Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

[MacGuffin]

"Pirates" Cannibal Scene Irks Natives?

Arghh! Thar be controversy brewin' ahead, me hearties.

The brain trust behind Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean sequel now shooting on location is taking heat from an indigenous leader over a scene in which Johnny Depp's swashbuckling hero Captain Jack Sparrow gets roasted on a spit.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Chief Charles Williams, head of the 3,500-strong Carib people--a minority who live on the island of Dominica--is calling on his fellow tribe members to boycott Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest because the fantasy film supposedly perpetuates the incorrect view that their ancestors dined on human flesh.

The sequel is one of two to 2003's blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl being filmed back-to-back on location in Dominica and several other Caribbean islands.

Dead Man's Chest is scheduled to hit theaters in summer 2006, while the as-yet untitled third film is due out in 2007.

The spit spat boils down to a scene that's said to take place in the middle of the movie, when Captain Jack gets is captured by natives and ends up hog-tied and generously sprinkled with fruits and vegetables in, as one Disney exec puts it, a human "shish kebab."

"It's a funny, almost campy sequence," Bruce Hendricks, Disney's executive in charge of production, tells the Times about the five-minute scene. "There are a lot of silly moments in it."

Although Captain Jack escapes (and goes on to fight ghostly scalawags and rum-lovin' zombies), the depiction of natives as flesh-craving savages bothers Williams, who says it's un-P.C. and untrue.

"Pirates did come to the Caribbean in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries," Williams tells the Times. "Our ancestors were labeled cannibals."

Caribs migrated to Dominica from South America over a 1,000 years ago. History books used to portray them as cannibals, but historians have since found sufficient evidence to suggest that the Spanish frequently made up such stories as a way to vilify the natives and justify colonization..

"Today, that myth, that stigma is still alive," Williams adds. "Today, Disney wants to popularize that stigma one more time, this time through film, and film is a powerful tool of propaganda."

Disney declined to comment on the spit spat beyond a brief statement.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is an action-packed adventure full of comedy, romance, and fantasy all born out of the imaginative minds of our writers. While we cannot give away any plot points, any island and tribe depicted in the film are purely fictitious and there is no reference to any particular actual people or group," the statement says.

Williams, as head of the Carib Territorial Council, met with filmmakers in October about shooting scenes in the tribe's stomping grounds and employing the tribe as extras and crew members, and he rejected the idea.

But despite his objections, he was overruled by the council in January. Many fellow Caribs say the film shoot is a boost to the local economy, which suffers 70 percent unemployment. Besides, they argue, the film makes no mention of Dominica or Caribs: It is set on a fictitious island and the cannibals in question are called Pelegosto. Hundreds of Caribs are now working on the project.

"To my mind, this is as much a mythical story as Batman or Superman or Dracula," says Dominica's tourism minister Charles Savarin.

Following the rebuke, Williams went public with his protest, even refusing to allow anyone associated with the project to shack up at his Carib Territory Guesthouse.

But so far the shooting has been unaffected.

"There's been nothing but a very welcoming atmosphere," a production insider tells E! Online. "We're working with 400-plus Dominicans, which includes a very large number of Carib people. The shooting's going beautifully on schedule and we have had a fantastic reception from the Dominicans working on the film and around the towns."

[pete]

you know irony is mainstream when even Disney is hiding behind it.  aww PC, sweet PC, come back please.

[MacGuffin]

Depp Talks Pirates 2
Captain Jack is back.
 
If you've seen Johnny Depp in any recent interviews, you can tell he's back in character as Captain Jack Sparrow.  The Pirates of the Caribbean sequel is now shooting, with occasional footage being filmed for a third film in the high seas adventure franchise. Depp recently shed some light on the production during a talk with Blackfilm.com.

So, are the two sequels actually being shot back to back or what? Depp says, "As much as we can, we are doing two, and every now and then, you may have to slot something in from Pirates 3, but the majority of what we have done so far have been 2 and then we will start moving into 3 after the hiatus. It's been great fun so far."

Depp says he chose to reprise the role just to get back in Captain Jack's skin. "For me," he says, "there was only reason ... it was Captain Jack. It was selfishly to have the opportunity to play Captain Jack again. Some people can look at it and say, 'Depp sold out.' I don't believe that I have. It certainly wasn't my attention to sell out but I wanted to play again because I think he's so much fun to play and I think there is so much more to explore with that character that I would keep going. If they wanted me to do 'Pirate 7,' why not."

[Kal]

Sold out? It was one of his best performances and got him the Oscar Nomination. I think that goes beyond money considering he has enough.

Why is everyone so negative always!

[modage]

Teaser here: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/piratesofthecaribbeandeadmanschest.html

[Tictacbk]

My friend scored an internship with the cinematographer of Pirates of the Carribean 2&3 and while on set one of the special fx guys asked him if he could take a picture of his armpit to use in an effect where Johnny Depps hand starts to turn black and hairy looking.  Apparently they have similar skin tones.  Why he couldn't take a picture of Depp's armpit i do not know...but that might make him kinda famous?

...and there it is!

[Gold Trumpet]

Shocking, Depp's character is star. The most popular element of the first one is the main one here. Watch out sequel cliches, here comes Pirates of the Carribean Part 2!

[modage]

yeah orlando and keira are hardly in the trailer.  i wonder if that has anything to do  with their recent string of flops...  marketing guy "maybe people DONT think they're big stars."

[72teeth]

wait, Depp wasnt the star in the first one...i thought bloom sucked think bloom sucks....

[Pozer]

Shocking, Depp's character is star. The most popular element of the first one is the main one here. Watch out sequel cliches, here comes Pirates of the Carribean Part 2!

Not this one, GT.  We're just gonna have fun with this one, okay?
You heard me.

[MacGuffin]

[Kal]

Dont know why but Im starting to hate Keira Knightley... used to think she would be the bomb... but not anymore (she will probably still be big, but I just dont like her)

[Julius Orange]

I think she will be big one day if she keeps doing blockbusters. They're sure-fire big-makers. And Speaking of sure-fire I also think it's a bad sign that the skeleton in the poster is on fire now unlike last time because things on fire never last and they eventually turn into cremation and no one wants to see a movie about that. Otherwise I would definetly see this poster again.

Thanks

[Pubrick]

Dont know why but Im starting to hate Keira Knightley...

what you see is what you get with her. and while that makes her a nice enough person, she doesn't possess enough mystery to be an interesting actress. unless she gains weight or starts getting the portman roles (unlikely cos portman is chosen precisely for her womanly/mysterious allure, which is in sharp contrast to knightley's rabbit-in-your-headlights look), she will disappear into obscurity faster than that nobody pictured next to her.

[grand theft sparrow]

unless she gains weight or starts getting the portman roles (unlikely cos portman is chosen precisely for her womanly/mysterious allure, which is in sharp contrast to knightley's rabbit-in-your-headlights look), she will disappear into obscurity faster than that nobody pictured next to her.

The rabbit-in-your-headlights look can be attributed to her being only 20.  Kate Winslet, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, etc. can/could play older when they were at that age but they're exceptions.  If Keira is still at this level when she's 25, then there's a problem. 

But for now, Keira is just a normal looking 20 year old girl who could do with a sandwich... or hypothyroidism.