r/1920s

The Black Pirate (1926) is one of the most significant films in cinema history. Shot in two-strip Technicolor, Douglas Fairbanks deliberately avoided saturated tones, choosing instead a restricted palette inspired by Flemish painters and the American illustrators who had popularized pirate themes, giving the whole film this gorgeous, painterly look. Photoplay said nothing had ever been done in color on screen that came close to its beauty and uniformity.

The stunts alone make this a must-watch — including that iconic moment where Fairbanks slides down the length of a sail with a knife, slicing it in half. Fairbanks was a co-founder of United Artists alongside Chaplin and Pickford, and this was him at his absolute best — pure physical joy on screen, with a flair no other swashbuckler of the era would have dared attempt. His own son called it the greatest film his father ever made. Every pirate movie that came after — from Captain Blood to Pirates of the Caribbean — owes this one a debt.

Release Date: March 8, 1926
Director: Albert Parker
Studio: United Artists
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Donald Crisp, Anders Randolf, Sam De Grasse
Cinematography: Henry Sharp
Color Process: Two-strip Technicolor (Process II)
Runtime: 88 minutes
Genre: Silent Adventure / Swashbuckler
Story by: Douglas Fairbanks (under the pseudonym Elton Thomas)

Aerial view of the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, 1920s. View shows the stage and its seating area which extends up the hillside.

Vilma Banky in the silent adventure drama ''Son of the Sheik'' (United Artists) ca 1926

US Senator Running for President Banned By Golf Club in 1924 for Assaulting Doctor Who Accused Him of Slow Play

Louise Brooks was a prominent actress and dancer during the 1920s

Actress Clara Bow at the beach with a beach ball, circa mid 1920s.

Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921 by Ferdinand Schmutzer

Autochrome shot of lady with flowers in Italy, 1928

Nina Mae McKinney in the musical film ''Hallelujah!'' (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) ca 1929. It was directed by King Vidor and had an Oscar nomination for Best Director for the film.

The car was in a local parade called a trade parade which was a marketing technique for small rural towns across Missouri to drum business up. 1920s

Aiko Takashima, a prominent Japanese theatre, silent film actress, and "moga" (modern girl), in the 1920s

Marie Curie c1920, she received numerous honorary degrees from universities across the world.

Gorgeous unfinished original art piece by the extremely gifted Nell Brinkley entitled "A Girl Can Dream" (1922). Make sure to view this image as large as possible to thoroughly appreciate the level of intricate detail she infuses into this work.

Edward Thayer Monroe, Louise Brooks, 1926

Smoking was still widespread in the middle of the 20th century. The smoking rate in the U.S. reached a peak of 47% of adults (including 50% of doctors!) (1920's)

"The Isolator" was a helmet created in 1925 by Hugo Gernsback to eliminate distractions and maximize concentration. Made of wood, it almost completely blocked out sounds and peripheral vision, leaving only a narrow slit for reading. It was equipped with an oxygen supply system to prevent suffocation

Buster Keaton in the silent comedy film "Convict 13" (Metro Pictures) ca 1920.

‘La Concorde sous la pluie’ by Roger Schall, Paris, 1929

The Black Pirate (1926) - The Movie That Invented the Pirate Film