Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl
Directed by Gore VerbinskiEvery once in a while a movie comes along from a genre that people had forgotten about and it demonstrates how immensely pleasurable that genre can be. In 2002, it was the musical, and in 2003, it was the pirate movie, thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which has now been issued by Disney DVD as a 2-Disc Collector's Edition (31663, $30). Wow, a Disney movie with zombies killing people! And yet, it is doubtful that Walt is turning over in his grave. Not only was one of Disney's first live action hits a pirate movie, Treasure Island, but Pirates itself was inspired by the Disneyland theme park ride, which had its own supernatural component. The 143-minute blockbuster could probably have withstood a little trimming, both in its pre-production and in its post-production, but it is surprisingly great family entertainment, as thrilling as a good theme park ride, with a coherent narrative that smartly juggles a full continuum of heroes and villains, comedy that seems oblivious to gratuity, and great star power from its two leading men, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. It's like one of those treasure lagoons. Everywhere you turn, there's something different that's marvelous.
The picture is presented in letterboxed format only, with an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. The color transfer is great, and the presentation has no difficulty with the challenging night scenes-moonlight plays an important part in the film's excitements. There is both a 5.1-channel Dolby Digital track and a crisper, deeper DTS track. On both, the film's sound mix is fully enjoyable. Perhaps the separations could have a bit more detail, but there are still plenty of wooden ship creaks, gunpowder explosions and spirited musical accompaniment to liven up one's viewing room. There is also an alternate French audio track in 5.1 Dolby and optional English subtitles.
The film has three commentary tracks. The best one is by the screenwriters, Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert. They talk maybe a little too much about the formulas of their craft, but they also have plenty to say about how the story is put together and what went on during the shoot, most of which they witnessed. "You know, one of the things that really kind of solidified for me working on this movie, and it went to the actors, it went to the crew, all the department heads, is that everybody in Hollywood pretty much, what they want to do, is the best work they possibly can-that most of the complaints, most of the frustrations that come from filmmaking, come from the feeling that artificial limitations have been put on doing the best work they can." And also, perhaps because they are writers, they are just very descriptive speakers, so it is a pleasure listening to them. "One of the things about a pirate ship is that it has wonderful stuff. One of the happiest moments for me in writing Pirates of the Caribbean was the utilization of what they have on a ship. A pirate ship is a collection of props. You can go on forever throwing stuff at each other, so it's great fun, it really is." During the end credits, they attempt to supply a complete explanation of the backstory chronology, and they do a pretty good job, though they don't account for what Depp's character was up to for ten years after he was abandoned on the island.
Depp and director Gore Verbinski have a more laid back commentary. They talk about the production, and listening to them converse with one another at ease for the movie's two hours has an inherent star appeal, but the substance of what they have to say is limited. Stars Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport share memories of their experiences on the shoot and also joke a lot with one another on the third track. The talk may not quite have the stellar attraction of Depp and Verbinski, but who is to say what will happen with time. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer also speaks over about 14 minutes of clips from the film, talking about specific challenges that confronted him during its creation.
All of this would be enough to make a terrific DVD, but the second platter has a treasure chest's worth of extras. For one thing, there is a definitive clip from a 1968 episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV show, running 18 minutes, that not only shows you what went into the creation of the Pirates of the Caribbean amusement ride, but also takes you on a fairly complete trip through the ride. For those who are unfamiliar with the ride, it is a great opportunity to see the references that make it into the film, but it is also just a nice look at the celebration of, well, a genre of the imagination.
There is a decent 37-minute production documentary, a really good 21-minute collection of behind-the-scenes footage for several stunt and fight scenes, a good 22-minute history of Caribbean pirates, a 4-minute montage of Bruckheimer's snapshots from the production, a 10-minute 'video diary' from one of the pirate performers that shows what many of the cast members look like without makeup and gives you a sense of their daily routine, an 11-minute piece on the somewhat harrowing journey a sailing ship took to reach the film's location shoot, a 7-minute breakdown of one of the big special effects sequences, a passable 3-minute blooper reel, 19 minutes of enjoyable deleted and expanded scenes, and collections of conceptual artwork, storyboards, designs, photos and publicity materials, delivered in montage format.
There is also an extensive DVD-ROM component. On the first platter, there is a comprehensive script and storyboard coordination with the film's unspooling. On the second platter, there is a really good retrospective documentary about the ride, but it rightly belongs in standard DVD playback, as does the gallery of conceptual and finished photo images of the ride. More appropriately, there is an interactive tour of the ride, though it is a little difficult to navigate. There is also an activity where you can take any photo of a face you have on your computer and turn it into a skeletal image, as if, like in the film, the subject were cursed and had been hit by moonlight. I'll never look at my dog the same way again.
The Review Vault
The Best of 2003
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