.
ReplyDeleteHa! The image of a tiny Hamlette singing "What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor" at the top of her lungs brings me MUCH joy. xD
Katie, I mean, who doesn't want a cloak you can use as a tent? So useful. I would wear one for real if I had one.
DeleteI also once drove my grandma nuts by singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" at the top of my lungs. Because I only knew two lines of the refrain: "Davy, DAAAAVY Crockett! King of the wild frontier!" And I was very loud with my enthusiasm.
Interesting answers! I also plan on participating in this tag, so I'll post my answers on the 26th!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sally! I haven't gotten to your tag answers yet, but I hope to catch up on everyone's posts over the next few days :-)
DeleteDear Tyrone Power is really amazing in the "Black Swan"... reminds me of my dear mother every time, whose favorite actor he was... And "What do you do with a drunken sailor" was the first song in English we (German speakers) learnt at school... used to sing it during the breaks between lessons because we liked it so much. This whole piratey week brings back so many dear memories. Btw, watched "The Sea Hawk" with Errol Flynn 3 days ago and 2 days ago not exactly a pirate movie, but very impressive anyway: "In the Heart of the Sea", the real events that led Herman Melville to write his "Moby Dick". GREAT movie (not too much whaling bloodshed, which I don't like), with Chris Hemsworth as First Mate Owen Chase. Worth watching whenever you feel like sailing on the Seven Seas for once without pirates...
ReplyDeleteAndrea, how cool that Tyrone Power was your mom's favorite actor! Lovely taste.
DeleteThat's so funny that "What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor" was the first song you learned in English class... because the first song I learned in German class in college was a drinking song with the refrain, "Ja, ja, ja, ja! Weiss nicht wie gut ich dir bin." Drinking songs must be good for teaching foreign languages.
I haven't see The Sea Hawk for years, but I think my kids would get a kick out of it, and they already like Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, so maybe I should see if they'd like it one of these days.
I really like In the Heart of the Sea. I have to be in just the right mood for it, but it's just a beautiful film. I really like the soundtrack as well. And Chris Hemsworth is always a good time! Another favorite non-pirate sailing ship movie of mine is Master and Commander.
I'm partial to Errol Flynn's Sea Hawk, but it is hard to beat Ty's costumes in Black Swan... in Technicolor! ;)
ReplyDeleteMovie Maniac, Sea Hawk is awesome too! But man, that Technicolor touch is such jolly fun :-)
DeleteWowza, I very much want to see Tyrone Power in The Black Swan now, please and thank you. He looks dashing.
ReplyDelete(Ha, it tells you either how tired I am or what my biggest class is as my first instinct was to comment in Spanish! Lol!)
MC, yes, you do. I wish I'd had another copy to give away so you could've won one too! Do you ever shop on eBay? You can pick up a used copy there for like $5.
Delete(Aww, that's funny!)