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thalia_seawoodYay! Finally, Dead Man's Chest made it to our cinemas as well. Here are my impressions. (Cut for length. This post became much longer than I had expected.)
Let's start with what I didn't like:
This movie would have profited from the guideline "less is more". I didn't hate the story set on the Cannibal Island, but despite some funny moments (e.g. Jack's most original escape) it never fully held my interest.
The movie has its most powerful moments whenever there's character-driven interaction, so I'd have preferred to see more of these moments and less Cannibal Island and less special effects. Yes, the effects were very good, but they felt repetitive after a while.
While I didn't find the plot as nonsensical as some other reviewers, there was no clear climax. Also the movie seemed to have a hard time to find an end. Whenever I thought the story was told, there was yet another scene.
I have the feeling that when watching it on DVD, I will fast forward through several scenes. This is quite a difference to Curse of the Black Pearl which I have joyfully watched from beginning to end several times already.
Having said that, there is a lot to enjoy:
The beginning of the movie rocks. The visuals are stunning, e.g. Elizabeth kneeling in the rain. All the characters are suddenly confronted with the consequences of their past choices. Very powerful!
I love that all the main characters gain depth. Like in other trilogies (e.g. Star Wars), the second part is the one where we move on from a more simplistic black and white world into shades of grey. Now Curse of the Black Pearl was always special in the regard that even then the characters weren't easily shoved into neat little drawers. The complexity has always been there and was successfully expanded in DMC.
Let's begin with a look at my favorite character, Norrington
I'm beyond happy that he even is in the sequel and wasn't just discarded as Elizabeth's ex-fiancee. Even better, he doesn't come across as an idiot, but by the end has not only fought a hell of a duel - which he won - he has also outwitted Jack Sparrow on all counts. He has acquired the letters of Marque and filled in his own name, he's also stolen Jack's heart. (And yes, I love the double meaning in my last statement. ;-))
I lovelovelove that he's snarky as hell. He manages being snarky even when he is sick from drinking too much rum. Plus he's observant and astute despite being sick.
Add to the snark his extremely sexy voice and how driven he is to succeed - and you have a hell of a sexy man.
Great idea that he resigned by himself and wasn't actually dismissed.
Great idea that he refuses to be addressed by his title. What a brilliant contrast to Jack: Jack has a tendency to live in a reality of his own making. James refuses to escape into dreams of what could have been and stares reality in the eye.
One other thing I noticed about Norrington: He's passionate about things, I can certainly never see him doing things by half. He put his best into becoming a commodore, now he does his best when going wild in Tortuga. At first I thought that he was trying to self-destruct. That's certainly part of it, but it's not all. Norrington has a deep urge for adventure - dangerous situations give him a kick. When he was captain and then commodore, he reigned in this urge by being disciplined and proper and serving others. But now he is no longer bound by duty and therefore no longer held back by discipline. When he's willing to take on all the pirates in the Tortuga inn one by one you can see how spirited and wildly adventurous he is. If Elizabeth wouldn't knock him out with a bottle, he would fight with them all - and despite being drunk would most likely do very well. :-)
Norrington also has a fierce temper. Yes, he has it under control most of the time. But watch how he reacts when Jack riles him up about Will and Elizabeth in the middle of their swordfight!
His relationship with Elizabeth is interesting. I think that part of him is still a little in love with her, but a much bigger part now sees her more clearly. (I believe that what he loved about Elizabeth was her spirit, her strong-mindedness, yet that he overlooked her character flaws in the past. By now, he's also noticed her manipulative side.) There's the cutting remark regarding her "current fiancee", there's also the look he gives her when she passionately kisses Will.
I don't see him as evil in the sequel. Like all the other characters, he fights on his own side. I never got the feeling that the writers disliked him or tried to assassinate his character. In fact, I felt they were Norrington fans themselves. Well, we'll see what the third part brings. Despite some rumours to the contrary, I'm quite certain he will survive and come out on top again.
I've seen that many people strongly dislike Elizabeth after DMC. Personally, I find she becomes extremely complex in this movie.
All her life, she has been spoiled and most likely was the centre of attention. Thank heavens, her father didn't only spoil her, but also genuinely loves her, so she is way more than a brat.
I see her as the female counterpart to Jack in many ways. They are so alike in many ways ("peas in a pod" to quote from a cut scene of CotBP) that even when they came onto one another, they didn't feel like a potential couple to me, but like siblings playing power games.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Elizabeth is truly free for the first time in her life. Most of the time, there's noone there to make decisions for her. She can be as wild and daring as she wants. Like Norrington, she is no longer bound by the rules of society. And so she allows herself to feel lust without love, she allows herself to flirt with Jack without delivering. All the same, I think that her heart does belong to Will. She may flirt with Jack, but it's not about Jack; it's Elizabeth testing how far she can go.
By the end of the movie, she has had to realise two things:
There may be three men who find her attractive, but that doesn't mean that she will always have their attention. (I love how she tries to intervene during the fight between Jack, James and Will - only to be completely ignored. Even fainting, which so often did the trick in the past, gains her nothing. :-))
The most drastic lesson she learns is that she can be as unscrupulous as Jack. Despite all her talk of a moral center, she makes a highly questionable decision in the end. Not only does she betray Jack, she does so by pretending to care for him, first calling him a good man, then even kissing him. She also betrays Will and Jack's crew by lying to them. And she betrays the values she stated to believe in. The one thing she doesn't betray, IMO, is her love to Will. He may think so, because he sees her kissing Jack, but he's wrong. Personally, I believe that Elizabeth gets rid of Jack because he endangered Will's safety. She is deeply upset when she learns that Jack handed him over to the Flying Duchman. So what she does to Jack is an act of revenge, however, she goes to far. In the last scene, we see that she is deeply ashamed for what she has done and wants to undo it.
Another subconscious reason for Elizabeth's action may be that a part of her is scared of the sides Jack brings out in her. She doesn't want to acknowledge her more basic feelings, yet Jack always confronts her with them.
By betraying Jack, she turns into him in a way. He also has betrayed others over the course of this movie. Leaving Will with the Duchman or setting out to find 100 alternative souls to condemn, are not the acts of a good man. The fact he fails in his betrayals, doesn't make things right. Unlike Jack, Elizabeth isn't immoral enough not not feel guilty and ashamed afterwards. Of course, it's also a huge difference that her betrayal of him is successful. If Will had been killed, Jack might have felt guilt, too, even though he claims to not care.
On to Will.
I didn't find him very interesting in CotBP, but here he grew on me. He's the most moral character this time around. Even when he wants to achieve a certain goal, he's fairly honest about it. E.g. he tells Jack he wants his help, he doesn't try to steal Jack's compass and instead makes a deal with him, he tells Davy Jones that he wants the key, he tells Jack he wants the heart to save his father.
His interactions with Bootstrap Bill are very touching. Love how low key they are. There are no sobs or hugs, but there is Will's promise to save his father and Bill's many attempts to protect his son.
One theme was continued: Will takes charge when it's necessary. Like in CotBP, it's he who orders Jack's crew around when they are attacked.
I wasn't as interested in Jack this time around. However, it is good to see that he still is willing to play dirty. He is really willing to risk the life of Will and Elizabeth in order to ensure his own safety. There are many other moments when we see that he looks out for himself first.
We do get another dimension to him, though it's so low key it's easy to miss in this action-packed movie: Jack is quite often afraid here. There are many moments when he's scared - when Bootstrap Bill delivers Davy Jones' threat, when the black marks appears for a second time on his hand, when he realises the heart has been stolen, when he leaves the Pearl, etc. Only when he is faced with certain death in the end, he truly regains his courage. Ironically, he then confronts the kraken from which he has run for so long.
Jack is also clearly wary of another mutiny.
His most heartbreaking moment is when he states: "She's just a ship." Of course, she isn't. She has been Jack's dream, the symbol of his freedom - and now he has to give her up. (I wish they hadn't cut the scene from CotBP when he tells this to Elizabeth.)
I love how Jack is contrasted with Elizabeth in this movie: Where she gains more and more freedom over the course of the movie, he can't really hold on to his. He has a ship to roam the seas, but can't take her out into the seas! Instead he has to stick to shallow water and to land in order to be safe from the kraken. How nicely symbolic!
It's ironic that Jack is finally captain in deed and not only in name and yet rarely acts like a true captain. Will has more leadership abilities than Jack. It's him who gives orders to Jack's crew and plans how to fight against the kraken.
I like that Jack isn't picture perfect. E.g. he has this small open wound on his jawline.
Among the new characters, Tia Dalma was my favorite. Like Jack, she's secretive and seemingly impossible to understand. She fluently shifts between extremes: At the one moment attractive, in the next repelling. Despite this, she's deeply sensual all the time. It's also impossible to know where's she's standing: Is she on Jack's side? Or does she follow a completely different agenda?
Bootstrap Bill touched my heart.
Cutler Beckett is power-hungry and ruthless. Nevertheless, you can also see why people would follow him. Like Norrington, he's attractive in a clean-cut way, yet completely lacks Norrington's basic decency. (I was joking that originally Norrington was supposed to be the movie's Cutler Beckett. Only then the character fell in love and acted courageous and honourably - and all of a sudden he wasn't a villain anymore. So they had to bring another bewigged man who commands officers to be the real villain. :-))
On chemistry
Like I stated before I just didn't feel any smoldering passion between Jack and Elizabeth. However, the snarky remarks between Jack and James as well as the two glances they share are very intense.
Themes I enjoyed:
- All things have consequences: This is a truth Jack Sparrow mockingly says to Will in the beginning and then this truth comes back to haunt him himself.
So Will, Elizabeth and James suffer for allowing Jack to escape. Jack suffers for not being able to hold on to the Pearl and for calling himself captain all the same.
- Finding out your true heart's desire: This is something both Jack and Elizabeth have to struggle with. Who are they? What do they really want?
- Father figures: We get to see two wonderfully caring father figures. Both Governor Swann and Bootstrap Bill would do everything for their children. Both of them are willing to give up their freedom in order to protect them.
- Cutting out your heart to stop feeling: What Davy Jones does is very cowardly in a way. He feels so much, he tries to stop from doing so permanently.
Ironically, over the course of the movie a lot of characters get hurt by their feelings. I wonder if they all briefly wished for being able to stop from feeling.
Norrington may have wished in the past he would be able to not love Elizabeth. He is certainly someone who would try to crush his feelings - either by being disciplined or by running wild.
Jack loses his dream when he realises he has to give up the Pearl.
Will thinks he has lost Elizabeth when he sees her kissing Jack.
Elizabeth is feeling despair when she finds how much she has changed - and realises she doesn't like what she has become.
And you have two fathers who are fearing for their children.
Cutler Beckett present the opposite: Unlike the others, he isn't driven by feelings, but pure ambition.
- The chase for the heart: Nearly everybody wants the heart, although for different reasons.
Jack wants it in order to bargain for his Pearl.
Will wants it in order to save his father.
James wants it in order to get back his life.
Beckett wants it in order to gain power.
Elizabeth shows no interest in the heart. I loverayakina's comment that she doesn't need another heart, she already has played with several.
Thoughts regarding tarot cards
This is something I wrote on the yahoogroup for Sparrow&Norrington after CotBP came out and I repost it here:
Concerning archetypes: I realized that most of the time the mostsuccessful movies contain central archetypes. Since tarot cards represent archetypes I sometimes play a little game with myself in which I try to figure out what character fits what tarotcard-archetype. Here's my take on POTC.
0. The Fool
Will Turner - it can be argued after all that the movie deals with his inner journey (e.g. accepting that his father was a pirate and still a good man)
The Fool can also be said to act on impulse without thought or plan. ("Rash, Turner, too rash")
I. The Magician
Jack Sparrow
The Magician stands for focusing your attention on a specific goal, a singleness of purpose.(-> Jack trying with all his has and is to gainback his Pearl.) He also stands for mischievousness, cleverness, the skills of manipulation and persuasion. The Magician represents the animus.
II. The High Priestess
Took me a while to find a match; when I found it I had to smile...
Black Pearl
The High Priestess stands for the anima; deep inner wisdom, independence, dreams.
III. The Empress
Elizabeth Swann
The Empress most commonly stands for giving birth, motherhood - of course on symbolical level most often. So this card can represent grounding your energy, creative thought and action; also attraction
and charm.
IV. The Emperor
Norrington
The Emperor stands for established leadership, authority, confidence, relying on reason. In one book I read this interpretation I like a lot as it fits Norrington, IMO: "repression of natural urges for the
good of society".
V. The Hierophant
Governor Swann as I see him presenting the traditional values.
The Hierophant also is a mentor figure, the one that offers intuitive guidance. (Just watch Governor Swann trying to ask his daughter whether she made the right decision when she accepted Norrington as her heart doesn't seem to be in it; watch him giving Norrington a way out of his dilemma at the end of the movie.)
I cast Barbossa as XV. The Devil as he deceives Jack because of his greed.
Some impressions to add to my original tarot thoughts after seeing DMC
II. The High Priestess
I don't see the Black Pearl any longer in the role of II. The High Priestess. For this, the Black Pearl doesn't have enough of a presence. Yes, she's a beautiful ship, yes, she represents Jack's dream, but she no longer appears to have a life of her own.
Tia Dalma, on the other hand, is perfect as High Priestess. She beautifully presents both dark and light sides of this archetype. I have to check again, but I think there's even a scene where she rumages behind a curtain. (The High Priestess is often painted as a woman sitting in front of a veil spanned between two columns.)
X. The Wheel of Fortune
The wheel on and in which Will, James and Jack fight for the key. This scene is such a great symbol: The Wheel of Fortune is always turning. Now you're winning, but the next minute you might be going down again. A lesson that is also nicely demonstrated by Jack winning and losing the heart or by Will, James, Elizabeth and Governor Swann dropping from favour while Beckett is rising to the top.
XVIII. The Moon
The Moon is a card that deals with our subconscious desires that come to the surface at times. This process can sometimes be frightening and stir up some crazy dreams or nightmares.
I think Jack's compass is a nice fit for the Moon. It forces people to figure out what they really want. (And may I just add that I want Norrington to hold the compass again.)
As the characters have become more complex, their archetypes have become mixed. Both Elizabeth and James now show some characteristics of The Magician.
All in all, a movie that's not just an action movie, but can be analysed in great and wonderful ways. :-)
ETA: Expanded my review a bit today and fixed some typos.
ETA2: Added more thoughts about Norrington. He deserves it. :-)
ETA3: Added another tarot card match.
Let's start with what I didn't like:
This movie would have profited from the guideline "less is more". I didn't hate the story set on the Cannibal Island, but despite some funny moments (e.g. Jack's most original escape) it never fully held my interest.
The movie has its most powerful moments whenever there's character-driven interaction, so I'd have preferred to see more of these moments and less Cannibal Island and less special effects. Yes, the effects were very good, but they felt repetitive after a while.
While I didn't find the plot as nonsensical as some other reviewers, there was no clear climax. Also the movie seemed to have a hard time to find an end. Whenever I thought the story was told, there was yet another scene.
I have the feeling that when watching it on DVD, I will fast forward through several scenes. This is quite a difference to Curse of the Black Pearl which I have joyfully watched from beginning to end several times already.
Having said that, there is a lot to enjoy:
The beginning of the movie rocks. The visuals are stunning, e.g. Elizabeth kneeling in the rain. All the characters are suddenly confronted with the consequences of their past choices. Very powerful!
I love that all the main characters gain depth. Like in other trilogies (e.g. Star Wars), the second part is the one where we move on from a more simplistic black and white world into shades of grey. Now Curse of the Black Pearl was always special in the regard that even then the characters weren't easily shoved into neat little drawers. The complexity has always been there and was successfully expanded in DMC.
Let's begin with a look at my favorite character, Norrington
I'm beyond happy that he even is in the sequel and wasn't just discarded as Elizabeth's ex-fiancee. Even better, he doesn't come across as an idiot, but by the end has not only fought a hell of a duel - which he won - he has also outwitted Jack Sparrow on all counts. He has acquired the letters of Marque and filled in his own name, he's also stolen Jack's heart. (And yes, I love the double meaning in my last statement. ;-))
I lovelovelove that he's snarky as hell. He manages being snarky even when he is sick from drinking too much rum. Plus he's observant and astute despite being sick.
Add to the snark his extremely sexy voice and how driven he is to succeed - and you have a hell of a sexy man.
Great idea that he resigned by himself and wasn't actually dismissed.
Great idea that he refuses to be addressed by his title. What a brilliant contrast to Jack: Jack has a tendency to live in a reality of his own making. James refuses to escape into dreams of what could have been and stares reality in the eye.
One other thing I noticed about Norrington: He's passionate about things, I can certainly never see him doing things by half. He put his best into becoming a commodore, now he does his best when going wild in Tortuga. At first I thought that he was trying to self-destruct. That's certainly part of it, but it's not all. Norrington has a deep urge for adventure - dangerous situations give him a kick. When he was captain and then commodore, he reigned in this urge by being disciplined and proper and serving others. But now he is no longer bound by duty and therefore no longer held back by discipline. When he's willing to take on all the pirates in the Tortuga inn one by one you can see how spirited and wildly adventurous he is. If Elizabeth wouldn't knock him out with a bottle, he would fight with them all - and despite being drunk would most likely do very well. :-)
Norrington also has a fierce temper. Yes, he has it under control most of the time. But watch how he reacts when Jack riles him up about Will and Elizabeth in the middle of their swordfight!
His relationship with Elizabeth is interesting. I think that part of him is still a little in love with her, but a much bigger part now sees her more clearly. (I believe that what he loved about Elizabeth was her spirit, her strong-mindedness, yet that he overlooked her character flaws in the past. By now, he's also noticed her manipulative side.) There's the cutting remark regarding her "current fiancee", there's also the look he gives her when she passionately kisses Will.
I don't see him as evil in the sequel. Like all the other characters, he fights on his own side. I never got the feeling that the writers disliked him or tried to assassinate his character. In fact, I felt they were Norrington fans themselves. Well, we'll see what the third part brings. Despite some rumours to the contrary, I'm quite certain he will survive and come out on top again.
I've seen that many people strongly dislike Elizabeth after DMC. Personally, I find she becomes extremely complex in this movie.
All her life, she has been spoiled and most likely was the centre of attention. Thank heavens, her father didn't only spoil her, but also genuinely loves her, so she is way more than a brat.
I see her as the female counterpart to Jack in many ways. They are so alike in many ways ("peas in a pod" to quote from a cut scene of CotBP) that even when they came onto one another, they didn't feel like a potential couple to me, but like siblings playing power games.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Elizabeth is truly free for the first time in her life. Most of the time, there's noone there to make decisions for her. She can be as wild and daring as she wants. Like Norrington, she is no longer bound by the rules of society. And so she allows herself to feel lust without love, she allows herself to flirt with Jack without delivering. All the same, I think that her heart does belong to Will. She may flirt with Jack, but it's not about Jack; it's Elizabeth testing how far she can go.
By the end of the movie, she has had to realise two things:
There may be three men who find her attractive, but that doesn't mean that she will always have their attention. (I love how she tries to intervene during the fight between Jack, James and Will - only to be completely ignored. Even fainting, which so often did the trick in the past, gains her nothing. :-))
The most drastic lesson she learns is that she can be as unscrupulous as Jack. Despite all her talk of a moral center, she makes a highly questionable decision in the end. Not only does she betray Jack, she does so by pretending to care for him, first calling him a good man, then even kissing him. She also betrays Will and Jack's crew by lying to them. And she betrays the values she stated to believe in. The one thing she doesn't betray, IMO, is her love to Will. He may think so, because he sees her kissing Jack, but he's wrong. Personally, I believe that Elizabeth gets rid of Jack because he endangered Will's safety. She is deeply upset when she learns that Jack handed him over to the Flying Duchman. So what she does to Jack is an act of revenge, however, she goes to far. In the last scene, we see that she is deeply ashamed for what she has done and wants to undo it.
Another subconscious reason for Elizabeth's action may be that a part of her is scared of the sides Jack brings out in her. She doesn't want to acknowledge her more basic feelings, yet Jack always confronts her with them.
By betraying Jack, she turns into him in a way. He also has betrayed others over the course of this movie. Leaving Will with the Duchman or setting out to find 100 alternative souls to condemn, are not the acts of a good man. The fact he fails in his betrayals, doesn't make things right. Unlike Jack, Elizabeth isn't immoral enough not not feel guilty and ashamed afterwards. Of course, it's also a huge difference that her betrayal of him is successful. If Will had been killed, Jack might have felt guilt, too, even though he claims to not care.
On to Will.
I didn't find him very interesting in CotBP, but here he grew on me. He's the most moral character this time around. Even when he wants to achieve a certain goal, he's fairly honest about it. E.g. he tells Jack he wants his help, he doesn't try to steal Jack's compass and instead makes a deal with him, he tells Davy Jones that he wants the key, he tells Jack he wants the heart to save his father.
His interactions with Bootstrap Bill are very touching. Love how low key they are. There are no sobs or hugs, but there is Will's promise to save his father and Bill's many attempts to protect his son.
One theme was continued: Will takes charge when it's necessary. Like in CotBP, it's he who orders Jack's crew around when they are attacked.
I wasn't as interested in Jack this time around. However, it is good to see that he still is willing to play dirty. He is really willing to risk the life of Will and Elizabeth in order to ensure his own safety. There are many other moments when we see that he looks out for himself first.
We do get another dimension to him, though it's so low key it's easy to miss in this action-packed movie: Jack is quite often afraid here. There are many moments when he's scared - when Bootstrap Bill delivers Davy Jones' threat, when the black marks appears for a second time on his hand, when he realises the heart has been stolen, when he leaves the Pearl, etc. Only when he is faced with certain death in the end, he truly regains his courage. Ironically, he then confronts the kraken from which he has run for so long.
Jack is also clearly wary of another mutiny.
His most heartbreaking moment is when he states: "She's just a ship." Of course, she isn't. She has been Jack's dream, the symbol of his freedom - and now he has to give her up. (I wish they hadn't cut the scene from CotBP when he tells this to Elizabeth.)
I love how Jack is contrasted with Elizabeth in this movie: Where she gains more and more freedom over the course of the movie, he can't really hold on to his. He has a ship to roam the seas, but can't take her out into the seas! Instead he has to stick to shallow water and to land in order to be safe from the kraken. How nicely symbolic!
It's ironic that Jack is finally captain in deed and not only in name and yet rarely acts like a true captain. Will has more leadership abilities than Jack. It's him who gives orders to Jack's crew and plans how to fight against the kraken.
I like that Jack isn't picture perfect. E.g. he has this small open wound on his jawline.
Among the new characters, Tia Dalma was my favorite. Like Jack, she's secretive and seemingly impossible to understand. She fluently shifts between extremes: At the one moment attractive, in the next repelling. Despite this, she's deeply sensual all the time. It's also impossible to know where's she's standing: Is she on Jack's side? Or does she follow a completely different agenda?
Bootstrap Bill touched my heart.
Cutler Beckett is power-hungry and ruthless. Nevertheless, you can also see why people would follow him. Like Norrington, he's attractive in a clean-cut way, yet completely lacks Norrington's basic decency. (I was joking that originally Norrington was supposed to be the movie's Cutler Beckett. Only then the character fell in love and acted courageous and honourably - and all of a sudden he wasn't a villain anymore. So they had to bring another bewigged man who commands officers to be the real villain. :-))
On chemistry
Like I stated before I just didn't feel any smoldering passion between Jack and Elizabeth. However, the snarky remarks between Jack and James as well as the two glances they share are very intense.
Themes I enjoyed:
- All things have consequences: This is a truth Jack Sparrow mockingly says to Will in the beginning and then this truth comes back to haunt him himself.
So Will, Elizabeth and James suffer for allowing Jack to escape. Jack suffers for not being able to hold on to the Pearl and for calling himself captain all the same.
- Finding out your true heart's desire: This is something both Jack and Elizabeth have to struggle with. Who are they? What do they really want?
- Father figures: We get to see two wonderfully caring father figures. Both Governor Swann and Bootstrap Bill would do everything for their children. Both of them are willing to give up their freedom in order to protect them.
- Cutting out your heart to stop feeling: What Davy Jones does is very cowardly in a way. He feels so much, he tries to stop from doing so permanently.
Ironically, over the course of the movie a lot of characters get hurt by their feelings. I wonder if they all briefly wished for being able to stop from feeling.
Norrington may have wished in the past he would be able to not love Elizabeth. He is certainly someone who would try to crush his feelings - either by being disciplined or by running wild.
Jack loses his dream when he realises he has to give up the Pearl.
Will thinks he has lost Elizabeth when he sees her kissing Jack.
Elizabeth is feeling despair when she finds how much she has changed - and realises she doesn't like what she has become.
And you have two fathers who are fearing for their children.
Cutler Beckett present the opposite: Unlike the others, he isn't driven by feelings, but pure ambition.
- The chase for the heart: Nearly everybody wants the heart, although for different reasons.
Jack wants it in order to bargain for his Pearl.
Will wants it in order to save his father.
James wants it in order to get back his life.
Beckett wants it in order to gain power.
Elizabeth shows no interest in the heart. I love
rayakina's comment that she doesn't need another heart, she already has played with several.Thoughts regarding tarot cards
This is something I wrote on the yahoogroup for Sparrow&Norrington after CotBP came out and I repost it here:
Concerning archetypes: I realized that most of the time the mostsuccessful movies contain central archetypes. Since tarot cards represent archetypes I sometimes play a little game with myself in which I try to figure out what character fits what tarotcard-archetype. Here's my take on POTC.
0. The Fool
Will Turner - it can be argued after all that the movie deals with his inner journey (e.g. accepting that his father was a pirate and still a good man)
The Fool can also be said to act on impulse without thought or plan. ("Rash, Turner, too rash")
I. The Magician
Jack Sparrow
The Magician stands for focusing your attention on a specific goal, a singleness of purpose.(-> Jack trying with all his has and is to gainback his Pearl.) He also stands for mischievousness, cleverness, the skills of manipulation and persuasion. The Magician represents the animus.
II. The High Priestess
Took me a while to find a match; when I found it I had to smile...
Black Pearl
The High Priestess stands for the anima; deep inner wisdom, independence, dreams.
III. The Empress
Elizabeth Swann
The Empress most commonly stands for giving birth, motherhood - of course on symbolical level most often. So this card can represent grounding your energy, creative thought and action; also attraction
and charm.
IV. The Emperor
Norrington
The Emperor stands for established leadership, authority, confidence, relying on reason. In one book I read this interpretation I like a lot as it fits Norrington, IMO: "repression of natural urges for the
good of society".
V. The Hierophant
Governor Swann as I see him presenting the traditional values.
The Hierophant also is a mentor figure, the one that offers intuitive guidance. (Just watch Governor Swann trying to ask his daughter whether she made the right decision when she accepted Norrington as her heart doesn't seem to be in it; watch him giving Norrington a way out of his dilemma at the end of the movie.)
I cast Barbossa as XV. The Devil as he deceives Jack because of his greed.
Some impressions to add to my original tarot thoughts after seeing DMC
II. The High Priestess
I don't see the Black Pearl any longer in the role of II. The High Priestess. For this, the Black Pearl doesn't have enough of a presence. Yes, she's a beautiful ship, yes, she represents Jack's dream, but she no longer appears to have a life of her own.
Tia Dalma, on the other hand, is perfect as High Priestess. She beautifully presents both dark and light sides of this archetype. I have to check again, but I think there's even a scene where she rumages behind a curtain. (The High Priestess is often painted as a woman sitting in front of a veil spanned between two columns.)
X. The Wheel of Fortune
The wheel on and in which Will, James and Jack fight for the key. This scene is such a great symbol: The Wheel of Fortune is always turning. Now you're winning, but the next minute you might be going down again. A lesson that is also nicely demonstrated by Jack winning and losing the heart or by Will, James, Elizabeth and Governor Swann dropping from favour while Beckett is rising to the top.
XVIII. The Moon
The Moon is a card that deals with our subconscious desires that come to the surface at times. This process can sometimes be frightening and stir up some crazy dreams or nightmares.
I think Jack's compass is a nice fit for the Moon. It forces people to figure out what they really want. (And may I just add that I want Norrington to hold the compass again.)
As the characters have become more complex, their archetypes have become mixed. Both Elizabeth and James now show some characteristics of The Magician.
All in all, a movie that's not just an action movie, but can be analysed in great and wonderful ways. :-)
ETA: Expanded my review a bit today and fixed some typos.
ETA2: Added more thoughts about Norrington. He deserves it. :-)
ETA3: Added another tarot card match.
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Date: 2006-07-28 01:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 01:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 11:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 01:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 12:50 pm (UTC)I also like your tarot card assessment! Very nice.
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Date: 2006-07-28 01:53 pm (UTC)It's great that Elizabeth's actions are open to interpretation. Perhaps she isn't sure about her reasons herself, she certainly appears to be torn up about what she does.
I checked out your journal since I like your user name and your icon. Cool! You also identify with the Queen of Swords. QOS is one of my chat nicknames, too. :-) I noticed that one of your user icons appears to be the Stars card from the Blue Moon Tarot, a very beautiful card.
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Date: 2006-07-29 02:55 pm (UTC)I love the Mary-El deck, although I don't have any icons from it, and after seeinng "moon" from the Abyssmal Deck, I went over and snagged a few images. Did you create that icon yourself? If so, may I use it?
I don't have any images from the Blue Moon deck -- not to my knowledge anyway. Can you tell me what my name for the icon is?
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Date: 2006-07-29 02:58 pm (UTC)Not Abyssmal.
Yike.
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Date: 2006-07-29 04:06 pm (UTC)Like you I made a mistake with the decks name: It's the Full Moon Dream Tarot, not the Blue Moon Tarot.
http://www.lunaea.com/tarot/
Your icon "Star Cross" is the picture the deck's creator used on the Stars card. Would you mind if I took this icon for my collection?
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Date: 2006-07-29 04:15 pm (UTC)Yes, you can use the icon. Trade you for your Abyssal Moon icon.
Thanks1
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Date: 2006-07-28 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 03:04 pm (UTC)I'd love to read other views regarding POTC and the tarot. There are still so many cards for which I haven't found a match. Bootstrap Bill could work as the Hanged Man or the Hermit although he wasn't isolated by choice but by force. The Pearl could be the Star or the World. Anamaria would be nice as Strength. The Dutchman would be a twisted version of Death; I'm not happy about the match so because the Death card should also focus on transformation (well, there's a match here considering how they all change to sea creatures :-)) and rebirth. I think the match is too sinister so far.
Well, I see what I think after rewatching the movie and, of course, after POTC comes out.
I wanted to leave a comment on your LJ to something you wrote, but am not on your friends list. I've therefore decided to post my reply here:
You wrote:
And was it just me or was Gibbs the only character who seemed to care for Sparrow (w/out agendas or motives)?
My reply:
I totally agree. Gibbs is a steady constant in Jack's life. Jack appears to trust him as far as he can trust anyone. This is consistent with what we saw in the first movie where Gibbs is the first man Jack hires.
Gibbs in turn seems to be fond of Jack.
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Date: 2006-07-28 11:06 pm (UTC)It just seemed in the ending of DMC that Gibbs was the only one who didn't have an agenda. Any thoughts as to where he would stand in the tarot?
Thanks again for such an engaging topic! :)
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Date: 2006-07-29 10:01 am (UTC)Yes, Temperance, Judgement and Chariot are difficult. I don't think we have seen the perfect match for Temperance yet.
Norrington could also be a match for the Chariot: During CotBP, he has his emotions under control and it's due to his willpower that he has been so successful so far.
I can't really find a match for Gibbs in the Major Arcana. Well, Strength could work for him since he's never aggressive, but quietly assertive. Apart from that he would be a good Knight of Pentacles. He is more superstituous than a Knight of Pentacles would be, though.
Norrington as King of Swords works perfectly.
Regarding the 3 of Swords, a collage would be nice. E.g. Will's look when he sees Elizabeth kissing Jack and/or Norrington's look when he sees Elizabeth and Will kissing and/or Jack realising Elizabeth has trapped him or that the heart is gone. Hey, we may even get a *real* pierced heart, too. :-)
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Date: 2006-07-28 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-29 09:48 am (UTC)Perhaps I'll be more interested in Jack when watching the movie for a second time. I noticed that he has gained his dream by the end of CotBP, but is now gradually losing everything that's important to him:
Due to the threat of the kraken, the Pearl no longer means freedom.
He loses his famous hat and he loses his Pearl. I think he even uses the pistol that was so meaningful in CotBP to simply shoot a raven.
If I take this into account, it will be interesting to watch for all the little signs of Jack's anxiety.
I had been completely spoiler-free
Ah, so hearing Norrington's voice from the off must have been the bestest surprise. :-)
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Date: 2006-07-29 02:47 pm (UTC)Ah, the shot raven, don't let a certain nightingale hear about this horrible example of mistreatment of birds...she will surely be terribly enraged again. (She's still in a very gloomy mood as you can imagine!)
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Date: 2006-07-29 04:08 pm (UTC)Fenwick wouldn't be bothered to much about the scene, as long it's not him that's shot.
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Date: 2006-07-28 03:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-28 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-29 02:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-29 04:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-29 04:33 am (UTC)Thanks a bunch for the Tarot stuff -- it was very facinating.
DragonLady
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Date: 2006-07-29 04:12 pm (UTC)Nevertheless, I try to make it work in my mind by telling myself that Norrington doesn't want to kill Will, he's just so incredibly annoyed at fate that he needs to let off some steam. Unlike Will who still is totally dizzy after the ride on the wheel, he gets his bearings back immediately. I think it's right after that scene that Norrington manages to snatch the heart after all. So I can live with him acting foolish once in a while. :-)
Cannibal Island will be boring to watch the second time around. Not looking forward to a repeat.
Glad you liked the tarot stuff!
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Date: 2006-07-30 08:24 am (UTC)It certainly never occurred to me to try it with COBP, but it seems so obvious in DMC. Though differently obvious to your reading :)
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Date: 2006-07-30 08:52 am (UTC)When? Where? And how? *intrigued* Any hints? Pretty please? :-)))
GIven all the comparisons with The Empire Strikes Back, I wonder if anyone's done the Tarot-mapping exercise with that?
Well, I did. I have fun with tarot-mapping for certain stories, e.g. Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings. In some cases, some tarot cards just fall into place, e.g. Galadriel as The High Priestess or the light of the star Earendil is a perfect match for The Stars card.
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke is, of course, the perfect match for The Hanged Man. Vader would be my match for IV. Emperor whereas Palpatine is XV. The Devil. And Yoda is, of course, V. The Hierophant. IX. Hermit goes to Obi-Wan, at least in A New Hope.
The difficulty for me in the Star Wars universe is that I like to take all six movies into account and that then Anakin could be put on too many tarot cards,e.g. The Fool, The Lovers, Strength (the scene where he calms the wild beast in the arena). He also matches the Knight of Wands.
Young Obi-Wan and old Obi-Wan also fit different archetypes.
Though differently obvious to your reading :)
How did you match the cards?
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Date: 2006-07-30 10:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-01 02:04 pm (UTC)