Maps of Movies
Against All Flags (1952)
Where Against All Flags says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The pirate base on the Madagascar coast was never filmed in Madagascar: a Hollywood soundstage and Palos Verdes stood in for it
View on the map
Scenes and places
A flogged officer is sent to spy (1700)
Lieutenant Brian Hawke takes a flogging aboard the Monsoon so that he can pass as a disgraced deserter. His captain sends him off by longboat at dark to infiltrate the pirate base on Madagascar.
Set in HMS-style warship Monsoon, at sea — A British naval ship off southern Africa where the mission begins; the film gives no fixed spot.
The East India Company ship Monsoon, named in the dialogue, is a fictional deck with no real-world position.
Landing at the pirate base (1700)
Hawke and his two shipmates come ashore claiming to be deserters, and the pirates are suspicious at once. Hawke trades barbs with Captain Roc and catches the eye of Spitfire Stevens, who is the only woman among the coast captains.
Set in Pirate base, Diego Suarez — The pirate base on the Madagascar coast; the film names it Diego Suarez, today's Antsiranana, and no scene was shot there. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Diego Suarez, now Antsiranana, is a deep natural harbour at the northern tip of Madagascar and a real town.
The tribunal and the pike duel (1700)
The Captains of the Coast question Hawke and suspect a spy. To prove himself he has to fight a pirate with boarding pikes, and he wins, so the case against him is dismissed.
Set in Pirate base, hall of the Captains of the Coast — The council place inside the pirate base where the coast captains judge newcomers. Google Maps · Apple Maps
In the film the base is ruled by a council of captains who decide whether a newcomer joins the crew or dies.
The burning Mogul ship (1700)
Hawke sails with Roc's crew and they capture a Moghul vessel full of treasure. Patma, the emperor's daughter hidden by her governess, is left aboard the burning ship until Hawke goes back and rescues her.
Set in Indian Ocean shipping lanes — An open stretch of the Indian Ocean where the pirates hunt; the film gives no fixed spot.
Aurangzeb's ship of state is a fictional vessel in a real sea area; it is shown at sea with no position.
The auction block (1700)
Back on Madagascar, Patma is put up for sale at auction. Hawke bids only to keep her away from the other pirates, but Spitfire outbids him.
Set in Auction at the pirate base — The market square of the pirate base where captured women are sold. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The film shows the base holding open auctions of captives, a stage set rather than a documented place.
Tied to the stakes on the beach (1700)
Brasiliano uncovers Hawke's plan, and Hawke and his two shipmates are tied to stakes on the beach. The tide will rise, and crabs will work on them first.
Set in Tide stakes on the reef beach — A beach and reef by the pirate base where spies are tied to stakes as the tide rises. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The film says the stakes are poles set in shoal water on the reef, with crabs as big as coconuts.
The bay and the hidden batteries (1700)
A British warship sails into the bay, and the pirates expect to sink it easily. The hidden batteries that Hawke tried to disable are at the centre of this showdown.
Set in Pirate harbor and coastal battery — The bay with the hidden guns that wrecked earlier warships. Google Maps · Apple Maps
In the story the harbour is a deathtrap whose masked batteries sank three Portuguese ships.
Filmed at Universal Studios soundstage, Universal City — Interiors (which scenes is not recorded) Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Palos Verdes Peninsula, California — Exterior location footage (which scenes is not recorded) Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Brian Hawke — A British naval officer who poses as a disgraced deserter to infiltrate a pirate base.
- Spitfire Stevens — The only woman among the pirate coast captains, who takes an interest in Hawke.
- Patma — The daughter of the Moghul emperor, hidden aboard her father's ship.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the Madagascar pirate base of Against All Flags really filmed?