Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Theatrical Release Date: 2003 07 09 (USA)

UPC: 786936224306

Studio: Walt Disney Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Alcohol Consumption, Scary Moments]

Summary: Following his surprise-hit American remake of The Ring in 2002, director Gore Verbinski took on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the second of recent films to be based upon Disney theme-park rides (the first being The Country Bears). When Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), the daughter of Governor Swann (Jonathan Pryce) is kidnapped by a group of pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and taken aboard their ship, The Black Pearl, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), the young man who loves Elizabeth despite the fact that she is promised to another, sets out to rescue her. But he can't do it alone, so he enlists the help of swashbuckling ship captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Together the two chase after The Black Pearl, but they soon discover that the captain and crew aren't your average pirates. Cursed to remain between the living and the dead, Barbossa and his men look like skeletons when basked in the moonlight. When it is revealed that the only thing that can break the curse is Elizabeth's blood, Jack and Will are faced with a race against time and a battle against the undead to save the Governor's daughter. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Category: Adventure

Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – null Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actor – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: 19 deleted & alternate scenes
Blooper reel
Multiple audio commentaries: Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp; Jerry Bruckheimer; Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport; Writers Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert
"An Epic at Sea": The Making of Pirates
"Moonlight Serenade": Scene Progression
"Below Deck": An Interactive History of Pirates
"Fly on the Set" featurette
"Diary of a Pirate"
"Diary of a Ship"
Producer's photo diary with Jerry Bruckheimer
Image galleries
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
"Moonlight Serenade" scene progression
Image galleries

Enhanced computer features (PC only): "Moonlight Becomes Ye" effects studio; Disneyland Pirates virtual reality viewer; "Dead Men Tell No Tales" history of the attraction; Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction image gallery; ScriptScanner; Storyboard Viewer

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Format: DVD

Release Date: 12/02/2003

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DTS Digital Theater Systems, THX THX-Certified Mastering, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 143 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: French,English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Pirates of the Caribbean [WS]
1. Opening Credits/A Pirate's Life
2. Pirates Ye Be Warned
3. Elizabeth's Rescue
4. The Black Pearl
5. Welcome Aboard
6. The Hunt
7. Finding a Crew
8. Aztec Gold
9. The Treasure of Cortez
10. Keep to the Code
11. The Battle
12. Stranded Again
13. The Curse
14. The Trojan Horse
15. The Curse is Lifted
16. End Credits
Side #2 -- Special Features
1. Play All
1. Intro [:39]
2. The Actors [3:13]
3. Locations [4:42]
4. Production Design [4:48]
5. The Ships [4:18]
6. Costumes and Make-Up [5:06]
7. Stunts and Swords [6:29]
8. Visual Effects [6:18]
9. The Premiere [2:19]
1. Captain's Quarters: Code of Conduct [:38]
2. Captain's Quarters: Rank and Privilage [1:31]
3. Captain's Quarters: How Piracy Began [:15]
4. Captain's Quarters: Black Bart Roberts [1:39]
5. Captain's Quarters: Blackbeard [:15]
6. Captain's Quarters: John Paul Jones [1:29]
7. Captain's Quarters: Capt. Kidd [:12]
8. Captain's Quarters: Robinson Crusoe [1:52]
9. Captain's Quarters: Sir Francis Drake [:22]
10. Captain's Quarters: Women Pirates [2:58]
11. Captain's Quarters: Chinese Pirates [:13]
12. Captain's Quarters: Edward Lowe [1:00]
13. Captain's Quarters: What They Stole [:15]
14. Captain's Quarters: Buried Treasure [1:54]
15. Captain's Quarters: X Marks the Spot [:15]
16. On Deck: Punishments [1:14]
17. On Deck: Symbols [:16]
18. On Deck: Nature's Wrath [:42]
19. On Deck: Pirate Ships [:15]
20. The Gunnery: Weapons [1:24]
21. The Gunnery: Battles [:15]
22. The Gallery: Daily Life [2:31]
23. The Gallery: Superstitions [:33]
24. The Gallery: Types of Pirates [:00]
1. Meet Will Turner (Full Version [:43]
2. Carriage Ride (Gov. Swann and Elizabeth) [:35]
3. A Change in the Wind (Extended Weather Montage) [:59]
4. Only One Shot (Will Helps Jack Escape From Jail) [:36]
5. Peep Show (Pintel and Ragetti's Eye) [1:53]
6. All is Well (More From the Ride, Jack and Will in Tortuga) [:24]
7. Make It Last (More From the Ride, Tortuga Tavern) [:33]
8. A Bit of a Stick (Will is Wound Too Tight, Tortuga Tavern) [:33]
9. It's Begun ( Jack and Will at the Point) [1:09]
10. The French (Improvisation With Jack and the Pirates) [:44]
11. Not All That Big (A Walk Around the Island) [1:43]
12. No Truth at All (Elizabeth Teaches Jack the Song) [2:08]
13. Accepting the Proposal (Elizabeth and the Commodore: a Conditional Request) [2:07]
14. Peas in a Pod (Elizabeth and Jack in the Graveyard of Ships) [1:04]
15. Take a Walk (Pirates Submerge) [:50]
16. Let Them East Cake (Mallot and Grapple Extended Scene) [:30]
17. The Immortal Captain Jack (Jack Removes His Own Curse: This Scene was Deleted Before any Skeletal Effects had Begun) [1:02]
18. Good Luck (More With Murtogg and Mullroy) [:39]
19. Happy Endings (Commodore Norrington Addresses Elizabeth) [:53]

Jeremy Wheeler

Pirate films have been a curse on cinema for a quite a while in recent years (Cutthroat Island, anyone?), and outside of releasing Pixar flicks, Disney hadn't been doing any better quality-wise -- so when Gore Verbinski (fresh off The Ring remake) and virtuoso Johnny Depp came aboard the beloved adaptation of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme-park ride, eyebrows were definitely raised. So how does it stack up? Well, in a time of massive summer blockbusters, this high-sailing ship is definitely a crowd-pleaser. The scale is huge, with technical brilliance in front and behind the camera, while swords clash, cannons roar, and wit is dished out at every corner. Following a kind of Stephen Sommers' Mummy-esque tradition, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl has "lighthearted" written all over it, no small thanks to Depp's brilliantly over-the-top creation, Captain Jack Sparrow. Mix Keith Richards and Depp's Hunter S. Thompson together and you're about halfway there with this brilliantly wild performance. Turning in another juicy role is Geoffrey Rush as the cursed Captain Barbossa, a dastardly villain whom Rush was no doubt meant to play. Also worth mentioning are heartthrobs Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as the film's love interests. Knightley perks it up as the spunky female lead just fine, though Bloom's soft-spoken manner and delivery are frankly starting to wear thin outside of his Legolas gig. The ILM skeletal effects are well done and neat, especially in the final sword fight between Sparrow and Barbossa (where columns of light are used ingeniously in the final effect). For all the thrilling moments though, Pirates is hobbled by one thing -- its running time. Well over two hours, it's just flat out too long. Thankfully, with zombie monkey skeletons and Depp virtually stealing the show, the film still manages to deliver. So take the kids, put up your feet, and sing "Yo Ho," for this is one Disney pirate flick that surprisingly does not disappoint. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jerry Bruckheimer  Producer 
Chad Oman  Executive Producer 
Terry Rossio  Screenwriter 
Paul Deason  Executive Producer 
Ted Elliott  Screenwriter 
Gore Verbinski  Director 
Bruce Hendricks  Executive Producer 
Mike Stenson  Executive Producer 
Klaus Badelt  Composer (Music Score) 
Johnny Depp  Actor 
Geoffrey Rush  Actor 
Orlando Bloom  Actor 
Keira Knightley  Actor 
Jack Davenport  Actor 
Kevin McNally  Actor 
Jonathan Pryce  Actor 
Zoe Saldana  Actor 
Treva Etienne  Actor 
David Bailie  Actor 
Lee Arenberg  Actor 
Mackenzie Crook  Actor 
Trevor Goddard  Actor 
Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.  Actor 
Brye Cooper  Actor 
Greg Ellis  Actor 
Martin Klebba  Actor 
Lauren Maher  Actor 
Paula Jane Newman  Actor 
Dylan Smith  Actor 

Country: USA