Granted, it is very "50's" in every way (acting, editing, set design, etc)... but there are more than a few occasions where people are shot in cold blood... one of the pirates threatens to stuff a red hot poker down the main kid's throat (?!) and the genie is constantly trying to sabotage the kid's efforts to get back home so as to trade places with him.
Personally, I don't think something like this would get made today.
I agree. Odd mix of light and dark. I think the filmmakers weren't sure which tone to take, so they settled for both.
Maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea, though - the kid had this romanticized view of high-seas piracy, and seeing some of the reality was probably his best history lesson yet.
I wouldn't have minded a scene in which the kid is alone with Blackbeard, and says, to freak him out, "I know your real name is Edward Teach. One day you'll be slain in mortal combat with an English Captain. Legend says that after being repeatedly shot and stabbed, your headless body circled around the victorious English ship, disappearing forever from sight. And centuries later your name and likeness will appear on gaudy T-shirts sold everywhere on Ocracoke island."
"...and Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lotta ice, whenever he's away."
Well, I think that was kind of the whole point; to show young boys that being a pirate, or a boy among pirates, probably wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
shareLessons learned. Makes the kid think twice about the exciting life he wanted to lead as a pirate.
shareThat was a lesson which some actual boys during the age of piracy needed to learn.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Brigaut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_King_(pirate)