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(2 disc- Collectors Edition)
Mon, 15 November 2004
by: Tyz
Pirates of the Caribbean tells the tale of The Black Pearl, a ship crewed by skeleton-pirates attempting to rid themselves of their dreadful curse. Hot in pursuit of the pirates is the enigmatic Captain Jack Sparrow, along with our romantic leads (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley) in tow – who are both taken captive by the pirates as part of their dastardly plan.
Set in the Caribbean during the hey-day of piracy along the Spanish Main, this is a fresh take on the age old story of buried treasure and swashbuckling heroes battling fearsome pirates. Our heroes aren’t very dashing (Bloom is a dork and Depp is a lunatic), while our pirates are more concerned with putting the treasure back to where they found it! One thing is for sure though - the pirates are the most fearsome to ever grace the screen.
The front cover of this DVD tells us that is comes from the producer of Armageddon and Pearl Harbour. Has anyone ever gone to see a blockbuster film because they like the producer? Why would someone think this is good marketing? It gets worse when you turn the box over and find out that the director, Gore Verbinski, made Mouse Hunt. All of those films suck. It’s like they are begging you not to buy this DVD! Verbinski made the American version of the terrifying Japanese classic The Ring – surely this is a better commendation.
This aside, the Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer’s blockbuster for 2003 has a lot going for it. Firstly there is a great and original script. Secondly there are fun and convincing sets, costumes and special effects (As would be expected for a film of this size). Lastly there is Mr Johnny Depp. Much noise was made when this actor, famed for his captivating portrayals of bizarre characters, was signed on for a Bruckheimer spectacular, but it makes for a great result.
Depp’s influence on the film can be seen by his characterisation of Captain Jack Sparrow. The actor managed to convince the producer to replace the swarthy, clean-cut hero of the story boards, with a dreadlocked, filthy pirate. Depp was lucky to have director Verbinski on his wave-length, as the anti-hero Jack Sparrow is a real winner – reminiscent of Depp’s portrayal of author / icon Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas.
The collusion between actor and director is described in the DVD’s Special Features, where Depp and Verbinski undertake a patchy, but on the whole interesting, commentary. It is one of those commentaries where everyone was “a joy to work with” – despite the fact that our commentators need the occasional reminder of these “wonderful” people’s names.
Not so interesting is the commentary from the writers. They wrote a great film, but they annoy the hell out of you by talking over each other all the time. I had to turn it off after 20 minutes as it got too annoying. The best thing that can be said about the commentary by Kiera Knightly and Jack Davenport is that it skips between certain scenes of the film. Although Knightly is a good actress (and a right stunner) she babbles all through, not letting the very dry witted Jack Davenport get a word in. The Jerry Bruckheimer commentary is just an ego trip for the producer as he big notes himself over the top of some of the film’s key scenes. It provides no insight into the making of the film, instead it is merely Bruckheimer saying how smart he is for hiring the actors and director.
The highlight of all the special features is on the second disc – Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Colour. This was originally screened in 1968 as an advertisement for the new Disneyland attraction – The Pirates of the Caribbean. Old Walt himself gives you a rundown, and then you get a look at the ride that inspired the film. Viewers will be able to recognise a few shots from the film which should hopefully give you a bit of a laugh. I had the luck of going on the ride 2 years ago, and it was great fun playing “spot the scene” while watching the film.
For anyone interested in a true history of pirates the specials features disc contains Below Deck. This is a scripted interview with maritime historian David Cordingly, who gives a great account of the difference between movie pirates and those who really terrified merchant ships on the Spanish Main. The menu is aimed at kids, which is a bit annoying, but if you can get through that you will find some interesting pirate trivia.
Johnny Depp’s unique take on the role of Captain Jack Sparrow is well supported by the rest of the principle cast’s solid, but mostly conventional performances. Special note must be made of Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush relishing the role as the diabolical pirate Captain Barbosa – he actually sneers and says “Arrrgh!” at one point. The ILM special effects manage to hold on to the performances of Rush and his pirate crew when they take their skeletal form – and they look pretty scary too!
The Pirates of the Caribbean is a great film for young and old, with enough swords, ships and skeletons to keep the action buffs begging for more. The special features are not the best, but the film alone is a vital edition to the DVD collection.
by: Tyz
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