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"Piracy Can be the Right Course"
The Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl
You WILL be Blown Out of the
Water
A review by Christine Markel Lampe (late June 2003)
--“Dead Men Tell No Tales!”--
I admit that a few years back when Disney announced they were making the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, I was rather
skeptical. The idea sounded so trite. It sounded as if they were going to bring the pirate ride from Disneyland to life. How
could that fill out a movie? How could they make the story fresh?
But far from trite, Disney’s “POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl” celebrates piracy, stands back and laughs at it and with it,
and thrills to the adventure of it. It dangles just about every pirate stereotype before our eyes, but before you can grasp it, it’s
jerked away in a completely different twist than you expected. This is the movie pirate fans have been waiting years for! It is
all we’ve wanted and more!
Rather than spoil any surprises for you, I won’t talk much about the movie’s actual story. We are all pirates – I know yer
going to go see the movie. Instead, my goal is to whet yer appetite in anticipation, give you some things to watch for, and some
background information so you’ll better appreciate the movie.
The story keeps the viewer off balance constantly. A bold, thrilling scene that sets your heart racing suddenly has you laughing
as the camera pulls back and you see the bigger picture. They try the same trick again, and you smugly think to yourself, “I
know what’s going on here. They can’t get me again with this sight gag.” Only they do it to you again, . . . with a different,
even funnier, twist. The pace and mood of the movie changes throughout. You never know what to expect. Threatening,
menacing pirates become comical relief. Then while yer laughing, the story shifts again, and it’s back to being intense and
threatening. There are plot twists and turns throughout. Keep an eye out for insignificant details – they sometimes fool you.
-- “Worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.” --
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow also keeps you off balance. In fact, he’s usually off balance himself, – with slightly
inebriated movements and a swaggering, sometimes mincing walk. He flashes from rum-fogged and inept to sharp as a tack;
from a charming drunken sot to a dark threatening menace. You are never quite sure if when he is slightly crazed if it is an act
or not. And Depp is deep as a pirate. He waxes philosophical. How many pirates could you imagine uttering the word
“ecumenical”? The costume and makeup designers did well -- he looks damned good as a pirate (not that he didn’t look
damned good before he was a pirate). The black rimmed eyes, the beads in his hair and beard, down to the sexy flash of gold
in his smile give him such a roguish, bohemian look (I’ve heard Depp still has the gold caps on his teeth). I imagine many a
female pirate fan will soon be having some stirring dreams involving him.
--“You’d best start believing in ghost stories. You’re in one.”--
Captain Barbossa is shiveringly dangerous, yet suave and commanding. Think Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts rolled
into one. Actor Geoffrey Rush is able to make the simple act of offering an apple become threatening and malevolent (think
“Snow White”, and/or the snake in Eden). Keep an eye out for other apples during the movie. Also parasols. POTC plays
on a lot of levels.
-- “And I practice with them three hours a day.”--
Our hero is blacksmith and weapons maker Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom. He is so good, so honest, and so proper,
it practically drips off of him. He’s a real life Dudley DoRight, only much handsomer and more talented. Despite his talent,
good-looks and morals, nothing seems to go right for him. He’s about to lose his true love to another through inaction and
adherence to propriety. Suddenly a pirate intrudes on his life, and shakes up his world view. More pirates steal his lady love,
and he’s goaded into action.
There is some incredible action at sea. First there is a brief clash between the “Interceptor” (gallantly played by our old friend
“Lady Washington”) and the “Dauntless” (gallantly played by a barge). Later, when the “Interceptor” is helmed and essentially
captained by women, there are some awesome maneuveurs and surprises. Of course, the “Black Pearl” (another barge) gets
her share of the action. There is enough swinging through the rigging, and from ship to ship to satisfy the staunchest Errol Flynn
fan.
--“You like pain? Try wearing a corset!”--
Speaking of women, Keira Knightly, as Elizabeth, carries her role superbly. She’s believable in her part – feisty, brave, and
undaunted, yet a woman of the time, succumbing to corsetry and heavy gowns. Keira appears very active and fit, making her
stunts appear believable (see her in “Bend it Like Beckham”). The script writers gave her an active part in the story, instead of
just being a pawn and someone to rescue. In fact, she does a lot of her own rescuing.
--“ ’allo Poppet”--
Of the other pirates, most memorable are Pintel and the visually-challenged Ragetti (played by Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie
Crook). These two hover between menacing and maniacally funny, something like the two determined, but hapless thieves in
“Home Alone”.
This is a very three-dimensional movie. No, … they don’t hand out the strange glasses when you enter the theater. What I
mean is they use all dimensions available, often in unexpected ways. The action often goes up into the rafters, the rigging and
the rooftops. Out windows and portlights. And under the gorgeous turquoise water of the Caribbean. The camera takes us
overhead for some breathtakingly beautiful aerial shots of Caribbean islands (Jamaica and Isla de Muerta), and tropical towns
(Port Royal and Tortuga). Much of the film was shot on location at St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. Thus the
viewers are rewarded with scenes of azure waters, palm-rimmed beaches, and other beguiling scenery.
The fight sequences are original and very clever. The sword work is breathtaking. But they also make use of all sorts of
“weapons” – just about anything to hand: bed-warmers, candlesticks, hot pokers, and silverware.
The scriptwriters must have crowed with delight as they wrote in the many homages to the Disneyland adventure ride that
inspired this movie. They scatter them throughout the movie, so be on the lookout – the dog with the keys is the most
obvious. But if you are familiar with the ride, and pay attention, you can see almost every part of the ride throughout the movie,
sometimes in a very twisted way though.
Also look for plenty of bits borrowed from other pirate movies – especially “The Crimson Pirate”, and “Nate & Hayes”
The dialog and verbal fencing throughout the movie is very clever. I’m sure that soon at faires and pirate festivals I’ll be hearing
many of those same lines incorporated into your pirate personas.
--“The moonlight shows us for what we are.”--
The skeleton-morphing is eerie and well-done, but it’s not gross and graphic. Even as skeletons, it’s obvious which pirate is
which. This helps to keep it from being intensely scary for the youngun's. The special effects team deserve kudos, especially
for the nightmarish sequence Elizabeth goes through aboard the “Black Pearl” when she comes out on deck at night. It’s sort
of a “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” meets “Amityville Horror”.
--“Bring me that horizon!”--
Now – I know most of you are going to see this movie. I’m preaching to the choir here, or more like selling rum to pirates.
It’s not a hard sell. But let me encourage you to see it on the opening weekend – or better yet, on opening day (Wednesday,
July 9). If, like me, you hunger for more pirate movies to be made, we need to show the movie makers that this one is a
success financially. Vote with your money. Then talk it up to your friends, family and coworkers, and get them to see it too
(hey -- I was talking it up on the train yesterday to the other passengers). And go back to see it again and again (it’s worth it –
I can't wait to see it again). Remember -- there was the name change a while back, where they added the "Curse of the Black
Pearl" to the name. That's because the movie makers had a possible sequel in mind. Well, let's do our part to help make sure
there is a sequel! Help make sure this first movie a success.
Warning – This is the first PG-13 rated film Disney has made under the "Disney" label. I would not take the wee ones to this
film (probably six and under) – there are some parts that get dark, menacing and intense. But the older powder monkeys
should be able to handle it just fine (probably age seven and up, if they aren’t too susceptible to nightmares). The worst
language is probably “damn” and “hell”.
Final warning – now be sure to watch the credits all the way through. There's a wee surprise waitin' fer ya.. And since yer
sitting there in the dark anyway, look for Gerard Reyes’ name under “Jack’s Crew” – that would be Francisco de la
Beltraneja, frequent NQG contributor. Also on the “Interceptor’s Crew” look for Louie Lambie’s name – also an NQG
contributor.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: The Movie
(reprinted with permission from the July issue of "Sailing" magazine)
By Joe Ditler
HOLLYWOOD -- Walt Disney Films, which brought us such seagoing adventure epics as "Treasure Island," "20,000
Leagues Under the Sea," and "Swiss Family Robinson," is preparing to launch their latest attempt in the maritime film genre,
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl." The film releases in July across the country, and will cross the start line
ahead of 20th Century Fox's much-anticipated "Master and Commander" in an effort to fire a first broadside upon an
unsuspecting moviegoing audience.
Disney's film rests somewhere in the clear and shallow waters between "Captain Blood" and "Jason and the Argonauts," but provides a most colorful vehicle for stars Johnny Depp ("Chocolat"), Orlando Bloom ("Lord of the Rings"), and Geoffrey Rush ("Tailor of Panama").
The special effects alone are worth the ride, but ships such as the bluff-bowed brig Lady Washington give viewers a special bonus as she charges across the Caribbean in search of Aztec gold.
The movie was filmed in St. Vincent and throughout the extremely photogenic Windward Islands of the Grenadines.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" is a humorous and brilliantly costumed ghost story that has nothing to do with the Disneyland ride of the same name. But for sailors, the thrills and on-the water scenes provided in this film are non-stop.
Lady Washington, which portrays the ship Interceptor, is in reality the official tall ship of the state of Washington. To get to the filming she had to make a harrowing passage south along the west coast and through the Panama Canal where ship and crew were pushed to their limits by storms.
Once in the Caribbean, production crews went to work carving cannon ports along her sides which gave the Lady's owners quite a fright. The hull was restored upon completion of the film, however, and the ship has returned to the West Coast and resumed her regular high-profile mission as a floating classroom.
The two other ships in the film, Dauntless and the Black Pearl, appear to be frighteningly realistic ships on screen, but in reality were built up from steel barges. In the end, they were dismantled and trucked away by the garbage collector -- short life span for any ship.
To accomplish such cinematic creativity the barges were affixed with bent steel frames, then concrete was laid up vertically and stained to look like aged and weathered wood. From the outside the ships appear complete at the bow and stern, and forward along both port and starboard.
The barge/ships were moved around by tugboats hidden from the camera's view. Where the re-created ships were not whole, computer imaging filled in.
Rigging and sails were added, as well as railings, helms, stairs, cannon carriages, and deck furniture, which were all fabricated on site.
More than 1,200 wooden blocks were built. And nearly 100 cannons were poured of fiberglass from silicon molds before being fitted with metal inserts which allowed them to fire explosive cartridges that spewed flames and smoke into the air on command.
Much of the realism in these fabricated ships came from Courtney Andersen, a 34-year-old ship rigger with experience on the replicas Half Moon (seven years) and HMS Bounty.
"The Black Pearl was portrayed in the screenplay as a ghostly-looking ship, more like a galleon from the late 1600s," said Andersen. "She was a sort of Flying Dutchman, destined to sail under a curse, just as was the Dutchman of legend."
Dauntless was built as a three-quarter-scale replica of HMS Victory. Both ships were about 120 feet in length. Andersen's work was so believable he has relocated to Los Angeles from New York where he hopes to serve in future ships of the Hollywood fleet. To round out the sailing scenes, small ship models were created by the special effects team of George Lucas and filmed in a water tank in the San Francisco area.
The special effects are grand, and "Pirates of the Caribbean" should be on everyone's list of movies to see this summer.
The Premiere Party at Disneyland
By Christine Markel Lampe
“The movie is awesome. The story is great. It’s everything we are all
hoping for.” Those were the first words out of Matthew Stone when he called me this morning, after having seen the premiere of “Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” last night at Disneyland, in Anaheim, CA. Matt’s cousin is Nina Jacobson, president of Disney’s
Buena Vista Motion Picture Group. He was thrilled a few days ago when she invited him and his fiancée, Barbara Blanchard, to come. He then
called us, and offered to be the eyes and ears for No Quarter Given and report on the premiere.
Coming in the main gates of Disneyland, there was a red carpet laid down all the way from the gates, around the circle plaza in front of Sleeping
Beauty’s castle, and then into Adventureland, right to the Pirates of the Caribbean area. The regular park guests were crowded around the red
carpet on either side, to watch the movie stars come in. Radio and TV reporters were everywhere.
In all, there were about 1500 people at the premiere. There were lots of pirates in costumes – Disney people in the standard POTC ride
costumes, as well as small-time actors in rented costumes (but the costumes looked good). Matt was impressed with one captain fellow with
beard and parrot who was entertaining. There were minstrels everywhere, mostly singing corny songs, along with "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life
for me.".
There were all sorts of giveaways and fun things to do. They had tattoos with the POTC logo, eye patches, and scarves. A barrel with
sand was a treasure hunt game. Guests could put their hand in and dig for hidden jewels to keep. They could get their picture taken in front
of a pirate banner.
Only three rides were open for the premiere party -- Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion and, of course, Pirates of the Caribbean.
It was a warm evening, with a clear sky. Perfect for an outdoor celebration.
Buffet dinner was served for all the guests. Guests were grouped by a color system – green, yellow, red, and blue. The green area was
reserved for the celebrities and “upper gentry”, so to speak. Matt was thrilled to find himself in this area so he could mingle with the
stars. He did notice that David Hasselhof was not sitting in the green area.
The buffet was very good, but Matt really was impressed with the desserts. Everyone got their own chocolate treasure chest filled with
chocolate mousse, white chocolate skulls, and gold chocolate coins. These were not your standard gold-foil covered coins – they were plated
with REAL edible gold!
While the buffet was going on, the upper crust movie stars ate at the Blue Bayou.
All cameras had to be checked, but Matt saw one guy had smuggled one in, and was taking photos of the stars.
Bleacher seating, complete with ergonomic seats and blankets in case it got chilly, was set up in front of the Pirates ride, facing Tom Sawyer’s
Island, where the screen was set up. But first, the "Columbia" (Hook’s pirate ship) was anchored in front of the screen in the water. A band
was aboard, playing hits from the 70,80,90s and salsa music. Finally, the cannon was fired, and everyone got ready for the movie to begin.
Stars surrounded Matt in his seat. Sitting behind him was John Stamos, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. In front was Cuba Gooding Jr.
Out on the river, one of the Tom Sawyer rafts appeared. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightly, director Gore Verbinski
and producer Jerry Bruckheimer were brought across the river to cheering and screaming from the guests.
Depp and Bloom were seated only four rows in front of Matt. Matt gave us a “People” magazine type account -- Depp was dressed in a cool
chocolate-brown zoot suit with cream-colored pinstripes. He was wearing a fedora, and his hair is now blonde, though he still has his moustache
and goatee.
At the conclusion of the movie, being Disneyland, there were fireworks set to music from POTC!
Afterwards, while ice cream and coffee was served to the guests, Matt followed Nina into Club 33 – the “by invitation only” club that takes up
the second floor area of New Orleans Square. The décor inside was gorgeous. On the walls hung many rare paintings and designs from the
history of Disney. In the bathrooms the toilets looked like actual chairs. Really plush!
There were cooks making food to order, and all kinds of wine. Whatever you wanted, you just had to order it. Waiters were everywhere at your
beck and call. And there were tons of fabulous desserts.
Matt didn’t eat much, except for a few desserts. Instead, he was way too busy meeting people. There were only about forty people inside Club
33, but they were the ones he wanted to meet. Nina introduced him to Jerry Bruckheimer. He chatted briefly with Orlando Bloom and Johnny
Depp, telling us how both were very nice. Though nervous about it, Barbara asked, and got her picture taken with Johnny Depp (cameras were
given back by this time).
Being an avid surfer himself (and owner of the SeaWolf pirate surfwear company), Matt recognized Orlando Bloom’s girlfriend, who was one of the
women from "Blue Crush" (though he doesn’t remember her name).
While they met most of the key people from the movie, and many stars, Barbara and Matt spent most of the time with Lee Arenberg. Lee plays
Pintel, one of Capt. Barbossa’s crew. Matt says Lee will be very memorable in the movie for the way he often says “Poppet” in a very
menacing manner. After the three main roles played by Rush, Depp and Bloom, Lee Arenberg’s pirate is most memorable, and very villainous.
“You will really remember him.” But in real life, Lee is one of the
nicest, humblest guys Matt has met. Some of you might remember him as the parking space stealing guy from “Seinfeld”. He’s also played
several ferengis in ST: TNG and Deep Space Nine.
Finally they made their way out of Club 33. The stars had limos waiting for them in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. But being regular folk,
Matt and Barbara had to walk out through Main Street, and take the tram back to their awaiting coach.
“But wait”, I cried, as Matt sounded like he was winding up the call, “aren’t you going to tell me about the movie!!!”
“I’m afraid to say anything. I don’t want to spoil it for you.”
But with a little prodding (I can be very persuasive), Matt did make a few comments on the movie. “There’s lots of action, and the storyline
is cute.” He described Jack Sparrow (Depp) as a kind of goofy pirate, but who’s very clever and has manipulated everyone into believing in him
as a fierce pirate, hated by everyone.
Keira Knightly did a great job as the female lead.
“The skeleton morphing effect is really cool”. The cursed pirate crew usually appears normal, but under special conditions, you can see parts
of them change into skeletons. The effect is very well done, and very eerie.
For those familiar with Disney’s pirate ride, look for some of the same scenes in the movie, especially the jail scene. And, yes, you’ll hear
the famous theme song (“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me”) used in the movie, but in a very funny way.
An Entertainer's View of the Premiere
By Christine Markel Lampe
Some of you Southern California readers may know Mallory and McCall from
local renfaires. Mallory is well known for his rendition of “The Pirate King”, and many other pirate songs. His wife Janna accompanies him
while playing on melodeon (portable pump organ). They were one of the performers at the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere at Disneyland. We
tracked them down, and they told No Quarter Given their experiences.
The call from the “Mouse” came only about ten days before the premiere. They got directions to where they were to report only the day before the
big event. They arrived at Disneyland in plenty of time; except for they seemed to be at the wrong gate. They were directed to another
place, and then another. Finally unloaded their instruments and gear, got on a tram, and went to check point. But it was the wrong
checkpoint. So back to the tram, back to the car, drove elsewhere, and finally got to the right place – two hours later. Still they were in
their place half way down Main Street on time at about 5 pm. They performed for about three hours.
Mallory & McCall were one of the few entertainers who got to wear their own costuming (and Mallory was even allowed to keep his beard!). They
sang and played their usual motley collection of songs they perform at faires, while Janna pumped away on the melodeon. Disney billed them as
the “Skeleton Crew Pirate Band”.
The park was still opened to the regular guests, while guests for the premiere arrived, walking down a red carpet, all the way down Main
Street. The regular guests crowded the ropes on either side of the carpet, behind a frontline of media people, cheering for all the stars
going by. The crowd reaction seemed really positive. Janna was very impressed with how gracious Johnny Depp was to the general public,
talking to them, and signing autographs. Many other stars walked by. In addition to the main stars of the movie, Mallory recognized Jon
Voigt, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jane Seymour, baseballer David Winfield, John & Rebecca
Stamos. There was a whole bunch of other young good-looking people Mallory didn’t recognize, but the crowds sure seemed to.
Reporters photographed Janna and Mallory with someone who may have been Keira Knightly (Mallory wasn’t sure).
Other than Mark Beatty of Parrot Tales, they didn’t know any other of the entertainers. There were all sorts of them though – jugglers on
stilts, jugglers not on stilts, a singer with a ukelele, and lots of musicians.
There were four women, tall skinny girls with model looks, all identically dressed. They were wearing shiny black stiletto-heeled
boots, skin-tight gold satiny spandex breeches, cutaway 18th century coats and tricorns. Mallory didn’t see them do anything special other
than strutting about and looking good.
Unfortunately Mallory and McCall didn’t get to see the movie (though they will definitely see it later), but they did manage to pirate a few
souvenir buttons off the Disney employees.
All in all though, Mallory said, “It was a blast, and if I said I wasn’t, I’d be a damned liar.”
LINKS
Official Website
http://pirates.movies.com
POTC Interactive Project
http://www.potcinteractive.com
Links Page for POTC
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1808405417&cf=web
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - photos
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=pstills&id=1808405417
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl clip
http://rd.yahoo.com/movies/clips/1808405417/1808488496/?http://movies.yahoo.com/forms?cf=hv/popup&id=1808405417&lid=wmv-56-p.1192991-109055,wmv-100-p.1192992-109055,wmv-300-p.1192993-109055,rnv-56-p.1192988-109055,rnv-300-p.1192990-109055,rnv-100-p.1192989-109055&tid=1808488496&dist=Walt+Disney&type=
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl clip
http://rd.yahoo.com/movies/clips/1808405417/1808496559/?http://movies.yahoo.com/forms?cf=hv/popup&id=1808405417&lid=rnv-56-p.1209165-110389,rnv-100-p.1209166-110389,rnv-300-p.1209167-110389,wmv-56-p.1209168-110389,wmv-300-p.1209170-110389,wmv-100-p.1209169-110389&tid=1808496559&dist=Walt+Disney&type=
Costumes
in POTC
Pirates of the Caribbean costuming fan website
http://potccostuming.tripod.com
Unofficial Tribute to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean"
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