The Cinematic Voyage of THE PIRATE: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work

Appendix A. Discarded Screenplays for The Pirate

187 appendix a Discarded Screenplays for The Pirate Given the overlap between the discarded screenplays and the two stage plays in terms of the basic story, it would be repetitive to lay out each version fully. Instead, this Appendix focuses on the major changes in each version and analyzes their merits or weaknesses to make this discussion more informative. Synopsis and Analysis of the Mankiewicz Screenplay Joseph Mankiewicz included no specific place or time period for the venue, other than referring to an unnamed island in the Caribbean.1 (This change is retained in subsequent revisions by a string of writers to come, but, in the final, filmed version, the fictitious towns of Port Sebastian and Calvados are mentioned.) As in the stage versions, Pedro and Manuela are married, Isabella is Manuela’s friend, and Lizarda is her “colored” maid. As in Behrman ’s play, Pedro is the mayor, but Manuela’s parents are dead. Several scenes slow the story down. For example, in a long sequence , Manuela fantasizes about a pirate ship that is sailing the sea with a dashing Estramudo walking about, picking Manuela out of many women on board, and ultimately taking her to his cabin and kissing her. Other sequences seem disjointed. For example, Serafin bounces on Manuela’s bed and says, “So this is where you toss at night and dream of me,” which so excites Manuela that they almost kiss. Yet, when Serafin suggests they run away together, Manuela replies sarcastically , as she did in Behrman’s stage play, but this is inconsistent with her ardor a moment earlier. A close reading of both scripts shows that Mankiewicz changed some sections from Behrman’s 188 • Appendix A version but left others untouched, creating discrepancies in character and situation. Certain aspects of the main characters are taken to an extreme. When Pedro realizes that Manuela loves Serafin, he tells his wife that he could kill her for adultery and get away with it. Then Pedro suggests sadistically that instead of killing her, they could sit together and watch Serafin hang. But Mankiewicz also makes Manuela goad Pedro into behaving in this extreme way. She taunts her husband, telling him that she loves Estramudo (Serafin), and throws the rabbit’s foot at him. Serafin is also portrayed differently than in Behrman’s play. Instead of the noble swain who is willing to stake all for his love, Mankiewicz’s Serafin tells his men to be packed and ready to escape at the end of the performance, and to keep two fast horses ready. This is a throwback to Fulda’s play. The denouement is also somewhat different because Serafin chants, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin ” (the phrase taken from Behrman) during his performance. This so worries Pedro that the disguised pirate crosses himself and strokes all his good luck charms, giving himself away to the alert Viceroy. The ending is somewhat similar to Behrman’s except that Mankiewicz tried to make it more flippant than romantic in an attempt to revert to Fulda’s style. For example, Manuela winks elaborately at the Viceroy, and the Viceroy jokes crudely as Serafin carries Manuela into the house. Synopsis and Analysis of the Connolly-Koster Screenplay Myles Connolly had written an outline, but it was director Henry Koster who developed the entire screenplay.2 Koster brought Manuela ’s parents back to life and dropped Lizarda. He made Isabella black, along with troupe members Trillo, Bolo, and Gumbo. But rather insensitively, he made the black characters ignorant and buffoonish . He also produced a script filled with details tangential to the thrust of the story and offered unbelievable plot twists and characterizations. This version has one improvement over Mankiewicz’s script. To address the issue of a married woman’s falling in love with the actor, which would undoubtedly have caused trouble with the censors , Koster had Pedro and Manuela marry on the day that Seraf- Discarded Screenplays • 189 in arrives in town. In fact, all the action takes place that day, so the marriage is never consummated. However, Koster had great difficulty making this plot change work. Having just arrived in town, Serafin and his troupe head for the wedding, where Serafin flirts with the bride, who he met only a few minutes after she took her vows. He then tries to kiss her with Pedro and all the wedding guests watching. Serafin pretends to know Pedro, who initially...