Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a fantasy historical film, the first in the franchise about a group of pirates terrorizing the Caribbean in the 18th Century. 

Grossing $654.3 million worldwide, the film was one of the most successful of 2003. In this blog, we’re going to break down the plot using Blake Synder’s Save The Cat beat sheet and uncover why it was such as box office hit. 

Let’s start with some background about the film. 

The trailer 

When the announcement was made that production had begun on the film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, there was a great amount of skepticism. The teaser trailer hardly showed much of the film. However, the theatrical trailer was released during The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to capitalize on Orlando Bloom and it soon became clear that this film was going to be something great.

Who wrote Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl?

The screenplay for Curse of the Black Pearl was written by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio, who also have story credit along with Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert.

It was directed by Gore Verbinski and starred Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush. It was released in 2003.

In 2001 Disney asked Jay Wolpert to write a script based on the ride Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. The script was rewritten in 2002 by Stuart Beattie. It was then rewritten again by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio. Previous credits from that team include Aladdin and The Mask of Zorro.

One of the elements that Jerry Bruckheimer, a producer on the film, really pushed for was the inclusion of supernatural elements. Meanwhile, Gore Verbinski was simultaneously pushing for historical accuracy and minimizing overt references to the theme ride on which the film is based. 

This led to a wonderful collaboration of a supernatural take that feels grounded in the ships and sailing parlance of the time.

The launch of a franchise

Recently, the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise was listed as the 10th highest-grossing franchise of all time. The second film did well though subsequent entries fell short with critics and at the box office, relative to the first film at least. And yet, the sixth entry is currently underway. This film franchise is so good that even after multiple films in the franchise fail to recapture the magic, Disney continues to go back.

The “magic” in the first film is a wonderful combination of classic storytelling and simple setups, executed at the highest level of the craft.

Main characters 

The main characters of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl are:

Captain Jack Sparrow

Played by Johnny Depp. He's a pirate who is given command over a ship by his mutinous crew after they're cursed by the treasure they seek.

Will Turner

 Played by Orlando Bloom. He's a blacksmith who falls in love with Elizabeth Swann and wants to marry her, but he's unable to because their fathers are enemies.

Elizabeth Swann

Played by Keira Knightley. She is the daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann and Captain William Turner's fiancée; she falls in love with Will Turner.

Captain Barbossa

Played by Geoffrey Rush. He is the captain of the Black Pearl, which Jack Sparrow commandeers after Barbossa's crew mutinies against him; he has been cursed for stealing Aztec gold and seeks more treasure to lift his curse.

Joshamee Gibb

Played by Kevin McNally. He is Jack Sparrow's first mate on the Black Pearl; he helps Jack escape from jail after being arrested for piracy at Port Royal because he owes him a favor from when they were both pirates together before

The performances 

Famously, the studio was terrified of the dailies they were seeing of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. Was he drunk? Was he gay? They couldn’t tell, and the character remains difficult to define by traditional archetypes. But Depp’s eccentric performance is arguably the main thing everyone remembers about this film.

One of the reasons that Jack Sparrow is memorable is because he’s not the protagonist of the film, and this affords him a bit more “room” to maneuver outside of the demands of the plot. The constant scheming and side-switching keeps the audience on their toes, and it’s something the character of Will Turner (the true protagonist) isn’t able to do.

After the box-office failure of The Country Bears, another film based on a Disneyland attraction, this project was almost scrapped. Michael Eisner himself went to see early work, and when he saw the concept art he told them to keep going ahead. A script was written, but sometimes it takes artists to bring the world to life to really see if something’s going to work or not.

As innovative as it was, particularly with the supernatural angle (and the included VFX that comes with it) the Pirates of the Caribbean follows a very classical structure, with a young man dashing off to rescue his love. It follows the classic Hero’s Journey while still feeling modern. It’s a great testament to the notion that classic structure works well, but the surface needs to be resonant with today’s audiences.

What is the Save the Cat Beat sheet?

If you don’t know it, before reading further, you can check out Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat Beat Sheet here. 

You can also read our blog here which explains in more detail where Save the Cat came from and why it’s important. Now let’s apply the Save the Cat formula to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and see how it works. 

Breakdown of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Opening image

A ship sails on the foggy sea, as a young girl sings a pirate shanty on the bow.

Theme stated

Elizabeth Swann, the young girl, says “I still think it would be exciting to meet a pirate…”

Set-Up

Jack Sparrow, a pirate, arrives at Port Royal, around the same time we learn that blacksmith Will Turner is in love with Elizabeth, the governor’s daughter.

Catalyst

Pirates attack Port Royal, and Elizabeth is taken captive.

Debate

Will attempts to persuade Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington to go after her, and he is unsatisfied with their plan.

Break into two

Will springs Jack Sparrow from jail, and the two steal a ship to go after the pirates and Elizabeth.

B story

We learn a bit about Jack’s plan to recapture the Black Pearl.

Fun & games

Will learns about being a pirate and learns more about Jack Sparrow himself. Elizabeth also learns more about Barbossa and his crew of cursed pirates.

Midpoint

At Isla de Muerta, Jack and Will can rescue Elizabeth. But Jack himself is captured.

Bad guys close in

Will and Elizabeth, aboard the Interceptor, attempt to outrun the pirates in the Black Pearl, but the ship catches up with them and a naval battle ensues.

All is lost

Will is captured, and Elizabeth and Jack are marooned on an island.

Dark night of the soul

After rescue from a large signal fire, Elizabeth agrees to marry Norrington, if they go to rescue Will, who is about to be killed for his blood to lift the pirates’ curse.

Break into three

Jack goes to the Isla de Muerta and convinces the pirates to attack the British, kicking off a full-scale battle on the ship.

Finale

As everyone fights, Jack and Barbossa duel, both being immortal until finally the curse is lifted and Jack shoots Barbossa.

Final image

Jack Sparrow sails off into the sunset, as a pirate.

What can we learn from breaking down Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl?

Pirates of the Caribbean inverts the classic damsel in distress rescue plot by placing Elisabeth at the centre of most of the action. Indeed Jack himself is kidnapped reversing this troupe.

Think about how you can invert stereotypes and tropes in your own writing to challenge your viewers' expectations and create suspenseful action sequences where there is genuine jeopardy.