# Pointless nitpicking of Pirates of the Caribbean **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878 "2005-07-17T15:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/21 "2005-07-18T15:24:50Z")
Oh cool! Nobody has yet questioned how Jack Sparrow managed to get his handcuffed hands on either side of the rig rope in order to slide down. I’ll head this one off early: He didn’t. He put his wrists together and swung the slack bit of chain over the rig and grabbed the other end. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/22 "2005-07-18T15:31:36Z")
> [@RumMunkey](#): > > Jack Sparrow … That’s _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, matey. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/23 "2005-07-18T15:37:40Z")
Great movie, but I always wondered why, when _Captain_ Jack Sparrow is in the Port Royal fortress’s cell and his former pirate buddies see him there, mocking him and revealing their skeletonized state in the moonlight, he doesn’t also look that way at the time (as he does during his later swordfight with Barbarossa)? ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/24 "2005-07-18T15:43:45Z")
> [@teela brown](#): > > If Captain Barbosa was killed by a wound received _before_ the curse was lifted, what about all those other pirates fighting on the ship? They were all stabbed and chopped moments before the gold pieces were returned to the chest. Why didn’t they die too as soon as life was restored to them? IIRC, one of them was. Does anyone else remember a pirate falling over comically after the transformation? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/25 "2005-07-18T15:44:31Z")
> [@William V.](#): > > Great movie, but I always wondered why, when _Captain_ Jack Sparrow is in the Port Royal fortress’s cell and his former pirate buddies see him there, mocking him and revealing their skeletonized state in the moonlight, he doesn’t also look that way at the time (as he does during his later swordfight with Barbarossa)? Captain Jack Sparrow hasn’t stolen any gold at that point. He’s an ordinary human being. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/26 "2005-07-18T17:42:11Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Captain Jack Sparrow hasn’t stolen any gold at that point. He’s an ordinary human being. Exactly. That’s why you see him playing with the gold coin after the Cpt. runs him through with his sword. And also the reason for than annoyed look on his face. It took the second viewing to realize that. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/27 "2005-07-18T17:45:14Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Exactly. That’s why you see him playing with the gold coin after the Cpt. runs him through with his sword. And also the reason for than annoyed look on his face. > It took the second viewing to realize that. I thought it was pretty clear the first time around. When Will’s tied up and Jack is talking to Barbossa, he picks up the gold pieces and tosses them back in, but you then see him spread his fingers after the third one like a magician, and there’s a significant look from Will. Pretty plain that Jack palmed a coin then. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/28 "2005-07-18T18:15:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Really pointless nitpick: > > Johnny Depp’s ship was portrayed by The Lady Washington. (I’ve sailed on her, BTW. ) The Lady Washington has a tiller, not a wheel. Tangential aside: we exchanged [black powder salutes](http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/bang.jpg) two weeks ago with the [Lady Washington]([http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/lady](http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/lady) washington crevice.jpg) from the top of our Lower Battery, when she was one of about twenty tall ships anchored off [Fisgard Lighthouse](http://virtualguidebooks.com/BC/VictoriaIslandsBC/Esquimalt/FisgardLighthouse.html). We also had nearly 800 [Russian and Mexican]([http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/pfft](http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/pfft)! is smaller than kremlin!.jpg) sailors prowling through the Fort, having shore leave and a barbeque that night. Quite an interesting event. Our two lovely young summer students made quite a hit, needless to say, and the sailors had great fun taking turns dressing up as British [Royal Marine Artillerymen]([http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/dress](http://www.islandhosting.com/~twinsix/dress) up mexico3!.jpg) of the 1890s. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/29 "2005-07-18T20:37:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I assumed that it was because of the difficulty in finding it after being dropped from a moving vessel. Between the motion of the ship and the currents in the water, the search area would have to be large. But the gold calls to them, as we see when the coin hits the water. But I guess you’re right, it could still fall down to the ‘crushing depths’ so no one could get to it. As for many many more mistakes, I point [here](http://www.moviemistakes.com/film3372) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/30 "2005-07-18T20:54:21Z")
One thing that kinda annoyed me throughout the movie was that the Black Pearl, despite having all sorts of holes in it’s sails and such, was still able to be the fastest ship in the Carribean. Presumably this would be part of the curse, but I have a hard time seeing the curse include the ship too. Random nitpickery on my part. Also, did the rum of the period burn very well? Cause from what I understand, most modern-day rum won’t burn very easily. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/31 "2005-07-18T21:04:35Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Also, did the rum of the period burn very well? Cause from what I understand, most modern-day rum won’t burn very easily. _Over-proof_, or 151 proof, rum is 75.5% ethyl alcohol. That’ll burn extremely well. Distilled alcohol in earlier times was generally stronger than modern stuff, so it’s quite feasible that the rum was well over the 80 proof (40% by volume) that is common today. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/32 "2005-07-18T21:05:41Z")
Note: the proof figures I’m using above are using the US system; I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head what they would be in the British system. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878/33 "2005-07-18T22:30:41Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > That’s _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, matey. Aye? Oh… weren’t talkin’ to me… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointless-nitpicking-of-pirates-of-the-caribbean/312878.md?page=1)