POTC: At World’s End Deleted Scenes Fix The Movie’s Problems And Mysteries

POTC: At World’s End has several deleted scenes that improve the movie’s character dynamics and tease huge plot reveals, including murder and slavery.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End has often been criticized for its convoluted plot, but its deleted scenes generally solve the movie’s problems and mysteries. Released in 2007 as the epic conclusion to director Gore Verbinski’s original trilogy, Disney’s swashbuckling blockbuster is bursting with ambitious ideas. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of unnecessary double-crossing and underutilized backstories.

No film will contain all footage shot during principal photography, and, understandably, some scenes are removed or trimmed down to improve a movie’s pacing. At World’s End already had an overly long runtime of 161 minutes – a common shortcoming of the Pirates of the Caribbean series as a whole – but certain scenes should never have been removed. If given a re-edit, the entire narrative could have flowed better than it did in the finished film.

The filmmakers were under considerable pressure while embarking on the flawed Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, shooting the second and third movies back-to-back without a finished script for the latter. The result may be overstuffed, with some inconsistent characterization and one too many betrayals, but it remains an incredibly bold Disney blockbuster. Still, certain missing moments would have clarified some characters’ motivations and featured huge reveals that could have changed the movie’s fortunes.

It’s A Two-Part Plan/Swann Song

The meeting on the Flying Dutchman between Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett in At World’s End exposed how the monstrous captain was now subservient to the East India Trading Company. After Beckett brought Jones’ cursed heart aboard the ship as an extremely arrogant intimidation tactic, the movie omitted a segment featuring Governor Wetherby Swann. Desperately searching for his daughter, Swann scolds Jones for massacring pirate ships without chance of surrender, fearing Elizabeth could be aboard. It’s at this moment Jones taunts the Governor and incorrectly declares Elizabeth was killed by Jones’ pet, the Kraken. Jones takes delight in his cruelty, both frustrating Beckett and ruining his alliance with Swann. This may be a small moment, but what comes next is a crucial plot point.

Charging into the captain’s cabin, Governor Swann grabs a bayonet and attempts to stab the heart himself, only for Admiral Norrington to restrain him. His character was reduced to a cameo in the finished film, but Jonathan Pryce perfectly captures the pain in Swann’s voice as he informs Norrington of Elizabeth’s death and questions the Admiral’s knowledge of her fate. The audience would have also learned of Jones’ second curse – that whoever stabs the heart must take its place as the Dutchman’s captain. This offered a much better way of revealing the curse, in contrast to Swann’s exposition-heavy and slightly confusing monologue in the place of nautical legend that is Davy Jones’ Locker which was ultimately chosen for At World’s End. Beckett’s henchman, Mercer, perfectly conveys the central dilemma surrounding Jones – “Who’s going to kill him, if they know they’ll become him?”

The scene is rife with tension and strong performances from all involved. Jones is completely unfazed by the Governor’s threat, while Beckett’s heartlessness is arguably at its peak. He initially gave the Governor false hope of her survival, then takes his time revealing that Elizabeth is, in fact, alive. Unfortunately, Swann hearing the truth about the heart sealed his fate – Beckett can’t risk knowledge of the curse spreading, and only Norrington’s silence can be ordered. While this would have been an excellent end to Swann’s story, Norrington receives the best character moment. Ordering his marines away to keep the moment private and swiftly pulling a gun on Jones highlights where his true loyalties lie – with the Swann family. He scoffs at Beckett in utter contempt, foreshadowing his later betrayal. Norrington’s actions effectively mirror his subsequent confrontation with Elizabeth, who also queries his involvement in her father’s murder, as he finally realizes the consequences of his sins.

It’s Just Good Business

Cutler Beckett succeeded in being the slimiest villain of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the true enemy of everyone, although his rivalry with Jack Sparrow is never properly detailed in At World’s End. When confronting a captive Jack on his flagship during a series of double-crossings upon escaping the Locker, there is only vague talk of betrayal. However, an alternate scene explains the mysterious “mark” they left on one another. Beckett comments on the last time he saw the Black Pearl as “a blackened hull sinking beneath the waves”, tying into Jack’s subsequent deal with Jones to raise the ship from the depths. Beckett had burned the Pearl, formerly the Wicked Wench, as revenge for Jack rescinding on a deal to transport slaves. Jack bluntly states, “People aren’t cargo, mate”. With a somber tone and a glance at the pirate’s “P” branding on his forearm, the scene paints Jack in a much more heroic light.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies utilize the theme of moral ambiguity, with the pirates often doing what’s right while the British Empire is the real evil in the seas. Likely deemed too dark for a Disney movie, the omission of Beckett’s involvement in the slave trade gives a whole new perspective to both characters. Not only do the villainous Beckett and the East India Trading Company seem unspeakably evil, but Jack wasn’t always resigned to a life of piracy. As he reminds Beckett “you have spared me any possibility of ending up as anything other than what I am”, Jack is given greater complexity and a stronger moral compass. His backstory was later detailed in the prequel novel Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, but had this scene been featured in the movie, it would have gone a long way in winning Jack greater respect when the series later began to overemphasize his comical nature. This moment also better clarifies why Jack balked at Beckett’s offer of a formal pardon in Dead Man’s Chest, repulsed at the thought of being indebted to the slave trader. Furthermore, it quite possibly provides new meaning to Norrington’s insult back in The Curse of the Black Pearl. Perhaps Jack is the “worst pirate” Norrington had ever heard of because he was branded a criminal for an act of heroism.

Choices

Shortly after escaping Beckett’s ship, the Endeavour, Jack throws Will Turner in the brig for attempting to steal the Pearl to save his father, Bootstrap Bill. Upon escaping his cell, At World’s End gives Will only one moment with Jack to suggest their friendship still exists. However, an extended scene shows Jack offering him advice. Jack’s initial statement “don’t save your father” may seem insensitive, but it’s deliberate to prompt Will to realize his own agency. The blacksmith-turned-pirate believes he can’t abandon Bootstrap, but Jack rightly reminds him he is choosing to distance himself from Elizabeth: “You can if you want, but you won’t …. Of all the things you can do, what will you do?”. In the final film, Jack appears more concerned with his own mortality when he offers to kill Jones to spare Will his fate.

This scene was probably trimmed for pacing, but it shows Jack still cares for Will, despite all the fighting and treachery. For all his flirting with Elizabeth in Dead Man’s Chest, Jack chooses to give Will a way out of his predicament and remain with her. The scene also effectively contrasts Jack’s first moral lesson to Will in The Curse of the Black Pearl of “what a man can do and what a man can’t do”. In the first movie, Will was urged to come to terms with his pirate heritage, but he doesn’t have to now resign himself to a solitary life of piracy like Davy Jones. The theme of destiny vs choices and how they affect the lives of others inspired a thoughtful moment that grants Will and Jack’s friendship greater nuance, yet was cut from the film.

Honest Streak

One deleted moment immediately following the Brethren Court’s vote for pirate king provides insight into Gibbs’ friendship with Jack, and how the captain’s outlook on life has changed since his death in Dead Man’s Chest. Gibbs is not alone in struggling to understand Jack’s decision to fight the East India Trading Company and searches for a sign of trust. As Gibbs says, “You used to have an honest streak. Let a man know where he stood with you”. Jack chooses to keep his plan to himself, coldly responding, “Where did that honest streak end me up? Dead. Never do that again, mate”. It emphasizes Jack’s more negative attitude to the world, with Johnny Depp’s legendary performance providing a sobering moment that resonates. This also expresses his desire for survival at any cost, while clarifying why Gibbs places so much faith in Jack, choosing to remain by his side throughout their dangerous adventures. Jack was never like other pirates, but now Gibbs fears Jack may be only looking out for himself. Of course, that honest streak eventually wins out when he chooses to save Will’s life over immortality in the climax of At World’s End.

Her (Jack and Elizabeth)

Before At World’s End’s epic battle sequence, the movie’s main characters meet on a beach after Jack calls for parlay. In the finished film, Beckett (incorrectly) paints Jack’s actions as a selfish desire to survive. However, a deleted scene changes this to emphasize the pirate’s feelings for Elizabeth. Beckett sneers that she is Jack’s apparent reward for his betrayal – wanting to secure her safety – which Jack half-heartedly denies before briefly flirting with an unamused Elizabeth. Understandably, the exchange was cut to instead strengthen Will and Elizabeth’s romance. The previous movies had teased Jack’s chemistry with Elizabeth, but this clarifies his feelings and suggests his innocent intentions. Taken in conjunction with the “Choices” deleted scene, Jack orchestrates a way to save his friends and doesn’t seriously plan on stealing Elizabeth from Will. It lends a new meaning to their flirting at the end of the movie, with Elizabeth’s “it never would have worked between us” more than a simple call-back to the first film. What’s more, Jack has Beckett fooled. Allowing him to think Elizabeth is what he wants conceals his plan to steal Davy Jones’ heart from aboard the Dutchman.

These scenes wouldn’t rectify all the film’s problems. Will’s motivations are still confusing, and the Jones-Calypso backstory could be improved, but the deleted material would significantly smooth over a complex plot and better illustrate the central trio’s dynamic. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End remains an underrated blockbuster for its grand ambitions, but by excluding the reason behind Governor Swann’s death, the movie is, to echo Beckett’s words, “guilty of the sin of omission”.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/pirates-caribbean-worlds-end-deleted-scenes-problems-fix/