‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ turns 20: Everything we learned from Johnny Depp’s epic film

There are some things today that stand the test of time. Everything is forgotten too quickly: a movie opens in theaters and after a week no one talks about it – at least until a platform reclaims it -, a new series. And people only comment on it for the duration of the movie. binge watching… The pages turn very quickly and it is hard to find something that lasts long, something that can be returned to quickly. And if it does, rarely, it’s usually more a result of nostalgia than anything else, like that old amusement park you haven’t been to in years and you’re a little scared to go there again. Because you don’t know that you are too old for those things. Or the bus park won’t be what you imagined as a kid. And if there’s one saga that knows as much about that journey as being an attraction and a movie at the same time, it’s her. Pirates of the Caribbean, whose first installment is not less than 20 years old. Will it stand the test of time? All’s aboard, because we’re about to find out.

The analogy with the amusement park is as obvious as it is relevant Pirates of the Caribbean was born out of a popular theme park attraction in disney, a charm that was a far cry from later films, but somehow still had that charm Some? One of the classic adventure tapes that Disney was determined to recover, even if it had to put all the meat on the grill. This is exactly what happened when the script moved and passed from hand to hand until it found its worthy bearer. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossiowho had previously worked with disney Aladdin and then got a lot of experience in the world of pirates Treasure Planet. Along with these two two other prominent names will be added to wrap up the saga: Producer jerry bruckheimerwho was behind the great action movies of the 90s Armageddon, Con Air one of two rockand director gore verbinskithat came from the terror with the american conversion ring And eager to prove themselves in a great adventure. In short, a crew from different corners, but with a lot to contribute and all it needed was a captain.

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because today it is impossible to imagine Pirates of the Caribbean Without Johnny Depp, its great hero, but at that time others were the first candidates for the role. miscellaneous list viewed Matthew McConaughey -which reminded many of Burt Lancaster, one of the great movie pirates scary scoffer, sparrow character inspiration- others like Jim Carrey, Cary Elwes or even Hugh Jackman, from which he inherited this name. Johnny Depp, who was at a decidedly erratic point in his career after achieving success in films Tim Burton, ,Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow-, he suddenly found himself with one of the great opportunities of his career. And the most interesting thing is that he wasn’t even looking for it, because he really wanted to lend his voice for a Disney animation character to make a film with his children Lily-Rose and Jack. It could be said that Depp looked for copper and found gold, especially in a saga that would propel him to the pinnacle of his career before collapsing many years later.

As we see, The Curse of the Black Pearl especially and Pirates of the Caribbean In general, it was a coincidence of many situations and people over time, an alignment of stars that would eventually honor promising stars and give Disney a new face, both outside of animation and in the classic adventure genre that was so fond of New That moment of stories. It’s all a mix of the old glories of British cinema Geoffrey Rush one of two Jonathan Price, with young actors like Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom or even zoe saldana, who got her first major role here as the pirate Anamaria. Veteran and novice, captain and cabin boy, actors who proved that great films start with good casting.

Another important point to understand the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Of course, there is money. Bruckheimer was important not only because of his vision and the experience he brought to such a large company, but also because he was able to persuade Disney to put all the means at his disposal. He said, “Your competition cost $150 million.” Michael EisnerDisney’s CEO, at a time when Lord of the Rings, matrix one of two harry potter The hall started filling up. Disney agreed, and an initial investment of $140 million in the film was necessary to make it not only entertaining and exciting, but highly believable as well. And we’re talking about cursed ships, resurrected pirates, and other legends.

starting order of The Curse of the Black Pearl — not the prologue that introduces us to Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann — already serves as a sampling of the film’s behind-the-scenes extravaganza. real places like volcanic island St. Vincent and others built on the set –Port Royal at Rancho Palos Verdes Or Barbosa’s Cave – but take care of every last detail. The costumes, the weapons they carry in the film… even the actors wore a series of makeup touch-ups and contact lenses to simulate the pirates’ physical deterioration as a result of scurvy. Not to mention the jewels in the crown, namely the ships that were built specifically for the staging of the film, the Interceptor and the Dauntless, but above all the Black Pearl, the largest seaplane in the world, the Hughes H-4. Hercules was built upon, to have greater control over lighting and to be able to more easily add effects such as fog or storms.

The film could have settled for all these things and stayed there, an adventure film with a family touch and full of historical references in spite of everything. But we have already clarified that there were certain ambitions and calculations to settle, and one of them was to add a touch of terror and fantasy, although this required more imagination and resources. Yes aragorn may be his army Death of El Sagrario At the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Captain Barbossa and his crew were not going to be deterred either. because maybe the most fascinating thing is to look back and see again The Curse of the Black Pearl It’s not just to check that its special effects aren’t badly out-of-date, but that they actually look as good as day one twenty years later.

There, without a doubt, help ILM (Industrial Light & Magic)company created by george lucas star wars And that’s been owned by Disney for years. ILM was instrumental in recreating the dead pirates of Barbossa or Jack Sparrow, shooting scenes twice, first with the actors and then without them, to digitally add their skeletons, despite the fact that Verbinski’s method of shooting close-up fights with a handheld camera and the absence of wide shots made the whole process difficult. a technology at the time that was avant-garde and ahead of the chroma and CGI that had already been put into movies Modern.

All of these elements combined into a soundtrack that was produced somewhat improvised – Alan Silvestri or Hans Zimmer tried to work with it before a novice was hired. Claus BadeltEventually the success of the film was ensured. an epic journey that will go on dead man’s ChestA more worthy sequel to the movie that also includes a dangerous villain davy jones And greatly expanded the legend of Jack Sparrow, possibly one of the most intelligent and funniest characters cinema has ever created this century. However, it must be acknowledged that the saga has faded with the passage of time and the fall of its protagonist, who in recent years has been seen off the high seas and embroiled in court over the Amber Heard case. Has happened. ,

it is true that there are rumors Revival with margot robbie as the protagonist, but, for the time being, he has been removed until further notice and no new adventures are on the near horizon. For its part, Disney wanted to repeat the success by betting on other older attractions in its theme parks, as it had done recently. jungle cruises or with last week enchanted mansion, But it has not achieved the expected results or definitely not reached that level Pirates of the Caribbean,

If experience has shown us anything, it is that there must be many, perhaps many, favorable coincidences for these things to work. But of course, sometimes a favorable wind isn’t everything, you also need the right crew and the necessary funding, something that is fast slipping away in an industry that’s becoming computer-saved and everything. Insists on generating, even down to the script. Yet, like Black Pearl, the original film remains, unaffected by the passage of time, waiting for someone to come back to remember that, after all, it is still as good and enjoyable a film as it was. The day had come. Theater.

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