Pirates of the Caribbean – the Curse of the Black Pearl
INT. DAUNTLESS – CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS – NIGHT
Elizabeth looks out the Captain’s small porthole-sees boats laden with Navy men headed for shore.
She turns away from the porthole, wishing there was something she could do. Suddenly there is a flutter at the window- Cotton’s parrot is there.
COTTON’S PARROT Drink UP me hearties yo ho! Drink UP me hearties yo ho!
The bird flutters off; Elizabeth races to the porthole, and then to the stern window to see it fly away.
She looks down-and there, fastened to the stern of the ship, is a small rowboat.
INT. ISLA DE MUERTA – CAVES – NIGHT
Will races forward, turning this way and that. He sees a light ahead, heads for it, turns a corner–and runs straight into Jack.
JACK Do you have any idea where you’re going?
WILL Jack!
JACK Don’t talk. These caves magnify sound. Just follow me.
EXT. ISLA DE MUERTA – THE BEACH – NIGHT
Norrington and men land on the beach, and spread out. They silently take up positions around the main cave entrance.
INT. CAVES – NIGHT
Jack leads Will out of a narrow passage-and stops, staring. Will is a few steps behind.
WILL Are you certain this is the right way?
JACK It’s the right way.
Will joins him-and sees what Jack is staring at:
Treasure piled on treasure, sparkling, glowing, seemingly endless. At the center is the moonlit clearing, and the stone Aztec chest.
BARBOSSA Thank you, Jack Sparrow.
They jump-Barbossa is standing right behind them, flanked by his men. The trio whirl to run-more pirates emerge from hiding. Nearly the entire crew of the Black Pearl is there.
The pirates grab Will and Jack. Will struggles, but Jack does not fight at all.
BARBOSSA (CONT’D) You couldn’t have led him back more directly if you knew exactly where you were going.
He laughs, and moves toward the stone chest. The pirates follow, dragging Will and Jack with them.
WILL You did know where you were going! You did lead us directly to them! (Jack’s silence confirms it) Why?
Jack looks away-as Will is manhandled toward the chest. Barbossa steps up to him (becoming skeletal in the moonlight) and puts the medallion around Will’s neck.
He picks up the stone knife.
BARBOSSA What was begun by blood, let blood now end!
He raises the knife to Will’s throat-
JACK You don’t want to be doing that.
Barbossa pretends to think about his words.
BARBOSSA No, I really think I do.
JACK (shrugs) All right then.
That makes Barbossa pause. He steps out of the moonlight.
BARBOSSA Why don’t I want to do this?
JACK Because, right about now, the H.M.S. Dauntless is lying in wait in the harbor.
WILL Jack!
JACK -and its guns and crew will cut you and your men to pieces the moment you step outside these caves.
A buzz of apprehension sweeps through the pirates.
PINTEL Do you believe him?
BARBOSSA No. (indicates Will) But him I believe. He us genuinely angry.
JACK You’ve no hope of surviving Norrington’s attack … that is, if you’re mortal.
BARBOSSA What’re you suggesting?
Jack shakes off the hands holding him, strolls toward Barbossa, Will, and the chest of coins.
JACK Simple. Don’t kill the boy yet. Wait for a more opportune moment.
Will glares, listening to every word he says. Jack scoops up a handful of coins from the chest.
JACK (CONT’D) (drops the coins one- by-one back into the chest) Like after you’ve killed … Every … Last … One … of Norrington’s men.
BARBOSSA I can’t help wondering, Jack, why you’re being so helpful and all? Last time you did that, it didn’t end well for you.
JACK The situation has changed.
BARBOSSA That so?
JACK Aye. See, after you’re done with the Royal Navy, you’ll have a bit of a problem: the H.M.S. Dauntless. There you’ll be, with two lovely ships on your hands, and what to do? Of course you’ll decide you deserve the bigger one, and who’s to argue? The Dauntless a first- rate ship-of-line, and with it, you can rule the seas. (beat) But if you’re Captain of the Dauntless, who’s left for the Black Pearl?
Jack smiles and spreads his hands: me.
JACK (CONT’D) I sail for you as part of your fleet, I give you fifteen percent of my plunder, and you get to introduce yourself at tea parties and brothels as ‘Commodore Barbossa.’ (sticks out his hand) Do we have an accord?
Barbossa licks his lips. It’s tempting …
JACK (CONT’D) Now, you can take care of the Dauntless, right?
BARBOSSA Men! Are you up for it?
The pirates yell to the affirmative.
BARBOSSA (CONT’D) Mr. Pintel, select five men to stay here. Take the rest of the men out … not through the caves.
Jack’s expression falters; this he hadn’t planned for.
JACK There’s … another exit?
BARBOSSA Aye, for us there is.
EXT. LAGOON – UNDERWATER – NIGHT
Moonlight shines down into the shallow waters, brightening coral, sparkling over the rippled sand floor.
Suddenly all the fish SCATTER. Briefly, the waters are empty.
And then FIGURES appear in the distance, seeming to waver in the shifting current. They scuffle forward, kicking up clouds of sand- The figures resolve into the skeleton PIRATES, moving silently across the lagoon floor, swords glinting. The tatters of their clothing drift in the water. Their skull heads are fixed in an endless grin.
The LEAD PIRATE glides forward- And stops next to a huge iron ANCHOR-twice his height, even buried halfway into the sand. A heavy CHAIN with barrel-sized links climbs up toward the surface- A SHADOW falls across the Lead Pirate-he TRANSFORMS, and we see that it is Pintel. He looks up- Above, the heavy chain leads to the giant bottom hull of the H.M.S. Dauntless, silhouetted by moonlight.
The huge shift drifts, again spilling moonlight below- And the pirates gathered around the anchor are once again SKELETONS, staring with upturned faces. The Pintel-skeleton puts a knife between his teeth, starts to crawl up the iron rings.
Other pirates crowd forward, and soon the anchor-chain is clustered with skeletons- EXT. LAGOON – NIGHT
Elizabeth has the small boat out, and rows away from the Dauntless, looking ahead over her shoulder. Cotton’s parrot is nowhere to be seen.
In the distance, Pintel breaks the surface near the Dauntless, intent on climbing the anchor; he looks over- Just as Elizabeth rounds the point, and rocks obscure the small longboat from view.
More skeleton-pirates appear, and Pintel continues his climb.
EXT. LAGOON – DAUNTLESS – NIGHT
Two SAILORS, alert and vigilant, stare out toward shore. The island reveals nothing but blackness.
There is a scurrying sound-bones scraping against wood-and the sailors JUMP. They listen, intently-nothing.
TALL SAILOR Ship rats. Big ones.
SHORT SAILOR (nods) Hate those things.
They turn back toward the island, continue their vigil. A long pause.
SHORT SAILOR (CONT’D) Taste all right, though.
TALL SAILOR That they do.
>From behind, the two sailors at the rail are well-lit by a lantern. Suddenly shadows appear, skeletons, climbing up the sailor’s backs. MOVE CLOSER and then the skeletons appear, reaching-the two sailors are grabbed from behind- EXT. DAUNTLESS – SIDE – NIGHT
Two bodies are tossed out over the rail, hit the water with a splash.
EXT. DAUNTLESS – SIDE – NIGHT
Pintel looks down into the water, satisfied. Puts away his knife. Notices, pulls out a long piece of seaweed from his rib cage. Tosses it. Turns to the others.
PINTEL Be quick, now. Train the starboard guns on the beach, and set your aim. Wait for my signal, we don’t want to spook them.
The pirates hurry to comply- EXT. LAGOON – BLACK PEARL – NIGHT
Elizabeth rounds the point further, and sees: the Black Pearl, anchored in the neighboring cove. A fleck of color-Cotton’s parrot, as it darts through a porthole.
Elizabeth slows her efforts, silently approaching the ship.
EXT. BLACK PEARL – MAIN DECK – NIGHT
Four PIRATES-who really ought to be keeping watch-instead have gathered wine bottles and rum casts into a pile, along apples, biscuits-all the food on the ship.
They act out a mock-feast, in anticipation of the curse being lifted. A SKINNY skeleton offers two bottles to a BIG BONES skeleton.
