Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Movie Poster

This poster, designed by Sandra Sij, was used to promote the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. This marked the introduction of the franchise, adapting a well established ride at Walt Disney World in Orlando, into an action packed piratical adventure.      

     This poster tackles the challenge of portraying the theme and tone of the film, into a single graphic design easily understood by viewers. It shows the protagonists of the film, as well as the primary antagonist with a series of headshots. The names of the actors and actress are at the top of the poster. Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johny Depp), the film's "wild card" and aid to the protagonist is front and center, displaying a cutlass and a flintlock pistol. To Sparrow's left the poster shows William Turner (played by Orlando Bloom , the films lead protagonist, and to Turner's left is Elizabeth Swan (played by Keria Knightley) is the Turner's love interest. To the right of Sparrow is Hector Barbosa (played by Geoffrey Rush), the films antagonist, shown holding a skull. 

     Below the main cast and just a bit lower than vertically centered, is an aged parchment scroll with the title, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Separating the main words of the title is a stylized skull and crossbones. The skull wears Captain Jack Sparrow's head wrap, charms, and is placed in front of two swords crossed, handles upwards. One of the swords resembles the sword that William Turner carries throughout the film. 

     Below the parchment scroll is a landscape scene of pirates raiding a shoreline, with ships and flames on the horizon.  A pile of bones and treasure stands out from the scene in the foreground. The scene depicted is reminiscent of when Barbosa's crew raided Port Royal, the artwork in the poster referencing that moment in the film. 

     The use of warm colors in the movie poster convey a sense of timelessness and adventure. The lighting on the main cast of the film at the top of the poster puts extreme emphasis on actors and actress. The well known thespians grabbing the viewers attention as they walked past the poster.  Captain Jack Sparrow brandishing his cutlass and pistol, donning his head wrap aids the viewers understanding of the pirate theme of the film. Barbosa holding a skull is a nod to the viewers that he is the antagonist of the film. The gritty feel of the poster also reflects the trends in aesthetic of the early 2000s.