The scene I have decided to focus on is one from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, specifically the scene where the pirates reveal their curse to Elizabeth Swan. From the narrative "Look, the moonlight shows us for what we really are." to the lighting- dark, with deep blue colors overshadowing the scene as the moonlight hits the cursed pirates, the scene was very well put together.
In the beginning of the scene, there is a shocking reveal of the skeleton monkey which propels the fantasy the movie will have till the end. There is a sharp contrast between Captain Barbossa as he holds Elizabeth in the entrance of his cabin and the cursed crew members who stand under the moonlight. While Barbossa and Elizabeth are bathed in warm hues of red and browns, the crew members are covered in cool colors of blues, blacks and the white of their bones. In the background the music quickens as if to match the heart beat of the shocked Elizabeth. The music reaches its peak when Captain Barbossa takes a drink and we see the red liquid running through his bones- ironically like blood should. The Pirates are all costumed in ragged and tattered clothing which emphasizes they are not of this world. Their costume is great for blowing in the wind while they stand and stare at Elizabeth.
The music, lighting and narrative and costuming all combine to create the perfect revelation of the synopsis in the movie: Cursed pirates capture an unsuspecting female in hopes of reversing their curse.
You make some wonderful observations about the scene you chose to examine from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. In addition to your comments, I would like to add that there is excellent use of foreground, middle-ground, and background within this scene. For example, the foreground is comprised of the crew members of the Black Pearl, the middle-ground is comprised of the beams of the Black Pearl, and the background is comprised of a dense fog with sails from the Black Pearl. Additionally there is excellent use of vertical lines throughout this scene, namely the crew members and beams of the Black Pearl. Taking all of these additional details into account, what do you think the referential, explicit, implicit, and ideological meanings of this scene are? I would like to see more of a conversation of form and content within your writing, but this is definitely an excellent start.
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