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Genoa docks a massive galleon from a box-office bomb.
In the early 1980s, Roman Polanski told Paramount Pictures that his new tale of treachery on the high seas, “Pirates,” would cost $15 million. When it was finally released at Cannes in 1986, its budget had ballooned to $40 million, its original budget having been forgotten by everyone involved. At the time, the Neptune, was hailed as the most expensive movie “prop” of all time, and its dedication to detail shined through. Besides the steel hull of the ship and a diesel-powered motor, the galleon actually had fully functioning sails and rigging. Along with true-to-form galleon infrastructure, the ship was intricately carved and painted to perfectly resemble a Spanish galleon, complete with a giant Neptune figurehead. Oddly enough, the Neptune is actually larger than a historical galleon, and some of the budget could have possibly been spared by a closer adherence to reality.
