pirates of the caribbean - Cannes International Film Festival

And then the “On Stranger Tides” company
found themselves, finally, in the real
Caribbean, as they flew from Los Angeles to
Puerto Rico to shoot in Old San Juan and a
tiny island off the east coastal city of Fajardo.
The perfect site for the exterior of the
Spanish fort needed in the film was the
Castillo San Cristobal in Old San Juan, one of
the two great fortifications built by Spain to
guard the city from land attack. Construction
began in 1634 and completed in 1783, making it absolutely period correct for the film’s
mid-18 th century setting.
The filmmakers also discovered a classic desert island so perfect that no one could
believe that it actually existed. And indeed, the island of Palominito off the coast of
Fajardo was little more than a few palm trees, a great deal of sand, surrounded by an
astounding turquoise ocean.
Onto London and Back in Time
“One of the most exciting aspects of “On
Stranger Tides,” says Jerry Bruckheimer,
“is that for the first time, we have a
London setting for part of the story,
rather than the jungles, oceans and
colonial outposts of the Caribbean. It
really gives the film an entirely different
look and feeling.”
Although the venerable Pinewood
Studios outside of London would provide John Myhre, U.K. supervising art director Gary
Freeman and their mammoth art department with a gigantic playground in which to
build their sets, some of the region’s most heralded historical buildings and other sites
would also host the “On Stranger Tides”
production. So ambitious was the effort to
create the physical world of the film, the U.K.
art department for the film numbered six art
directors, five draftsmen, concept, graphic
and storyboard artists. Construction
manager Andy Evans’ department included
62 carpenters, 29 painters, 71 plasterers, 36
riggers and 14 sculptors. Not surprising when
one considers that the production built huge
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