Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Continuity mistake: Will runs down the stairs towards Jack's jail cell. At the bottom of the steps there is a desk and chair. When he first comes down, the chair is pushed into the corner of the desk. As Will says, "These are half pin barrel hinges," behind him, the chair is now pulled out. Will then uses that chair to balance the bench for "the right leverage to lift the door free." (00:42:25)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: When Jack and Will commandeer the HMS Dauntless, the HMS Interceptor sails out with all her square sails completely square on (i.e perpendicular to the ships direction of travel) with the wind behind her. We then see the Dauntless sailing out of control in the other direction with her sails in the same position, the winds have switched 180 degrees. (00:47:55)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Revealing mistake: In the close-up of Barbossa cutting Elizabeth's hand, we see as the blade goes across Elizabeth's palm, leaving an obvious thin red line where the blade sliced, but not leaving blood on the blade as it slices. The creases in her palm are also unaffected by the 'cut' that's being made. Yet when Barbossa holds the blade up to his face, the blade now has a good amount of blood on both sides. (01:12:00)

Super Grover

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After cutting Elizabeth's hand, Barbossa says, "Waste not," and there's a wide back shot of the two of them, Barbossa is holding the knife in his right hand, and the edge of the blade does not have blood on it. In the very next shot, a close-up of the medallion falling from Elizabeth's hand, the edge of the blade now has blood on it. In a later shot when Barbossa looks at the blade, there is blood on both sides. (01:12:15)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: In Governor Swann's home, Elizabeth, Pintel and Ragetti are at the bottom of the stairs and in this first shot a third pirate comes in the back doors with a handful of looted riches. They watch as a cannonball crashes through the front window, and in the next shot it slams into him and propels him back out the closed doors. The booty in his hands is different in both shots. (00:33:10)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: Jack slips aboard Interceptor and Murtogg and Mullroy run aboard and confront him. In Jack's close-up he begins to say, "Well then, I confess." The next shot is of Murtogg and Mullroy, while Jack continues to say, "It is my intention," and as he says, "to commandeer one of these ships..." there is a shot from behind Mullroy's right shoulder. As Jack speaks, Mullroy turns his head to the right and quickly glances peripherally to his side at the camera, so as not to bump into the steadicam at his elbow. Angus is not looking at anything else. (00:13:50)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: When Pintel and Ragetti are below deck with the cannon and hit with forks and other utensils from the Interceptor's canons, Pintel's eyes are seen. The yellow contact lenses that Lee Arenberg wears as Pintel are seen in this and other shots during the movie. (01:25:30)

Super Grover

Other mistake: When Captain Jack Sparrow is swimming up to the surface after ripping the dress off Elizabeth, he is swimming with both of his arms because he has Elizabeth draped over his shoulder. There is a considerable distance between Jack and Elizabeth. Also, when both of them are close to the surface, not only are both of Jack's arms out swimming, it can be seen that Elizabeth's double also paddles with one arm to assist in swimming to the surface. (Slow motion makes this easier to spot, but isn't vital.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Revealing mistake: Johnny Depp's and Orlando Bloom's stunt doubles, Tony Angelotti (Jack) and Mark Aaron Wagner (Will), not only fight each other's 'alter ego' as well as other pirates and soldiers, they also duel directly with each other in the blacksmith shop in many shots. They are also too obvious in the scenes on Isla de Muerta, and during the rescue of Jack from the gallows, as they run and fight the Marines. There are notable differences between the two Jacks and two Wills within all the shots, throughout the film. (00:24:45 - 02:07:00)

Super Grover

Revealing mistake: Using the loop on Jack's shackle, Will traps Jack to the beam above with his sword. The distinctive patterns on the planks of the cart that Jack stands on differs from the patterns on the planks shown under Jack, while he hangs from the beam. It's not the same cart. Also, while Jack hangs over the cart, the cut out at the corner of the cart is seen over Jack's left shoulder. In the cut out, the linkage which is used for the wire is seen in a couple of shots. (The wire can be seen on Disc 2.) (00:25:30)

Super Grover

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Barbossa looks through his telescope at Interceptor, before Jack says, "I'm having a thought..." she's a good distance away from the Pearl and all her sails are out. Then in most of the wide and close-up shots of Interceptor, some of the sails differ at the bow and stern. Sails raised in one shot, are lowered in another, then some raised again and also some are raised but blowing wildly, then in the successive shot, it's down and still. Their proximity varies throughout and there are way too many changes between shots. (01:20:45)

Super Grover

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Revealing mistake: When the pirates arrive on shore at Port Royal, Ragetti and Pintel are standing in front of the boats. Ragetti has his false wood eye in his hand, as he sharpens the 'iris' with his knife point. As he does so, the eye socket does not look empty in this shot, only covered. (00:30:45)

Super Grover

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Jack walks down the dock to the Interceptor, Murtogg and Mullroy are sitting with sacks, crates and barrels in a deep shadow, but the sun is seen afar. A few shots later, after they intercepted him, those same sacks, crates and barrel are brightly lit by the sun. The shots were probably filmed at different times of the day. (00:11:45)

Sereenie

Continuity mistake: When Elizabeth first meets Will, he is so exhausted that he passes out. Elizabeth then examines the medallion around Will's neck (when she says "You're a pirate." Note that the chain is still around Will's neck in that shot, but in the next immediate shot, when Elizabeth turns to face Norrington, she hides the medallion behind her back. No where does it show that she removed it from Will's neck, and at the angle that she pulled the medallion towards her, it would not have slid off from around Will's neck.

Audio problem: At Isla de Muerta, with his back turned to the camera, Norrington says, "Any attempt to storm the cave could turn into an ambush." Then in the front shot Jack responds, "Not if ..." Before Jack responds in the front shot, Norrington's lips are moving even though he isn't speaking. (01:43:00)

Super Grover

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mistake picture

Revealing mistake: Norrington says, "Gillette, Mr. Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows..." and he's standing at the dock. When he says the name Gillette, there is an unobstructed view. Behind Norrington to HIS right is the bottom part of the mountain's rocky cliffside and we do not see Dauntless moored. At this angle the Dauntless should be seen, though the digital editors neglected to add it. (00:20:30)

Super Grover

Other mistake: When Elizabeth stabs Barbossa, he pulls the knife out and there is blood on it. Why is there no blood on the sword later when he pulls it out of his stomach during his duel with Jack?

Continuity mistake: Jack says, "That is a wonderful trick. Except, once again..." as he walks down the sloped cart. Behind him to his left are a chair, a barrel and between the two is a miniature ladder and some objects leaning on the wall. When Will cuts the rope of the overhead barrels, Jack (stuntman Tony Angelotti) stands on the cart and the ladder and other objects are not leaning on the wall between the chair and barrel. (00:24:00 - 00:25:50)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: Barbossa chases Jack, who knocks over a small table and he yells, "Sorry." In the next shot, that table is rolling down, with its legs facing towards the wall, with the treasure beside it. Yet in the next shot from below, the table top is close to that wall, not the legs. Also, the arrangement and existence of some of the treasures lying all around differs in the front shot of Jack and the back wide shot. (01:56:55)

Super Grover

Continuity mistake: The very first shot you see of Jack is a view from behind, when he is up in the crow's nest. He has two red pieces of cloth that are fluttering crazily in the wind out to the sides of his head. In the very next shot the pieces of cloth are blowing upwards, not in the same direction as the previous shot. (00:08:40)

Video

Jack Sparrow: Who makes all these?
Will Turner: I do. And I practice with them... Three hours a day.
Jack Sparrow: You need to get yourself a girl, mate. Or perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you've already found one and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch, are you?

More quotes from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
More trivia for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Question: There are numerous mentions of the fact that Depp based his performance as Jack Sparrow on Keith Richards. But I'm sure I saw an interview/making-of programme where he said that Jack Sparrow was a combination of two real-life 'characters'; one was Keith Richards, and try as I might, I can't remember the other one. Did anyone else see this? Who was the other inspiration for Jack Sparrow? (It may have been another actor e.g. Orlando Bloom talking *about* Johnny Depp's influences etc.).

Answer: On Disc 3, Johnny explains, "Take something as solid as Keith Richards and combine it with Pepé Le Pew... I felt... he would resemble a modern day Rastafarian..." Pepé Le Pew is a Looney Tunes cartoon character, based on Charles Boyer's romantic character, Pepé Le Moko. Pepé Le Pew, however, is a romantic amorous cartoon skunk and he has a huge flaw - his 'odor', which he emits in a grand way.

Super Grover

More questions & answers from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.