Review: Blackbeard's Ghost (DMC #44)
Ahoy, mateys! This week we watched Blackbeard’s Ghost, the 44th film in the Disnerd Movie Challenge, and the perfect spooky movie to watch as we get closer to Halloween. As always, you can find our synopsis below if you haven’t seen this before or need a refresher. For everyone else, skip ahead for our review!
Synopsis
On the Carolina coast, Godolphin College’s new track coach, Mr. Walker, arrives in town. At the gas station, he meets the scrawny captain of the track team, Gudger Larkin, who hitches a ride and shows him the way to Blackbeard’s Inn. At the inn, the old women of the Daughters of the Buccaneers (descendants of Blackbeard and his crew) are holding a Buccaneer Bazaar as a fundraiser. Silky Seymour, the casino owner, has bought out the mortgage on the inn, intending to purchase it so he can tear the place down, and unless the Daughters of the Buccaneers come up with the money to pay off the bank, they will lose the property that has been in their families for generations. At the bazaar, Gudger introduces Mr. Walker to Dean Wheaton who tells Mr. Walker of the sorry state of the track team, and the upcoming Broxton Relays. Gudger tells Mr. Walker how the previous track coach started talking to himself and then disappeared. Dean Wheaton then introduces Mr. Walker to Mr. Purvis, the football coach, before Mr. Walker seeks out Miss Stowecroft to inquire about the room he reserved at the inn. Miss Stowecroft instead tells Mr. Walker’s fortune, foreshadowing trouble ahead. Mr. Walker then meets Professor Baker, who’s part of the bazaar’s Executive Committee, but whom Mr. Walker mistakes for the kissing booth attendant. At the auction, Silky Seymour’s men disperse among the crowd to dissuade people from placing bids. Mr. Walker sees what’s happening and bids anyway, getting into a bidding war with Mr. Purvis, eventually winning an antique bedwarmer that used to belong to Aldetha Teach, Blackbeard’s tenth wife. Professor Baker and Miss Stowecroft are thrilled, but Mr. Seymour’s men are anything but.
That night, Miss Stowecroft tells Mr. Walker of how Aldetha cursed Blackbeard to remain in limbo until he shows a spark of human goodness, and how the Daughters of the Buccaneers have heard Blackbeard’s ghost stomping around the inn. Mr. Walker doesn’t believe it until he discovers Aldetha’s spell book hidden in the handle of the bed warmer, and speaks an incantation that allows him to see and hear the ghost of Blackbeard. When Mr. Walker tries to drive away from the inn to get away from the ghost, Blackbeard reappears in his car, and then insists on taking his turn at the wheel, which gets them into trouble with a police officer who arrests Mr. Walker on suspicion of drunk driving. In the jail cell, Mr. Walker tries to convince Blackbeard to help the Daughters of the Buccaneers as a way to break the curse. Later, at the college, the dean, football coach, and Professor Baker talk about what to do about Mr. Walker, even though he was released from prison with no charges. Professor Baker volunteers to keep an eye on him. On the track field, Mr. Walker realizes the pathetic team he has to work with. Blackbeard gets an idea—he could place a bet on Godolphin to win the Broxton Relays, then help the track team win, and use the winnings to help save Blackbeard’s Inn. Mr. Walker tells him “no,” but later that evening, while Mr. Walker is at dinner with Professor Baker at Silky’s Place, Blackbeard steals $900 from Professor Baker’s purse (the money raised from the bazaar) and places a bet for Godolphin to win, replacing the stolen cash with the betting ticket. Meanwhile, Mr. Walker tells Professor Baker about Blackbeard, though she only feigns believing him.
At the track meet, Professor Baker confronts Mr. Walker, accusing him of stealing the money from her purse. Though he insists it was Blackbeard’s doing, she doesn’t believe him. She instead goes to Mr. Seymour to see if he’ll cancel the bet, but he refuses. Blackbeard overhears and decides he’s going to help the track team win despite Mr. Walker telling him not to interfere. Godolphin starts winning thanks to Blackbeard’s interference, which thrills Professor Baker who tells the Daughters of the Buccaneers about the bet. Mr. Walker, however, is furious at Blackbeard for interfering, and Mr. Walker’s seemingly crazy shouting gets him sidelined by the referees. Blackbeard, chastised, stops helping just before the final relay event. As Godolphin begins to lose, Mr. Walker changes his mind and implores Blackbeard to help the team again. Blackbeard helps in the last lap and Godolphin wins, and the winnings from the bet will be enough to save the inn. But Mr. Walker, ashamed of the way they won the meet, and dreading the new expectation the dean will have for him and his team, begins to pack his bags to leave town. Professor Baker arrives at the inn and tells him that Mr. Seymour is refusing to honor the bet. Their spirits rallied, Mr. Walker and Blackbeard head off to face Mr. Seymour with Professor Baker following, worried about Mr. Walker’s sanity.
After breaking into Mr. Seymour’s back room, Mr. Walker and Professor Baker demand the money they won from the bet while Blackbeard tries to access Mr. Seymour’s safe. Mr. Seymour refuses to give them the full sum, but instead offers them the $900 from the original bet to gamble with on the roulette wheel. Blackbeard signals Mr. Walker and Mr. Walker convinces Professor Baker to take Mr. Seymour’s offer. At the roulette table, Blackbeard interferes to make sure Professor Baker and Mr. Walker win every single time, until they’ve won more than what Mr. Seymour owed them. They hurriedly go to cash out their chips. A fight ensues between Mr. Seymour and his men and Mr. Walker and Professor Baker, but Blackbeard invisibly attacks Mr. Seymour’s men allowing Mr. Walker and Professor Baker to escape in a motor boat and make it back to the inn just in time to hand the money to the banker. Blackbeard soon arrives in a row boat, and Mr. Walker has all the Daughters of the Buccaneers and Professor Baker speak the magic words that will allow them to see and hear Blackbeard. Blackbeard does the honor of burning the mortgage papers, which breaks his curse, allowing him to cross over to the other side.
Thoughts Before Watching
Kevin: I haven’t heard of this one before, and before I read the description on Disney+ I was assuming it was a pirate film just based on the title alone. After reading the description and seeing that it’s a comedy, I am anticipating this should be a good one! Plus, it has Dean Jones, who was excellent in That Darn Cat, so this makes it even more promising!
Megan: I’ve never seen this one before, either, although I immediately read the description before making an assessment, so based on what I read I’m assuming this should be an interesting comedy that blends the pirate genre with the sports genre. Having competed in track and field myself, I can’t wait to see what happens when you bring a pirate to a track and field competition!
Thoughts After Watching
Another fun comedy movie!
Kevin: I was skeptical of Disney’s catalog of comedy films, which as I mentioned previously were a hit or miss up to this point. That Darn Cat was really fun, however, and was a fresh change of pace. For this challenge, Disney manages to hit the mark back to back with this film. Blackbeard’s Ghost is very similar to The Absent-Minded Professor (just substitute track team for the basketball team, and Blackbeard for Flubber), but the main difference is it’s a huge improvement over the comedy presented in the latter film. Like That Darn Cat, Dean Jones again stars in this movie as the straight man who is caught up in strange and wacky circumstances. As a result, the humor in Blackbeard’s Ghost is again mostly situational, with the added bonus of some witty dialogue. Between Blackbeard’s drunken escapades and the banter between Steve and Blackbeard, there is enough comedy to go around. I loved any time Blackbeard was on screen, even when he was being serious. Another great running gag is the entirety of the Godolphin track team and the runners being so inept. Overall, it’s great to have another film where the comedy is still fun after all these years and isn’t based on outdated, inappropriate jokes.
Megan: I couldn’t agree more! Blackbeard is indeed the star of this show, and antics paired with an up-tight character like Steve only heighten the comedy. On top of that, Blackbeard has such witty lines of dialogue, and the actor, Peter Ustinov, has such a unique way of delivering those lines that it becomes even more comical. It took me a while after watching the movie to figure out why Peter Ustinov’s voice sounded so familiar. Turns out he also voices Prince John in the animated Robin Hood! (Yet another comedic character!) By far my favorite scene in the whole film was when Steve and Professor Baker use finger guns to “shoot” Silky Seymour’s men, with Blackbeard invisibly knocking the men unconscious! All in all, I truly enjoyed the comedy of this film—it still holds up!
Just barely passes the Bechdel test
Megan: This film just barely squeezes in enough dialogue between two named female characters to pass the Bechdel test. Here’s what we’ve got to work with:
MISS STOWECROFT: Mrs. Starkey, how about starting the bidding for us?
MRS. STARKEY: N-no thanks, I…I don’t think so.
That’s the only time these two characters converse with each other (I think Mrs. Starkey may shout out a bid earlier, but nothing beyond that.) While both female characters are named and avoid speaking about a man, the actress playing Mrs. Starkey is listed as “uncredited” according to IMDb, so it’s not exactly a huge win. The only other line of dialogue between two named female characters is this:
MISS STOWECROFT: Do we win something for fourth place?
PROFESSOR BAKER: I’m afraid not.
While I’m glad this film has enough female representation to pass the Bechdel test, on the whole I’m a little disappointed at the female representation. For one thing, there’s the unfortunate kissing booth scene. From the get-go, the idea of a kissing booth seems a bit problematic for me. Who’s running the booth? Was this her idea? (Because it’s always a “her” inside the booth.) Does she have a right to refuse kissing anyone who’s harassing her? For the sake of this analysis, let’s say everything with the booth is on the up-and-up. Still, Steve starts the scene off on the wrong foot by kissing Professor Baker unprovoked because he thinks she’s working the kissing booth. Even with his mistaken assumption, this comes off like sexual harassment. The scene only devolves from there when Professor Baker and the kissing booth attendant fight over Steve by competing on the price of a kiss. What’s more, the kissing booth attendant never appears again, so this trope of two women fighting over a man becomes a flimsy excuse for Steve to meet Professor Baker. I think there are more interesting ways to create a meet-cute.
Megan: The awkward kissing booth scene aside, Professor Baker is actually a great female character. She’s a well-educated woman in a STEM field (she’s a professor of psychology), she fights for a just cause (saving the inn and the livelihood of the Daughters of the Buccaneers), and she’s not afraid to call out injustice when she discovers it. For example, when she realizes the money from her purse has gone missing, she’s quick to confront Steve about it. Similarly, when stuck with a ticket for a lousy bet, she negotiates with Mr. Seymour to try to change it. Though she initially fails in changing Mr. Seymour’s mind, she’s quick to turn that against him when Godolphin wins the track meet. When Mr. Seymour refuses to honor the bet, Professor Baker rallies Steve to join her in confronting Mr. Seymour to make him pay up. She’s definitely a character worth rooting for.
Who are you calling “little old ladies”?
Megan: What do you think of when you hear the phrase “little old lady”? One thing that immediately comes to mind for me is the oft-repeated “heroic” act of helping a little old lady cross the street. The phrase “little old lady” typically makes you think of a woman who’s not just old but feeble, helpless, weak, and possibly not all that bright. The thing is, I don’t think the Daughters of the Buccaneers in this film fit the mold of “little old ladies,” at least not in the stereotypical sense. Sure, they’re old and many of them are white or gray-haired, but I’d argue they’re not helpless or inept. As Professor Baker tells the auction crowd,
“Our good friends, the Daughters of the Buccaneers, took over this old ruin many years ago and turned it into a cultural landmark. They serve tea, cook chicken dinners, even turned part of it into a boarding house, anything to keep it going.”
Together these women have been running the business of Blackbeard’s Inn for generations, and when the inn is at risk of being torn down, they band together to fight the threat by hosting fundraisers like the Buccaneer Bazaar. Also, might I add, the Daughters of the Buccaneers who are named go by “Miss,” not “Mrs.” (Miss Jeffreys, Miss Stowecroft). While we don’t know about every woman’s marital status, it’s clear that at least some of them, notably Miss Stowecroft who seems to be in charge of things, have been running this business without husbands doing it for them. True, their business is faltering at this point in the story, but I see this not as a business failing on the part of the women, but rather an unfair situation created by the generally illegal business dealings of Mr. Seymour. I’m sure the inn would have fared no better had it been run by the Sons of the Buccaneers. This is why I was personally annoyed at how often the Daughters of the Buccaneers were referred to as “little old ladies.” Steve uses the same moniker to persuade Blackbeard to help his descendants. Mind you, he could have leaned heavily on the family ties to persuade Blackbeard, but instead he relies on the stereotype of “little old ladies” to tug at Blackbeard’s emotions. Professor Baker also calls the Daughters “poor old ladies” when appealing to Mr. Seymour in a conversation overheard by Blackbeard. Though Blackbeard does refer to the Daughters as his “great great granddaughters,” in the end it’s the ladies’ perceived helplessness, not their relation to Blackbeard, that finally convinces him to help.
Does a good deed’s end justify its means?
Kevin: The main plot is focused around Blackbeard’s quest to do a good deed so that his curse can be broken. He fulfills this by helping the Daughters of the Buccaneers collect enough money to pay the mortgage on the inn, and decides to help the Godolphin track team win their meet to win a lucrative bet. However, his methods are distinctly questionable. While it could be argued Blackbeard is doing a good deed by betting the inn’s $900 savings on the track team to gain more money, he still steals it nonetheless and causes Professor Baker a great deal of grief when she finds out. He also uses his ghostly powers to make the track team win various events while messing up the other teams’ chances. Even Steve, generally the moral person who tells Blackbeard several times not to interfere with him and the team, eventually supports the pirate ghost’s efforts for the sake of the inn.
Kevin: Saving the inn is a good thing in itself, but the ways it comes about are problematic. In fact, I wonder if the deed can truly be considered good when you realize Blackbeard’s main goal is to break his curse, not to actually save the inn. It is inherently a selfish goal. He later helps Steve and Jo Anne track down Silky Seymour to demand their winnings (winnings that are clearly undeserved thanks to Blackbeard’s interference). Seymour is definitely a corrupt businessman, and he certainly doesn’t get any good points for rigging his casino tables. Plus, Seymour has no real reason to believe Godolphin won unfairly, so it’s even worse that he reneges on the bet. Still, are Blackbeard’s methods truly justified? After all, he continues to interfere by messing with the roulette table in order to make Steve and Professor Baker win every round. Once the mortgage is paid off with these winnings, Blackbeard’s curse is broken and he can finally move on. On the one hand, it’s hard to think ill of the deed because it makes for great comedy and ultimately results in the Daughters keeping the inn. On the other, I think the film could have had a stronger message if Blackbeard’s good deed was a bit more honorable.
Verdict
Megan: 6
Kevin: 7
Final Score: 6.5
What did you think of Blackbeard’s Ghost? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments!