Actors - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

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	Actors - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) is a romantic adventure-comedy film set in the Caribbean during the early 1700s. It is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disney theme parks around the world, developed by Walt Disney himself. The movie stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport. Pirates was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and became the first Walt Disney Pictures release to earn a PG-13 rating by the MPAA (all previous WDP releases were rated G or PG).

As of March 16 2004, Pirates had grossed at the box office more than $653 million worldwide—the 21st highest grossing movie ever. It proved to be a success for Walt Disney Pictures and, within weeks of its release, the studio announced that a sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
was in development and slated for release in 2006. Pirates of the Caribbean 3
is also in production, slated for 2007.

Tagline: Prepare to be blown out of the water.

Production

When production for the film was first announced in early 2002, movie fans and critics were skeptical of its chances of being a success; the concept of Disney basing a movie upon one of its own theme-park rides seemed to many a crass marketing ploy. Additionally, the genre of pirate-themed movies had also seen a string of big-budget flops (Cutthroat Island and Treasure Planet, among others). Critics were pleasantly surprised to find the film an enjoyable swashbuckler, and the movie became a huge box-office success, grossing over $300 million in North America alone. The film also received several Academy Award nominations, including a surprise Best Actor nomination for Johnny Depp. It has additionally been voted onto IMDB's "top 250 films of all-time" list by its users. However, the poor reception received by other Disney films based upon its theme-park attractions (The Country Bears
, The Haunted Mansion) suggested that the success of Pirates of the Caribbean was merely an exception to the rule or, perhaps, that each film was only as good as its producers (in this case, Bruckheimer).

It was believed that the movie was partially inspired from the Monkey Island series of video games, and similarities have been drawn between Barbossa and LeChuck, and between Will Turner and Guybrush Threepwood. Even if most hold that this is coincidental, it is also believed that the filmmakers included intentional references from the games as a tribute.

Plot

The story starts eight years ago, when Swann, the new governor of Port Royal, Jamaica, and his daughter Elizabeth set out from England to the Caribbean, escorted by Lieutenant Norrington. They come upon a shipwreck with a sole survivor: a boy named Will Turner. Elizabeth discovers a golden skull medallion around Will's neck, and fearing that he will be executed as a pirate, quickly hides it from the others. Just before the ship continues its journey, Elizabeth briefly glimpses another, black ship with shredded sails vanishing in the mists.

Eight years later and Norrington (now madly in love with Elizabeth) is being appointed Commodore, and Elizabeth attends his promotion ceremony. Norrington begins to proposes to Elizabeth on the battlements, but before he can formally state his proposal she faints due to the tightness of her corset, tumbling over the wall into the ocean. Destitute pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, only just arrived in Port Royal, rescues Elizabeth, from drowning. Strangely, the skull medallion (which Elizabeth is wearing around her neck) emits a mysterious pulse through the water as she is falling to the bottom of the sea. When Jack returns to dry land after saving her, the occupying British forces attempt to arrest him for his previous crimes — including piracy, for which he has been branded on the forearm by the British East India Company (pirate lore suggests the tattoos were actually placed on the foreheads of the convicted). As he tries to escape, Sparrow meets Will Turner — now the local blacksmith's apprentice, who is infatuated with Elizabeth but is too shy and refined to admit his feelings to her — and, following a swordfight with Turner, Sparrow is knocked unconscious by Will's employer (who slept through the entire swordfight) and arrested. That night, Port Royal is besieged by the infamous ghost ship known as the Black Pearl - a pure black vessel crewed by a vicious, bloodthirsty crew, and captained by a man claimed to be "so evil that Hell itself spat him back out". The mysterious pulse which eminated from Elizabeth's medallion seems to have "called" the Black Pearl somehow. Crew members from the Pearl find Elizabeth (who hides her true identity as the governor's daughter by using Turner as a last name) in possession of the medallion, and take her back to their ship. She invokes the rule of parlé ("parlai" in Middle English, "parley" in modern American English—a negotiation or discussion between two parties, particularly in military situations, during which no harm can befall the adversary) in order to be taken to the Captain (Sparrow's former First Mate) of the Black Pearl, Barbossa, to ask that he cease his attack on Port Royal in exchange for the medallion. Barbossa agrees, but, employing a loophole in their agreements, abducts Elizabeth. The next day, Will (having seen Elizabeth taken by the Pearl's crew) fails in his passionate efforts to convince Commodore James Norrington and the Royal Navy to pursue the culprits immediately (despite the Commodore's own feelings towards Elizabeth). While the Commodore puts his faith in strategy, Will takes up an offer by Jack Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth in exchange for breaking him out of jail. After absconding with the Royal Navy's fastest ship and assembling a crew to man it on the lawless island of Tortuga (Spanish for turtle), Jack and Will set off to find Barbossa and the Black Pearl, which is heading towards Isla de Muerta — a mysterious island that's supposedly undiscoverable, save for "those who already know where it is".

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