Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl arrived from Walt Disney Pictures in the summer of 2003, adapted from the studio's own theme park attraction at a moment when pirate cinema was considered box office poison. Gore Verbinski's film reversed that expectation, anchored by Johnny Depp's unconventional performance as Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush's turn as the cursed Barbossa. Its success revived the swashbuckler genre for a new generation and launched one of the most durable franchises of the 2000s, built on the tension between these two captains.
This 35mm cell preserves a frame pairing Captain Hector Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow, the film's central rival captains, whose shared command of the Black Pearl drives the entire story. Collectors prize material featuring both men together, since their scenes carry the push and pull of betrayal and reclaimed authority that defines the saga. A cell like this functions as a physical artifact of that dynamic, a single strip of film holding two competing claims to the same ship and title.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A dual variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, accompanied by a Dolby Digital data block strip running between the lower perforations and the picture, consistent with a multi-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters.
Base & colour
The base shows a cyan-teal tint typical of a colour print stock; the dye image appears warm and saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible in the picture area consistent with a projected print; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the imagery is consistent with the action-adventure film on record.
Era check
The combination of dual variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, cyan-tinted polyester base, and colour dye image is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2003 release date on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063454
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
