Pirates of the Caribbean II in Dominica

[KarenS]

Pirates of the Caribbean II might be a film about watery adventures, but to visit the set you’ll need hiking boots. For the director, Gore Verbinsky, chose Dominica as the backdrop for this action sequel due to its unspoilt, wild nature. Jungle trails lead to secret rock pools fringed with purple wax flowers to reveal dramatic waterfalls and bubbling sulphur springs. Dramatic cliff paths wind past crumbling Napoleonic lookout posts. The perfect natural stage for sword fights, secret missions and swashbuckling adventures.
Perhaps Verbinsky was also seduced by tales of Dominica’s past when he chose the island. The island was a stopping off point for real Caribbean pirates in the 16th century. There’s even a legend of buried pirate treasure – allegedly some 3 million Spanish pesos – plundered from a Spanish fleet in 1567 and hidden on the island.

For the full article go:
a href="http://europetravelnews.com/2006_06/943_pirates-caribbean-travel">here</a

[KarenS]

Now that the big stink over The Da Vinci Code is winding down, it is time for the next film to step up to the controversy plate and hit another home run powered by the bad-news-equals-marketing-gold strategy. Unfortunately for Superman Returns, there are no real Kryptonians to take offense at the film's representation of their species. But Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, well, there's a movie worthy of some complaints. In fact, the blockbuster sequel already faced some protests last year while shooting on the island of Dominica. The Carib tribe that is indigenous to the island had a big problem with being portrayed as cannibals, particularly in a scene that has Johnny Depp strapped to a skewer. The tribe's chief Charles Williams was especially outraged that many of his people sold out their heritage for $95 per day as extras.

For the entire article go
<a href="http://bww.cinematical.com/2006/06/23/pirates-picks-up-some-protestors/">here</a>

[KarenS]

Members of the Garifuna tribe are furious with a scene in which Depp's character, Captain Jack Sparrow, is being roasted alive.

Chief Charles Williams says, "The film's depiction of our natives as flesh-craving savages is grossly untrue and very politically incorrect."

For more on this go
<a href="http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/id/3527200">here</a>

[KarenS]

The people of Dominica, where much of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was filmed, will not get to see their island home on the big screen. But the reason isn't what you might think -- or at least what I would have thought. The film hasn't been banned because of its controversial portrayal of Dominica's Carib people as cannibals. No, the film simply has no where to be shown. The island's one movie theater has been closed for two months because of a leaky roof and isn't expected to reopen anytime soon.

For the entire article go <a href="http://www.cinematical.com/2006/07/13/pirates-not-playing-in-dominica">here</a>

[KarenS]

From the NY Times:
Those preferring to see the physical settings for the movie might enjoy a nine-day guided walking tour around Dominica, the Caribbean island where some of the new “Pirates” movie was shot, which includes visits to the film’s settings of Cannibal Island, Shipwreck Cove and the Indian River, and four nights in the Fort Young Hotel, where the cast stayed, and four at the Beau Rive. The “Tropical Walk on Dominica” runs from November to May 2007.
For the full Times article go <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/travel/30transpirate.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">here</a>

[KarenS]

In response to the overwhelming public interest in the hit Disney movie “Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man’s Chest,” several hotels and attractions on Dominica have created special packages tailored to travelers who would like to visit the place where several scenes from the movie were filmed.

For a list of the packages now available go <a href="http://www.caribbeanpressreleases.com/articles/79/1/Dominica-Announces-quotPirates-of-the-Caribbean-Packages/Hoteliers-Create-Special-Offers-in-Response-to-Interest-Created-by-Hit-Movie.html">here.</a>

If you go, send back a review!!