Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

A closer look at the story

The cunning pirate Captain Barbossa has taken Jack Sparrow's cherished ship, the Black Pearl. When Barbossa's men raid Port Royal and carry off Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter, her childhood friend Will Turner, a blacksmith, has little choice but to join forces with the unpredictable pirate he barely trusts. On the way to rescue Elizabeth, the pair come face to face with the secret of a cursed treasure that has turned Barbossa's crew into the living dead. Directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, the 143-minute 2003 film stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in a rollicking pirate adventure.