Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl poster
Year
2003
Type
Movie
Role
Captain Jack Sparrow
Director
Gore Verbinski
Writer
Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Music
Klaus Badelt
Runtime
143 min
Release
July 9, 2003
Studio
Walt Disney Pictures
Budget
$140 million
Box Office
$654.3 million (worldwide)

About the Film

In the Caribbean port of Port Royal, spirited governor’s daughter Elizabeth Swann is abducted by the crew of the Black Pearl — cursed pirates doomed to walk as the undead until they return the last piece of plundered Aztec gold. To rescue her, earnest blacksmith Will Turner reluctantly allies with the gloriously disreputable Captain Jack Sparrow.

Jack has his own score to settle with Barbossa, the mutineer who stole his ship. Double-crosses, sword fights and moonlit skeletons follow as the unlikely pair chase the Pearl to break the curse — the swashbuckling hit that turned a theme-park ride into a blockbuster franchise and made Jack Sparrow an icon.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow, the swaying, slurring, endlessly scheming pirate he built from Keith Richards’ rock-star cool and Pepé Le Pew — a wildcard performance Disney first found baffling and audiences adored, earning Depp his first Academy Award nomination.

Cast & Crew

Cast

Captain Jack SparrowJohnny Depp
Captain BarbossaGeoffrey Rush
Will TurnerOrlando Bloom
Elizabeth SwannKeira Knightley
Governor Weatherby SwannJonathan Pryce
Cmdr. NorringtonJack Davenport
Joshamee GibbsKevin R. McNally
AnamariaZoe Saldaña
PintelLee Arenberg

Crew

DirectorGore Verbinski
ScreenplayTed Elliott, Terry Rossio
MusicKlaus Badelt
CinematographyDariusz Wolski
ProducerJerry Bruckheimer

“You’ll always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow.”

— Captain Jack Sparrow, The Curse of the Black Pearl

More quotes ›

Filming Locations

  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Wallilabou Bay)
  • Rancho Palos Verdes, California
  • Manhattan Beach & Los Angeles, California

More about this film

Trivia

  • Depp based Jack Sparrow on Rolling Stone Keith Richards (later cast as Jack’s father) and cartoon skunk Pepé Le Pew.
  • Disney executives were initially alarmed by Depp’s off-kilter take on the character.
  • Depp insisted on the gold teeth, telling producers to “either trust me or give me the boot.”
  • Robert De Niro turned down Barbossa, expecting another pirate-movie flop; Geoffrey Rush took the role.
  • The Aztec curse was invented to echo the narration of Disneyland’s original Pirates ride.

Awards

  • 2004 Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Male Lead (Johnny Depp) Won
  • 2004 BAFTA — Best Make-up/Hair Won
  • 2004 Academy Award nomination — Best Actor (Johnny Depp)
  • 2004 BAFTA & Golden Globe nominations — Best Actor (Johnny Depp)

DVD Easter Eggs

  • Hidden Easter-Egg Menu: on the Bonus disc go to Deleted Scenes, highlight “Good Luck,” then press Right, Left, Left so the skull’s eyes light up and press Enter.
  • Keith Richards interview — from that skull menu, press Left, Left to light the eyes and hit Enter.
  • Ship-to-ship battle animatic — press Up then Right to light up the medallion, then Enter.
  • Original Japanese trailer — press Up twice to light the sword handle, then Enter.
  • Pirate-cave construction time-lapse — in “Fly on the Set,” highlight the right tooth on the monkey image to play a 2:40 build video.

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