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Ten Must Watch Pirate Movies

It's time to glug up the rum, pick up a wench and hit the local movie-house once again as the fourth installment of the Pirates Of The Caribbean -- called On Stranger Tides -- series hits theatres this Friday.

And while eyepatches may have been replaced by those pesky 3D glasses they hand out at multiplexes now, here's a look at ten movies all those fond of cinematic seadogs should know well.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - 2003

Director Gore Verbinski introduced us to the one and only Captain Jack Sparrow, and Johnny Depp made the inimitable character completely irresistible.

The film itself reduced the world's audience to a clamoring throng of 12-year-old boys, proving itself to be a fantastically fun watch.

The Princess Bride- 1987

Rob Reiner's cult classic is memorable for many a quirky reason, an action-adventure comic romance complete with dastardly royals and friendly giants.

And before Jack Sparrow came onto the scene, Cary Elwes' Westley was surely the coolest pirate in the land of the silver screen.

The Pirates Of Penzance- 1983

The finest and funniest version of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, this one featured Angela Lansbury and Rex Smith alongside the eternally fabulous Kevin Kline, chewing up scenery like the very best of sea dogs.

Kline's pirate is an all-time great, and the songs are a blast.

Blackbeard's Ghost- 1968

Speaking of good actors hamming it up, the great Peter Ustinov visibly had a blast in this Disney comedy about the legendary pirate rising from the dead and befriending a track coach who could clearly use a helping hand.

It's a tack we've copied with Chamatkar and Bhootnath, but nothing works like Ustinov's delightful original.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea- 1954

Two words: Captain Nemo. Jules Verne's classic novel made its way to the big screen several times, but this Disney version where the spectacular James Mason played the legendary commander of the Nautilus is by far the finest.

Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre also star.

Captain Kidd And The Slave Girl- 1954

Making this list purely by dint of having one of the best titles in movie history, this 1954 film stars Tony Dexter as Captain William Kidd, alongside the distractingly sexy pair of Eva Gabor and Sonia Sorrell wearing thankfully little.

A highly entertaining and unabashedly silly film: a must watch, really.

Disney's Peter Pan- 1953

There have been many variations on JM Barrie's classic Peter Pan theme in both animation and live-action, but the most memorable has to be Disney's 1953 animated version, setting Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Wendy into the character-types so familiar to us today.

The Pirate- 1948

Gene Kelly might not seem an automatic choice to play a pirate, but the lightness of his feet sees him breeze through the part in this luscious musical with songs by Cole Porter himself.

The lovely Judy Garland plays Kelly's heroine as he pretends to be feared pirate Mack The Black.

Treasure Island- 1950

There isn't a pirate tale quite as iconic as Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island where 'yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum' comes from and this 1950 version, which stars Robert Newton as the fearsome and fantastic villain Long John Silver, is the definitive treasure-hunt film.

Captain Blood- 1935

No actor ever wielded a sword as effortlessly as the swashbuckling Errol Flynn, and in this marvelous 1935 feature, his Dr Peter Blood cuts a figure so dashing that he continues to influence pirate portrayals well over 70 years later.

And hey, he kisses Olivia De Havilland.