Pirates of the Caribbean – the Curse of the Black Pearl
She reaches the railing overlooking the foyer, and cries out, just as the butler opens the door-too late; there is a BOOM of a gun, and the butler crumples.
Elizabeth ducks down in horror, peering through the balusters. The pirates scan the foyer, searching. The leader is PINTEL, a sallow-looking pirate with a bald head.
Suddenly Pintel looks up, and locks eyes with Elizabeth. How could he know she was there?
PINTEL Up there!
The pirates rush for the stairs. Elizabeth scrabbles back into the nearest room- INT. SITTING ROOM – NIGHT
Elizabeth shuts the door, locks it, listens as the pirates pound up the stairs-
ESTRELLA Miss Elizabeth?
Elizabeth jumps. Estrella is right behind her, terrified. They whisper:
ESTRELLA (CONT’D) Are they come to kidnap you, miss? The daughter of a governor would be very valuable.
Elizabeth realizes she’s right. There is the SLAM of a body against the door.
ELIZABETH Listen, Estrella-they haven’t seen you. Hide, and first chance, run for the fort.
Estrella nods. Another SLAM at the door-it gives a bit- Elizabeth shoves Estrella into the corner, between a tall wardrobe and the wall. Dashes for the side door.
When the door smashes inward, it slams into the wardrobe, and the maid cannot be seen. The pirates run in-spot the open side door, and run for it- INT. ELIZABETH’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Pintel is the first through, and gets the pan of the bed warmer in the face for his trouble-he staggers back, holding his nose- INT. SITTING ROOM – NIGHT
Estrella breaks cover, runs for the hall, unnoticed.
INT. ELIZABETH’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Elizabeth dashes for the hallway stairs- INT. SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY/FOYER – CONTINUOUS – NIGHT
The pirates burst from the bedroom-Pintel goes for the stairs, but the second pirate vaults over the handrail- Estrella registers the butler’s body, but continues out the still-open front door at a dead run. Elizabeth follows- The second pirate lands between Elizabeth and the front door. His face is BURNED, his hair SMOLDERS-he reaches- Elizabeth pulls up short, runs the other way- Pintel, on the stairs, grabs her by the hair-Elizabeth doesn’t slow-she spins, grabs Pintel’s arm with both hands and pulls him hard, belly-first, into the cap of the newel post-he lets go of her hair-Elizabeth keeps going- INT. DINING ROOM – NIGHT
Elizabeth slams the double doors shut, throws the bolts. The interior shutters are closed over the windows. Above the fireplace are two crossed swords.
Elizabeth climbs on the firebox; she grabs one of the swords by the hilt and pulls-but it won’t come free. Both swords are securely attached to the wall. Damn!
A SMASH from the doors-the pirates are relentless- On the table is a platter with fruit, cheese and bread. Elizabeth grabs the knife from the platter- Like any bread knife, it has a round point. Elizabeth jabs it into her palm-it’s useless as a weapon. Double damn!
The blade of a broading axe breaches the door-the pirates will be through soon-Elizabeth looks around- INT. FIRST FLOOR HALLWAY – NIGHT
The doors give way; the pirates charge through- INT. DINING ROOM – CONTINUOUS – NIGHT
Empty. Elizabeth nowhere to be seen. Pintel and Smoldering Pirate search, under the table, behind draperies.
PINTEL We know you’re here, poppet. Come out and we promise we won’t hurt you.
Smoldering Pirate gives him a look-he wants to hurt her plenty. Pintel shakes his head: ‘Don’t worry, I’m lying.’
PINTEL (CONT’D) We will find you, poppet … You’ve got something of ours, and it calls to us!
INT. DUMBWAITER – NIGHT
Elizabeth hides in the dumbwaiter box, wrapped around the double pulley ropes that go through the center.
PINTEL (O.S.) The gold calls to us!
Elizabeth registers that-she pulls out the medallion, rubs the gold with her thumb. This is their objective. Light spills into the box through gaps in the top as the door above is slide open-Elizabeth looks up through the gaps- Pintel leers down at her.
PINTEL (CONT’D) Hello, poppet.
Elizabeth works the ropes to lower the box. Pintel pulls the other way; he’s stronger, and the box rises. Elizabeth tries to stop it-wraps her left forearm through the rope and lets it jam against the top of the box.
Elizabeth gasps at the pain, but the box stops. She saws at the rope with the bread knife.
Smoldering Pirate helps pull the rope, crushing Elizabeth’s forearm. Tears of pain on her face, she keeps sawing- The rope parts, and the dumbwaiter box PLUMMETS- INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT
>From behind the door of the dumbwaiter comes a CRASH, and a cloud of dust. The door slides open, and Elizabeth clambers out. Her head is cut, she is streaked with dirt, and can barely stand. She leans over the table, trying to recover.
The sound of the running FOOTSTEPS gets louder …
ELIZABETH Please, no …
Elizabeth touches the chain of the medallion … and a desperate idea occurs to her.
The pirates burst through the doors. Elizabeth backs away, holds the bread knife to ward them off. They come around either side of the table, stalking her-
ELIZABETH (gasps it out) Par… Parlay!
Pintel can’t believe his ears.
PINTEL What?
ELIZABETH Parlay! I invoke the right of parlay! According to the Code of the Brethern, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you must take me to your Captain!
PINTEL I know the code.
ELIZABETH If an adversary demands parlay, you can do them no harm until the parlay is complete.
PINTEL It would appear, so do you.
SMOLDERING PIRATE To blazes with the code!
He steps forward, dirk drawn-Pintel stops him.
PINTEL She wants to be taken to the Captain, and she’ll go without a fuss.
He looks to Elizabeth: ‘right?’ Elizabeth nods.
PINTEL (CONT’D) We must honor the code.
Smoldering Pirate concedes the point, sheaths his dirk. He grabs Elizabeth roughly by the arm- EXT. PORT ROYAL – STREET – NIGHT
Will races along, momentarily free of the pirates. He spots the Governor’s Mansion in the distance. There are FIGURES moving away from it-Elizabeth, forced by the two pirates.
Will hurries forward- Suddenly a PIRATE jumps out from the shadows, slashes; Will defends himself. The pirate has one arm and wears a yellow bandana. Will hesitates-didn’t he already kill this guy?
The hesitation is just enough for another PIRATE, swinging a flaming torch, to SLAM Will in the head from behind. Will crumples.
The pirate lights a second torch, hands it to One-arm; they hoot with delight and head off, setting fires as they go.
On the ground, Will doesn’t move.
INT. FORT CHARLES – CELL BLOCK – NIGHT
The wall of the cells EXPLODES inward. Jack pulls himself out from under the rubble. Moonlight spills in through the gaping hole created by the cannon ball. Beyond it: freedom.
But it is centered on the other cell. The part of Jack’s cell that is gone is too small for a man to slip through.
PRISONER Praise be!
He and the other two scramble through.
PRISONER (CONT’D) (back to Jack) My sympathies, friend-you’ve no manner of luck at all!
The three descend the rocks beyond, disappearing from view.
Jack is alone. Cannon fire continues, occasional hits shaking the fort. The dog cowers under a long bench, key ring still in his mouth. Jack sighs-resigned, he picks up the bone from the other cell, and tries coax the dog forward.
JACK It’s all right, doggie … come here, boy. Come here, Spot. Rover. Fido?
To his surprise, the dog crawls out from under the bench. Jack continues to coax him closer.
The key ring is nearly within Jack’s reach-suddenly, the dog’s attention goes to the door into the cell block. He BRISTLES, GROWLS. He backs away from the door, whining.
JACK (CONT’D) What’s the matter, boy?
The dog bolts, through the bars, into the cell, then out through the breached wall-taking the keys with him.
The door to the cell block bursts open. A pair of pirates step in: KOEHLER and TWIGG.
TWIGG This isn’t the armory.
He turns to go, but Koehler has spotted Jack.
KOEHLER (Dutch accent) Well, well … Look what we have here, Twigg. It’s Captain Sparrow.
TWIGG Huh. Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a God-forsaken island, shrinking into the distance. I’d heard you’d gotten off, but I didn’t believe it.
KOEHLER Did you sprout little wings and fly away?
TWIGG His fortunes aren’t improved much.
The two laugh. Jack doesn’t. He steps forward, close to the bars. This puts him in a spill of moonlight. He is tight with fury.
JACK Worry about your own fortunes. The lowest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers … and mutineers.
Koehler and Twigg don’t like hearing that. Koehler lashes out, grabs Jack by the throat through the bars. Jack clutches the pirates wrist, looks down- Where they enter the moonlight, Koehler’s wrists and hands are skeletol.
Jack’s eyes go wide-he is holding a skeleton arm.
JACK (CONT’D) You are cursed.
Koehler sneers, shoves Jack bakwards, hard. Now out of the moonlight, his hand is normal. Jack stares, realizing-
JACK (CONT’D) The stories are true.
Koehler ushers Twigg toward the door. Looks back.
KOEHLER You know nothing of hell.
And then they’re gone.
EXT. PORT ROYAL – NIGHT
Amid the thunder of cannon fire, a longboat slips through the fog. Elizabeth sits in the prow. Columns of water from the cannon balls geyser up around the boat.
