Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - 64 questions

Question: After Elizabeth is brought to the Pearl, she threatens to drop the medallion overboard. Barbossa feigns disinterest but when Elizabeth pretends to drop it, the pirates gasp in panic. Why? So she drops it, big deal. They can't drown, the gold "calls to them" so what does it matter if she were to drop it?

Answer: Because they'd have to find it. The gold may "call to them", but it obviously doesn't function as a millimetre perfect homing beacon or they'd never have missed the medallion years earlier when they attacked the ship carrying the young Will. Elizabeth drops it into the sea and they're going to have to spend what could be months trying to locate it - currents could take it well away from the dropping point. They've found the final missing piece; they're potentially just hours away from finally being cured. The last thing they want is to see it thrown into the sea.

Question: In the final battle scene, Jack was protected from death because he had possession of a single gold coin from the Aztec loot. If possession of a single gold coin could turn Jack into an invulnerable, living skeleton under the moonlight, how did the curse not affect Elizabeth after she had in possession the medallion for so many years? I believe she should have been turned into an undead person as well, since her gold coin was indeed part of the loot.

Answer: Elizabeth was unaffected by the curse because she never removed the coin from the Aztec chest. Neither did Will Turner, who Elizabeth took the coin from, then hid it. It was only those who stole a coin from the chest who were cursed. Losing it, having it stolen, or giving to someone else does not pass on the curse to the new recipient. Jack delibertately took a coin from the chest, therefore cursing himself, albeit to protect himself so he could defeat Barbossa.

Question: When the Black Pearl arrives to Port Royal, and the two pirates, Ragetti and Pintel go after Elizabeth, she runs to her bedroom and throws fire on Ragetti's head. These pirates are cursed, and therefore cannot feel anything. Why then, does he yell as if he could feel the fire? Isn't that a mistake?

Answer: No, this is not a mistake. Ragetti is just reacting to it in panic, believing that he really can feel pain, even though he cannot.

Question: On the Interceptor, when Jack swings back from the Black Pearl, he asks Elizabeth where the medallion is, and in reply she tries to slap him, saying 'Wretch!' Why? What has he ever done to her? Okay, Jack used her to escape from Norrington and his men, but he saved her life before that, so it's only fair.

Answer: Perhaps, but she doesn't see it that way.

Question: Why does Elizabeth take the medallion with her after Will rescues her? Surely she must have known the pirates would come after her if she took it.

Answer: They're going to come after her anyway - she's really the only lead they have to finding Bootstrap Bill's real child (at least until Jack appears on the scene, but she doesn't know that). If she has the medallion, then she has leverage - the pirates need it, so it could potentially be used as a bargaining chip. If she leaves it behind, she loses that potential advantage.

Question: If Bootstrap Turner took a coin from the chest, then how did he die? He should be cursed and therefore invulnerable. I know they later show that he is with Davey Jones, but that means that he is dead, or if he isn't dead, wouldn't the curse demand his blood, not his sons?

Answer: When the curse was lifted he was still at the bottom of the sea (alive due to the curse), Davy then offered him 100 years of serving him or death, and he chose the 100 years.

Question: When Jack saves Elizabeth from drowning, why is the Governor's first reaction to have Jack shot before he even discovers he's a pirate? He didn't know Jack was a pirate because he's shocked a moment later when Norrington reveals Jack is a pirate.

Answer: Jack's just stripped Elizabeth down to her underdress and, while Swann may not know that he's a pirate, it's pretty easy to tell that Jack's not exactly the sort of person who should be stripping governor's daughters. Swann's over-protectiveness and sense of social outrage might be a bit extreme, but given that he's just seen his daughter fall from a high cliff, nearly drown, then be dragged from the sea by a ruffian, a degree of over-reaction isn't entirely unreasonable.

Question: In the scene in the forge where Will and Jack are fighting, Jack asks "Do you think this wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?" Then Will says "You threatened Miss Swann" I never got this, Jack says something after this, I have watched that three second bit over and over and I still don't know what he says, can anyone straighten this out for me?

Answer: He says "Only a little".

Question: In the scene where Jack is getting shot at by British soldiers, there's a shot of him running and waving his hands around in front of him. I keep thinking that he's "deflecting" the bullets with his hands, but I know that's not possible. So, what exactly was jack doing?

Answer: He's not doing anything except running. Jack Sparrow (as Johnny Depp has created him) has rather exaggerated and somewhat effeminate physical movements, including staggering when walking and flailing his hands about, especially when running. He does the same thing while being chased by cannibals in "Dead Man's Chest."

Question: What is the "3rd" or "Lost" disc that I've seen mentioned? I have the 2-disc edition. How do you get the 3rd disc?

Answer: It was released as part of a three-disc edition. As far as I know, there's no way to get it without simply buying the three-disc version, which is probably not worth doing if you already own the two-disc edition.

Question: I'm curious to know: Jack was the captain of the Pearl when they found the island with the Aztecs gold. In another post it was stated that Jack, as the Captain, would recieve 2/3 of the loot. So why didn't Jack take a piece of the gold along with the other pirates?

Answer: Because they threw a mutiny and marooned Jack on an island so he was not there to take a piece of gold.

Question: Am I just imagining or does Jack exclaim 'Ouch' when he and Elizabeth are singing and dancing around the fire while they are marooned on the island?

Answer: Yes, he does. He probably stepped on some sea-shells.

Question: What music is played in the scene of Norrington's promotion ceremony, where he receives the sword from governor Swann?

Answer: It's an instrumental version of the song Rule Britannia.

Question: Why was the original composer Alan Silvestri fired?

Answer: On 1/21/05 in "Battling Monsters with Alan Silvestri" an interview by Ron Goldwasser, Mr. Silvestri explains that he was hired by Gore Verbinski for the Jerry Bruckheimer film and in the end, "I think Jerry was much more comfortable working in a way that he had worked historically, with people he had worked with historically, and it seemed the best idea for us to part our ways." He further stated it was just not the right chemistry but the parting was not acrimonious. Full interview can be found at: http://www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=137.

Question: How long has Jack Sparrow been under the curse? That's the one thing I don't understand.

Answer: For about two minutes. In the last showdown in the cave he sneaks a coin out of the chest when nobody is looking, because he knows he will have to fight Barbossa, and the only way he can stand a chance is to be as invulnerable as him. It is therefore necessary for Jack to be cursed and an undead while the fight is going on.

Question: I have read all the trivia for this movie and everyone is talking about "that's from the Disney ride" can someone please explain this to me? I don't understand at all.

Answer: There is a Disney ride in FL, and I believe CA as well, that is called Pirates of the Caribbean. There are some scenes from the movie that are modelled after parts of the ride.

Question: Where in the film does Jack give the blood sacrifice that the cursed pirates have to give?

Answer: Immediately after we see Will running for the chest, Jack slashes his sword across the palm of the hand that's holding the 'coin', then throws the blood-smeared 'coin' up to Will.

Question: Does anyone know what the music is called that is used in the blooper reel on the second disc of the DVD?

Answer: The makers did not give it a name.

Question: My question is related to the end of the movie after Jack has escaped. Governor Swann says "Perhaps on the rare occasion that the right course demands an act of piracy; piracy itself can be the right course." What does he mean? Is he referring to something else in the movie?

Answer: He is saying that sometimes you have to break the law to do good things. By this he acknowledges that pirates can be decent people as well, and that this can earn them a second chance. What he is specifically referencing is the crimes Jack and Will committed to rescue Elizabeth and destroy Barbossa.

Question: What species of monkey is Jack, the monkey Barbossa owns?

Answer: Jack the monkey is a Cabochon monkey, and is played by a female named Tara and a male named Levy.