Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

     I know it's been a while since I started this blog but I hope you can forgive me. Today on this yucky rainy Tuesday I'm curled up on the couch with one of my favorite movies. I first saw Pirates in the theater on a date when I was sixteen. I can't believe this movie is already a decade old! I mean it's already in fifth grade. They grow up so fast! I digress...
     Black Pearl is the first in a franchise that started off with a bang worthy of Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee fireworks parade on the Thames and ended in a sad fizzle like a barely-lit birthday candle. The first film presented audiences with a swashbuckling fantasy and it's producers immediately realized it's money-making potential. Of the four, Black Pearl is by far the best and should have remained a stand-alone film. Once Disney tacked on the subsequent sequels it was all downhill from there.
     From the first glimpse of the film it's easy to see how much money went into this project, and everything meshes wonderfully. The costumes and makeup/hair design are incredible, albeit terribly stylized. Period films seem to be difficult for Hollywood because too much historical accuracy can drive potential viewers away while too little can equally alienate people. In reality pirates were murderers, thieves and cutthroats who generally devoted every aspect of their day to day existence to survival. They didn't wear big feathered hats and walk around with cute little monkeys and chatty parrots on their shoulders. But they were making a movie, not a documentary, so I appreciate the creative license that was taken.
     The casting of this film was absolutely perfect. The main cast brings a wonderful element of old Hollywood, Erroll Flynn essence and the secondary cast backs them up with an eclectic mixture of characters, adding a touch of realism. I can't put my finger on which character is my favorite because they each make me want to watch the entire movie focusing only on his/her individual performance. Also, the film just wouldn't be the same were even one missing.
     I could go on forever about the amazing sets, the stunning on-location vistas and ohmigosh they got a REAL pirate ship! If I could change anything I'd add the two deleted scenes between Jack and Elizabeth on their deserted island. A big chunk of Jack's personality and motivation is lost when those two scenes aren't included. The movie makes him seem silly but the deleted bits show him as a real person, a man with more going on than meets the eye. There's another scene between them that I would've liked in the completed film that's also on the DVD extras: on the ship later when Jack tells her they're “peas in a pod." But maybe Disney thought it portrayed their heroine as more cutthroat pirate than damsel in distress. I think it makes her more realistic and I like her better that way.
     I love the look Elizabeth gives Jack in the end when he tells her "It would never have worked between us darling." That one little expression leaves the door wide open for interpretation. What happened between them that we didn't see? Is there something juicy that we missed?  But it's left to us to speculate on. The other DVD extras are fantastic, giving us a glimpse into the film-making process. The movie turned out really well and I applaude Disney's effort.  All in all Black Pearl is a great summer blockbuster that both adults and kids can enjoy. It's a good choice for date night, movie night, family night and fits well on my movie shelf.