Editing The Black Pirate (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Black pirate photo 10.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Douglas Fairbanks and the crew of ''The Black Pirate'' (1926)]]
Fairbanks biographer [[Jeffrey Vance]] maintains that “''The Black Pirate'' was the most carefully prepared and controlled work of Fairbanks’s entire career” and “the most important feature-length silent film designed entirely for color cinematography.” Vance believes the limitations imposed by early [[Technicolor]] forced him to remove the "pageantry and visual effects" of his earlier swashbuckler and produce a straightforward action adventure. "The result was a refreshing return to form and a dazzling new showcase for the actor-producer’s favorite production value: himself. Fairbanks is resplendent as the bold buccaneer and buoyed by a production brimming with rip-roaring adventure and spiced with exceptional stunts and swordplay, including the celebrated ‘sliding down the sails’ sequence, arguably the most famous set piece of the entire Fairbanks treasure chest.”<ref>Vance, Jeffrey (2008). ''Douglas Fairbanks''. Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 203. {{ISBN|978-0-520-25667-5}}.</ref>

A two-year-long restoration of ''The Black Pirate'' was begun in 1970 by the [[BFI National Archive|British National Film Archive]] at the request of [[Douglas Fairbanks Jr.]] One original release print and two incomplete negatives were used to restore the film.<ref>Slide, Anthony. ''Nitrate Won't Wait: A History of Film Preservation in the United States''. McFarland. p. 105. 2015 {{ISBN|0-7864-0836-7}}</ref> In addition to the surviving color film, some black and white outtakes and test footage have been found and included in the Blu-ray release of the film, with narration by [[Rudy Behlmer]].<ref>[http://www.silentera.com/video/blackPirateHV.html Silent Era : Home Video Reviews]</ref>

The film was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=May 20, 2024}}</ref>

The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 2001: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/thrills400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>
* 2003: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]]:
** “The Black Pirate” – Nominated Hero<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>