Pirates of the Caribbean & Johnny Depp

Hi film enthusiasts!

Today is your day as the subject of my chronicle is about cinema.

You cannot ignore the latest Johnny Depp’s film (Pirates of the Caribbean – The dead Man's Chest produced by Disney) was released last Wednesday in France and is expected to become a huge success as the first episode of the series!

Rock’n’roll pirat with grunge look and diction inspired by Keith Richards from the Stones and rebellious attitude, the actor succeeded in surprising us once more. There is not the slightest doubt that composing the character of Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp saved the film produced by Disney and his own carreer. In the United States, he is qualified as “hot again” and his biography is the most read on the data base of imdb.

When he was a little boy, Johnny Christopher Depp, born in 1963 in Kentucky, often dreams of becoming a pirate. His dream became true now and he can let his son Jack (first name coincidence!) dream of pirates in his turn.

FZOOM ON JOHNNY DEPP

Based on the UGC  ILLIMITE magazine – July-August 2006 / Studio magazine July-August 2006

-          Yesterday, a bad boy – Nowadays, a real father in ectasies over life and family

His childhood was not so bright because of violence on conflicts between his parents and constant movings from furnished flats to mobile homes.

When he was 14, he apparently “already tested all kind of conceivable (inimaginable) drugs” and left his family to create a rock group.

He started playing guitar at 12 and according to him, “it was the first outlet (exutoire) for his frustrations until he became an actor and found another catalyst (catalyseur) to his eccentricity”.

He plays his first role on the teenagers’ series “21 Jump Street” and made his way (faire son chemin).

Sherilynn Fenn, Winona Rider or Kate Moss had affairs with him before really falling in love with our national Vanessa Paradis with who he has two children: Lily-Rose Melody, born in 1999 and Jack, born in 2002. He is still an exentric guy but sentimentally stable.

- Gifted for (doue pour) becoming a friend of his idols

Johnny Depp always looks for experiences and admiration is strongest than everything for him.

He took the opportunity of meeting his heroes to get acquainted (faire connaissance) with them and start a deep relationship of friendship with them.

For example, with Marlon Brando he met for Don Juan de Marco or with Hunter S. Thompson as Johnny played his role in Las Vegas Parano.

-          Authentic and attracted by tragic destinies, tortured artists

His own universe is crowded by bizarre things, troubled people and tragic destinies as when he was a child, fascinated by monsters’ stories, horror movies with Dracula, Frankestein or the mummy (la momie).

It seems also this taste of black horror led him to buy a manor house belonging to Bela Lugosi.

Tim Burton is also one of his good friend and they share almost the same cups of tea. They worked together for 4 films.

JD is fond of damned or marginal poets (Kerouac, Burroughs, Cassady and others).

-          A real French touch

With multicultural origins (Irish, German, Italian, Cherokee), JD is also quite interested in France and French culture.

For instance (par exemple), he often quotes Antonin Artaud, Gainsbourg or Francois Villon.

After death, he would like to join survivors in the happy-go-lucky (insouciant) Paris in the 1920, among painters drinking flooding absinth.

On this matter, as he spends half-part of his time in France, he took time to know French culture better and especially... WINE.

His choices: Chateau-Segur Saint-Estephe Bordeaux, Petrus, Chateau Cheval-Blanc; for Bourgogne, Romanee-Conti to reach the Nirvana.

-          How his role on “Pirates of the Caribbean” first part, changed his carreer

Coming directly from the Disney universe, the character (personnage) of Jack Sparrow was proposed by the producer Jerry Bruckheimer to Johnny Depp because he can give to the film a high-level status, much better than the simple derivative of the attraction.

Thus, on his contract, he has to right to be dressed as he wants. He also thought about all the details related to Jack Sparrow’s character to create a singular character, a kind of “anti-hero”.

Even if the beginning was not so easy because of some doubts from the Disney board about his eccentricity and the risk of failure, the scriptwriters, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio supported him including his ideas on the different scenes.

The first part of Pirates of the Caribbean  - Legend of Jack Sparrow met the success surprising everyone and became a wormship film (film culte) thanks to Johnny Depp’s performance.

Facing such a huge success, Disney decided to produce another part. Bruckheimer made a higher bid (surencherir) and proposed two films broadcasted every two years.

As far as JD is concerned, he is elected in 2003 the sexiest star by the People magazine and selected for the best actor's Oscar.

Tim Burton suceeded in tax him (imposer qqn) for the role of Willy Wonka on Charlie and the factory.

Since then, success has never left him. He has setted up his own production business, Infinitum Nihil and launched two projects for which he is going to play the main role: The Rum Diary from Hunther S. Thompson and Shantaram, another adaptation (the pitch: a prisoner escaped to India and create a health center in a shantytown.

For further information on Johnny Depp:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000136/

http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=1800019485&cf=gen

Related to the “Pirates of the Caribbean”:

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/pirates/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325980/

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue430/interview.html

CRITIC OF THE FILM:

I advise you to watch the first episode of the series before going to cinema for the new one as any reminder relates the previous events and since 2003, time flied so fast, it is sometimes difficult to remember all the features (caracteristiques).

Two hours and half of adventure, feelings and ponctual laughs thanks to Jack Sparrow, some special effects, that is great but I was surprised about the end! It is purely the launch of the third episode and we will need to wait for at least two years for it. So commercial, then, it is a shame!

Apart of that, I encourage you to go to movies, especially for kids as the pirates’ world is really creative and the relationships between the different characters, interesting. Jack Sparrow is unique and Keira Knightley, charming.

ANOTHER “COUP DE COEUR”

“Mon nom est Tsotsi” won the best foreign film Oscar 2006. It is a psychological thriller about violence in shantytowns (bidonvilles) of South Africa.

You cannot stay unsensitive to this hymn to redemption and discovery of human qualities in a chaotic life!

STAY – Why I did not like it

I am normally supposed to like watching psychological thrillers but I was really puzzled (perplexe) after this movie.

Too many confused moments, come backs, uncomfortable moments... even if the actors (Ewan Mc Gregor and Naomi Watts) were not bad. I was not convince by the psychological spiral as it seemed not be clear.

If you liked it, could you help me to make things clear?

Here is the first cinema review of this blog. Hope you enjoyed it. Pls let me know!

With best wishes,

Ceraulen