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

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.

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Writers:

Ted Elliott (screen story), Terry Rossio (screen story)

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 38 wins & 98 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

This swash-buckling tale follows the quest of Captain Jack Sparrow, a savvy pirate, and Will Turner, a resourceful blacksmith, as they search for Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth, the daughter of the governor and the love of Will's life, has been kidnapped by the feared Captain Barbossa. Little do they know, but the fierce and clever Barbossa has been cursed. He, along with his large crew, are under an ancient curse, doomed for eternity to neither live, nor die. That is, unless a blood sacrifice is made.

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Plot Keywords:

pirate | curse | undead | governor | capuchin monkey | 

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Taglines:

Prepare to be blown out of the water.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for action/adventure violence

Details

Official Sites:

Cascade Film [Russia] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

P.O.T.C.

Filming Locations:

Bequia, St Vincent and the Grenadines

Box Office

Budget:

$140,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$46,630,690, 13 July 2003

Gross USA:

$305,413,918

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$654,264,015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(at around 23 mins) During the swordfight scene between Jack Sparrow and Will Turner in the blacksmith shop, the clanging of their swords are just about in sync with the rhythm of the incidental music.

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Goofs

(at around 42 mins) At the beginning of the scene when Will Turner is going to break Jack Sparrow out of the prison cell, when Jack is lying on the ground talking to Will, you can see a modern shoe print below Jack's right arm.

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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...

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even the production company and studio bumpers, save the title.

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Alternate Versions

During the swordfight in the caves at the Isla del Muerta, there is additional dialogue with Jack and Barbossa. Seconds after the swordfight begins, Barbossa says, "Damn it, Jack! I was almost liking you!" and Jack sweetly replies, "I know," and the swordfight continues. This is featured on Disk 2 of the DVD, but not as a deleted/extended scene.

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Connections

Referenced in Pirates of the Great Salt Lake (2006)

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Soundtracks

Pirate Musk
Written by Craig Eastman
Performed by Craig Eastman

User Reviews

Surprisingly Good

Although I had expectations ( from watching the trailers ) that this might be a good movie, I was still surprised that it's as good as it is. The story is actually more complex than I had expected, involving cursed pirates and their quest to rid themselves of the curse. I won't say more than that so as not to spoil it if you haven't seen it.

There aren't as many action scenes as I had thought there would be in a pirate movie, but the ones that are in the movie were very fun and enjoyable. After seeing it, I think it had the right balance of action and drama. There are also, of course, a lot of funny bits interspersed between the action and drama. Some really good special effects also add to the enjoyment of this movie.

I wasn't much of a fan of Johnny Depp until I saw this movie. I think he deserved to win the Academy Award for best actor. It's largely because of his performance, IMO, that the movie was so good. Most of the supporting cast did well, mind you, just that Johnny Depp stood high above the rest. I did find Orlando Bloom's performance a bit wooden, but other than that the acting was good.

Basically, it's a really fun movie and I'd give it about 8 out of 10