The film industry, based in Los Angeles, began developing in the early years of the twenty century. America fell in love with this new phenomenon as it swept audiences to other worlds, for just the cost of a few pennies. These new worlds encompassed an array of many dreams and exotic places. Interestingly enough a beloved plot, even in those early years, that of piracy, stood to fill any screenplay and any theater. This fascination with the pirate’s life has never left Hollywood evident by the latest Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides released in 2011. However, as with any outside depiction of a foreign world, Hollywood often tells another story than reality holds. One clear example of this is Hollywood’s use of pirate crews. By looking at the classics Captain Blood (1935), Nate and Hayes (1983) and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Hollywood’s depiction of crews proves to solely mirror the character of the hero or villain, when in all actuality crews were their own dominant and powerful force on the high seas.
In every strong plot there exists a hero; someone to fall in love with, root for or relate with. Tinseltown has always understood and followed said rule, apparent by their many blockbusters. In 1935 the release of Captain Blood brought such a character to the stage. The notorious Errol Flynn, played Captain Blood, his first portrayal of a pirate hero. The plot of this early film revolves around Blood, a doctor wrongly accused and sent to the Americas as a slave. It is here he meets his crew, former revolutionaries, on the wrong side of the law. Together they become the finest pirate crew on the high seas, when their story comes to an end all is saved and Capt...
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... are once and for all silenced. As seen above the crews mirror the character of the captain pushing the plot along. However, in history this is not the case. The multiple existing studies on pirate life, concerning motivations lifestyles and true desires, prove crews able to stand alone in power, ability and strength even without a gallant main character. Perhaps through these realizations the true pirate’s life can be discovered and understood. Hollywood will only continue creating fascinating stories that draw in thousands of minds hungry to escape to another world where the only limit in sight is the horizon.
Bibliography
Exquemelin, Alexander O. The Buccaneers of America. Translated by Alexis Brown. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, INC., 1969.
Rediker, Marcus. Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004.
Phillips, Richard, and Stephan Talty. A captain's duty: Somali pirates, Navy Seals, and dangerous days at sea. New York: Hyperion, 2010.
Being one of the world’s most popular art forms, it was inevitable that these archetypes would find their way into film as well. In this essay I will argue that the films Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Watership Down, and Trainspotting are all versions of The Hero’s Journey, consequently demonstrating just how prevalent these archetypes have become in modern cinema. And that mythology and storytelling are important parts of each culture because they prevent the darkness in our hearts from spreading.
Cordingly’s book Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates tells the story of many different pirates of different time periods by the facts. The book uses evidence from first hand sources to combat the image of pirates produced by fictional books, plays, and films. Cordingly explains where the fictional ideas may have come from using the evidence from the past. The stories are retold while still keeping the interest of the audience without having to stray from the factual
Elements such as mermaids, the “Fountain of Youth”, and everlasting life are not realistic and are clearly added to the film for entertainment value. However, this film could be helpful in sparking an interest in the general public on the subject of pirates. The film includes actual pirates, like Edward Teach, that may spark an interest in a viewer enough to look into the character. This interest may not have been sparked through a historical documentary because it does not have the same entertainment value as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The use of Hollywood films in understanding the history of pirates can be important in the visual representation of pirates. While reading about the history of pirates is the clear and scholarly way to gain information, it may be difficult for some students to create a visual of the people that were involved in piracy. Films allow for an instant visual to the people involved in the history that inspired the story. Reading can also be a useful way to teach the public factual history, empathy and emotion are much easier to obtain through film because the viewer is able to connect to the characters and find similarities between the content and their own lives. Through this ability for viewers to connect to the characters and themes in the film, it makes this film useful in understanding the history of
Preston, Diana, and Michael Preston. A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer: The Life of William Dampier. New York: Walker, 2004. Print.
Blackbeard was one of the most feared pirates in history, because he was a ferocious and fearless man who took over many ships in his years of being a pirate. He wasn’t a good man but he was good at what he did. There was some information that was unsure of because of the time period, but there are many interesting facts about him.
Privateers, or “legally licensed pirates” (Boorstin 62), were men who received written permission from their mother country to raid and capture enemy ships in times of war. They owed no loyalty to anyone except the country they served and for about four hundred years, actions like those of the privateers have shaped history as we know it. They are a perfect example of the politics during the time period and were ultimately loyal subjects to their country.
In the famous Walt Disney movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, the films focus on the main character, Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow. The movies are about pirates that go on risky adventures for their own personal fortune or gain of power. They tend to reference a great deal of ancient Greek mythology since the majority of the settings take place in the open oceans. There are many differences due to the modern influence to make the movie more interesting, but some Greek influences are still present in the films. The main movies that reference Greek mythology are Dead Man’s Chest, On Stranger Tides, and At World’s End. These Walt Disney films are very dark, gory, and give an overall eerie feeling throughout the movie. Some of the main
During the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, piracy was rampant in the Atlantic, specifically in the West Indies. Piracy has existed since the earliest days of ocean travel, for a range of personal and economic reasons. However, one of the major reasons why piracy was wide spread and rampant in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries was Great Britain’s endorsement and usage of piracy as an asset; in wars fought in the New World. Great Britain with its expanding power and conflicts with other nations would make piracy a lifestyle and lay down the foundation for the Golden Age of Piracy and eventually bring what it created to a screeching halt.
In 1860, Charles Eden and his companions travelled to the ruined city of Leon in Nicaragua, to scale the nearby volcano of El Viejo. From his account of this journey, within first edition of The Alpine Journal in 1864, was the earliest known mention of the phrase ‘golden age of piracy’ is used. The ‘golden age of piracy’ is a problematic term, both to define and to use in historiographical debate. Piracy on the one hand, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is “the practice of attacking and robbing ships at sea.” While within the same dictionary, the term ‘golden age’ is defined to be “an idyllic, often imaginary past time.” A contrasting and contradictory pair to place together, yet this term was given to encompass the three outbreaks of piracy in the early modern world; the Buccaneering period, the
Blackbeard’s death virtually marked the end of the “Golden Age of Piracy.” The “Golden Age of Piracy” only lasted about 30 years, but they may have been the most feared 30 years our world has experienced. No man was safe at sea with the dreaded pirates about. After Blackbeard’s death, no other pirate would be as great as he. Blackbeard may not have been the most successful or richest pirate of all time, but he is one of the most popular and recognized pirates of all time. Many tales are told of his battles at sea and of his pirate way of life. Blackbeard has, and will continue to go down in history, as one of the greatest pirates of all time.
The Golden Age of Piracy began around 1650, and ended around 1730. Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea, but can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the criminal. The term has been used throughout history to refer to raids across land borders by non-state agents. A pirate is one who commits robberies at sea, usually without being allotted to do so by any particular nation. The usual crime for piracy can include being hung, or publically executed. Some of the most famous pirates who were killed either because of piracy, or because of natural causes, are Barbarossa, Stede Bonnet, Anne Bonney, Sir Francis Drake, Captain Greaves, William Kidd, Jean Laffite, Sir Henry Morgan, Mary Read, and Giovanni da Verrazano.
Although Britain cannot be blamed though for lack of trying, piracy still exists today. Yet, because the act continues at sea often far from land, it gains little media attention, and therefore less action from governments. China, despite being a number one producer of pirates, continues to deny that there is a problem while at the same time often pardoning those who are caught. Countries such as Indonesia and Philippines, which have been hardest hit in the past few years by pirates, are looking for international assistance. The West is, of course, looked to for solutions yet choose seemingly chooses to turn a blind eye, perhaps in the name of diplomacy. When the world is ready to combat the perpetual problem of piracy, it may discover that by intertwining tougher policies aimed at dealing with piracy with current or future trade negotiations, productive steps can be taken to initiate plans to curtail modern day sea wolves who prey on the helpless. The suggestion of ‘Piracy Charters’ will be discussed further as the means of which to add the topic of to multilateral agreements.
“Protecting Ships from Somali Pirates – The Navy vs. Private Security” Ed. Forbes, gCaptain, March 2013. Accessed March 26th, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/gcaptain/2013/03/11/protecting-ships-from-somali-pirates-the-navy-vs-private-security/
Pirates have a natural love for treasure and wealth. They often loose what little morals they possess in exchange for any opportunity to achieve any type of wealth. Pirates at this time are looked at as the scum of the earth (Jacobs Henry). This is shown by the depiction of the dead pirates hanging with a sign that says, “Pirates ye be warned” (Pirates of the Caribbean). Jack had a rough upbringing from early on. It is in these pivotal years that we develop many of our natural tendencies and social behaviors that we carry with us for the rest of our lives. If someone has a hard or troubled upbringing with little stability, then they are often predisposed to certain mental disorders. For example, Jack Sparrow started his life onboard a ship at sea during a typhoon. In no way, shape, or form is coming into the world in such conditions nurturing to the individual. Furthermore, his father Captai...