Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Writers (WGA):

Ted Elliott (screen story) &
Terry Rossio (screen story) ...

Release Date:

9 July 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

Prepare to be blown out of the water.

Plot:

Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Blacksmith | Caribbean | Love | Jack Sparrow

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 68 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush	...	Barbossa
Orlando Bloom	...	Will Turner
Keira Knightley	...	Elizabeth Swann
Jack Davenport	...	Norrington
Jonathan Pryce	...	Governor Weatherby Swann
Lee Arenberg	...	Pintel
Mackenzie Crook	...	Ragetti
Damian O'Hare	...	Lt. Gillette
Giles New	...	Murtogg
Angus Barnett	...	Mullroy
David Bailie	...	Cotton
Michael Berry Jr.	...	Twigg
Isaac C. Singleton Jr.	...	Bo'sun
Kevin McNally	...	Joshamee Gibbs (as Kevin R. McNally)

Also Known As:

P.O.T.C. (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Pirates of the Caribbean (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action/adventure violence.

Runtime:

143 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Italy:T | Iceland:10 | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | Malaysia:U | France:U | Brazil:14 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating after appeal) | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | USA:PG-13 | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Bequia, St Vincent and the Grenadines

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

The "walking under the row boat" scene is a direct homage to The Crimson Pirate (1952).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Shortly after having been rescued from the gallows, in one close-up Jack Sparrow can be seen wearing contact lenses (they were tinted lenses to stop him from squinting).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Elizabeth: [singing] Yo, ho, yo, ho/ a pirate's life for me/ Yo, ho, yo, ho/ it's a pirate's life for me/drink up me hearties, yo, ho...
Mr. Gibbs: [surprises her by coming up from behind her] Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. You want to call them down on us?
Norrington: [sharply] Mr. Gibbs, that will do!
Mr. Gibbs: She was singing about pirates. Bad luck to sing about pirates, with us mired in this unnatural fog... mark my words!
Norrington: Consider them marked.
Mr. Gibbs: 'Aye, Lieutenant.
[as he moves off]
Mr. Gibbs: Bad luck to have a woman on board, too. Even a miniature one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Top Gear: (2007-02-18)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)

A Pirate For Our Times

What lifts this film above typical Disney fluff is Johnny Depp's humorous performance as pirate Jack Sparrow, the eccentric, individualistic anti-hero, who confronts other pirates, and outwits a humorless, incompetent bureaucratic establishment. Sparrow looks more like Cher than Johnny Depp, and talks more like William F. Buckley than a pirate. Geoffrey Rush is a worthy foil as the main rival pirate, Barbossa, a character who vaguely resembles Margaret Hamilton in "The Wizard Of Oz".

Most of the plot is silly. There's lots of fighting, shouting, and general mayhem, all accompanied by a frantic score. It's a cinematic slight of hand that conveys an illusion of substance. Or to say it a little differently, this is your typical popcorn flick aimed at the eyes and ears, but not the brain.

Still, I'm glad I watched it. Depp's deft performance gives us a memorable character, one that is perhaps unique in cinema history.