FILM REVIEW – PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. Disney.
For reviews of the 2cd and 3rd films, see - Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest *** Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End *****
A rarity in that it’s a film based on a theme-park roller-coaster ride, Pirates is a terrific revival of the swash-buckling tradition, succeeding where the Geena Davis vehicle, Cut-throat Island sadly failed. Pirates works primarily due to the extra-ordinary, perhaps unique central performance by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, with quirky eye and hand movements, a tendency to talk to himself and truly give the sense of being both bungling and ingenious in equal measure.
Depp has lost his ship, The Black Pearl, to a treacherous crewman, Barbossa, a Robert Newton style raving pirate who has abandoned Depp on a remote desert island, declared himself Captain and found a chest of gold coins that seems to give off the gift of ever-lasting life. Sadly, the gift is a curse – the pirates who took the coins are now neither living or dead, and they cannot die, or taste food and drink at all. By day they look human, but after dark, they look like zombies, and the make up effects on this are truly breath-taking.
As the film starts, a young Elizabeth Swann, soon to grow into Keira Knightly, who is sailing on a ship bearing her father, Jonathon Pryce, a governor to the British East India Company, who are protected by the British Navy in pre-Independence America. They rescue a young boy, soul survivor of an attack by The Black Pearl. He is Will Turner, who grows into Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in the Lord Of The Rings films. Elizabeth takes charge of a coin belonging to Will, unaware that is one of the coins that create the curse affecting the Black Pearl Crew.
As the hero & heroine grow into their adult personas, Depp sails into the story in one of the best introduction scenes ever, sailing a small boat in full pirate regalia. The boat is clearly sinking, and Depp just gets into to quayside as it goes down, as he steps ashore quite dry, only to be quickly arrested by the port authorities. His arrest is interrupted when he saves Keira from drowning when she faints into the sea due to an over-tightened corset for her looming engagement to one of the British navy officers. In the course of the rescue, the coin is found on Kieran’s person – alerting the Black Pearl crew to attack the town to recover it.
Despite his rescue work, Depp is condemned to hang for piracy, but he and Will Turner now form an uneasy alliance to rescue Elizabeth and liberate the Black Pearl, with their jealousy over one another’s affection for the girl causing them to betray one another at every turn. There are terrific sea and sword battles, with the navy taking on an army who cannot die, until the final coin is returned to its rightful place and the curse is lifted. Barbossa is killed, and now, in a post-credit sequence where it steals a coin, only the monkey remains immortal. Elizabeth & Will are in love, and Sparrow has the Black Pearl back in his charge.
It’s a lovely, funny, thrilling film full of fantastic one liners and great make-up/ costume effects.
Arthur Chappell
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