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UCFC Movie Reviews Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Year: 2003 Director: Gore Verbinski Stunt Coordinator: George Marshall Ruge Armourer: Harry Lu Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley Review by V. Bjerreskov (2003 July 17) It's not because I'm obsessed with pirates. Well, I am obsessed with pirates, but that's not the only reason I love this film. I swear it isn't! I mean, is it possible for a fencer not to like a film that actually uses the word "footwork" in dialogue? No! And not only does Pirates of the Caribbean do so, but on the whole it is a rollicking good time. Almost from the get-go, Pirates is funny. Not slapstick or farce funny, though there are elements of those in the humour, but genuinely amusing. It is in part the acting, but they are given such wonderful material, it might have also worked with less accomplished actors. Dialogue, setting, plot, dramatic tension, all have elements of humour somewhere. Some have said that the movie is too long; I disagree. It had me hooked completely, and in reflection, I find it hard to pick out draggy or superfluous scenes. I was also quite impressed with the directing and editing. The scenes were well thought out, camera angles used to their fullest extent, and special effects, especially those of the skeletal pirates, melding relatively seamlessly with the live film. The only detriment to the film is that the plot is a little too convoluted for children, but both times I've been to this film, I haven't seen too many children there. The acting was also very, very good. First and foremost, one cannot say enough about Johnny Depp. The man is brilliant. Captain Jack Sparrow comes alive in him, with gesture, tone, and dress creating a perfectly believable pirate captain. Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa was delightfully over the top. He seems to have instinctively known he couldn't play the character straight, and so has taken the ghost captain as far as he could. Orlando Bloom truly had a thankless job in this film, but his Will Turner goes beyond a pretty face and is a wonderful foil for Sparrow. Keira Knightley expands on her recent role in Bend It like Beckham, and I think we will see more of her in the future. As I noted above, the film actually uses the word "footwork" in dialogue, and the fencing, while perhaps not completely accurate, was good enough to satisfy this critic. From the initial fencing scene, pictured above, to the ship-to-ship battles, swordplay was everpresent, but always with the additions of bobbles and moments of opportunity that take to heart one of the film's underlying themes, eloquently put at the end of the above scene: when Sparrow has Turner at the end of a pistol, Turner says, "You cheated," to which Sparrow replies with a look of absolute sarcasm, "Pirate!" The fencing was not destined to be completely true to form, but it is close enough to look good, and also reminds the audience that this is a film about dirty, cheating scallywags. I loved it. Truly, what a romp. I'll see it again, and buy it when it comes out on DVD. ARRRRR! Vanessa wants to be a pirate... For more fun, go to the official Pirates of the Caribbean site, click Previews and Clips, then The Making Of, then Orlando Learns Bladework, to find out more about the fencing! Back to Movie Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us