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Davy Jones
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Davy Jones is a fictional villain character in the Pirates of the Caribbean feature film series, who first appears in the second film, Dead Man's Chest and returns in the series' third installment, At World's End. He is the captain of the Flying Dutchman (based on the feared ghost ship of the same name featured in nautical lore), roaming the seas in search of souls to serve upon his vessel for a century. In the story, his original purpose was to carry souls of those who died at sea from this world to the next on his vessel. He was charged with this noble and just duty by his one true love, the sea goddess Calypso. For every ten years at sea he could spend one day on land to be with her. Ten years after first being charged with the duty, Jones prepared to be reunited with his true love, but was heartbroken and enraged when she did not appear. Unable to deal with the sadness of Calypso's betrayal, Jones, through some unknown supernatural means, ripped out his heart and locked it in a chest, burying it on the plague island Isla Cruces. This chest became known as the "Dead Man's Chest", thus becoming the primary object being sought after in the second film. Jones then abandoned his past duties, and instead returned to rule the seas as a tyrant with a damned crew bound by oath to serve aboard the Dutchman for one hundred years each. Because Jones and his crew broke their oath on the Dutchman to ferry lost souls, a curse slowly transformed them into sea monsters as their physical appearances matched the darkness inside of them.The computer-generated imagery used to complete Jones was highly praised, with Entertainment Weekly naming him as the second most convincing computer generated film character in film history, only behind King Kong from the 2005 film adaptation. The work on Davy Jones by Industrial Light and Magic earned them the 2006 Academy Award for Visual Effects for Dead Man's Chest.
The character is based on the legendary devil of the seas with the same name, according to superstition among sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries. In contrast to the historical legends, the film's Jones is a tragic villain. However, even though starting off from a sympathetic backstory, his portrayal in the films is cruel and ruthless, with actor Bill Nighy's performance a subject of critical praise as well.
Biography
BackgroundDavy Jones was born in Scotland; nothing is known about his youth. He fell madly in love with Calypso, the "heathen god[dess]" of the sea who gave him the charge of ferrying souls who died at sea to the "other side," Fiddler's Green. Calypso gave Davy Jones the Flying Dutchman to accomplish this task. Her reason for this is unknown. She swore that after ten years she would meet him and they would spend one day together before he returned to his duties. He faithfully kept to his charge for ten years, and after his first decade of duty, prepared to see his love again. Calypso however, after those ten years, failed to show up because of her capricious nature, which had drawn Jones to her in the first place. Thinking Calypso had betrayed him, an enraged and heartbroken Davy Jones turned the Pirate Brethren against her, saying that if she were removed from the world, they would be able to claim the seas for themselves. They assembled in the First Brethren Court and Jones taught them how to imprison her into her human form (Tia Dalma); the Court agreed with him to imprison her forever.
Soon, Jones' grief at Calypso's betrayal and guilt at what he had done became so great that he carved out his heart and placed it in the "Dead Man's Chest". Containing a powerful lock, the Chest was sealed and placed within a larger wooden chest along with Jones' numerous love letters to Calypso and all other items having to do with her, except his matching musical locket. This was then buried on Isla Cruces, a plague island. Jones then departed, keeping his unique double-stemmed key to the Chest with him at all times. Since then, Jones has abandoned his duty and sailed the seas, making deals and doing as he pleased. Though immortal, his disregard for his duty brought punishment, mutating him into a parody of humanity, and with him, his ship, and whomsoever served on it. His crew is lured into service by the notion that they can forestall their "final judgment" for 100 years by serving aboard the Dutchman, however, they don't know that they will slowly mutate into creatures like Jones until they are essentially barnacles on the ship's hull, ultimately useless. The lore of the "feared Flying Dutchman" begins as Jones' eerie ship sailed about destroying ships to recruit for crew. With his supernatural power, he becomes ruler of the oceans' realm and comes to command the Kraken, a feared mythological sea monster.
In the book series about Jack Sparrow's earlier adventures, Davy Jones shows interest in the Sword of Cortes, also sought by Jack. He is a minor character, but finally appears in the cliff-hanger ending to book 7 as Jack and his crew encounter the Flying Dutchman.
Jones also appears in the prequel book about Jack's first years as a captain. He helps the Brethren Court to identify the traitor among them, who turns out to be Borya Palachnik, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. After Cutler Beckett sank Jack Sparrow's ship, the Wicked Wench, Davy Jones approaches Sparrow with a deal: Jones will raise the Wench back from Davy Jones' Locker, allowing Sparrow to be captain for 13 years if Sparrow agrees to serve on the Dutchman for 100 years.
Dead Man's Chest
The character of Captain Davy Jones is introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006); the time now being 13 years later, he seeks to claim Sparrow's soul. It becomes clear that Jack Sparrow and Cutler Beckett are after the Dead Man's Chest and its key; one to buy time against Jones and the other to secure Jones' power over the seas (respectively). After several events (none including Jones), Sparrow and the Black Pearl arrive at what seems to be the Flying Dutchman, but is really a merchant ship destroyed by the Kraken. The real Dutchman rises from the sea and captures the men on board, including Will Turner, who was tricked there by Sparrow. Jones makes his first appearance as he approaches the fearful crew and asks, "Do you fear death?", his catchphrase. After one frightened sailor answers that he will serve, Jones responds mockingly, his crew then proceeding to laugh. He realises that Will is on the ship because of Jack and, after spotting Sparrow on the overlooking Pearl, he teleports to the ship. Jones confronts Sparrow about their expired deal, and refuses to accept Jack's excuse that he was only captain for two years until Barbossa's mutiny, stating that he was "a poor captain, but a captain nonetheless", and also reminds him of his constant self-introduction as "Captain Jack Sparrow". Jack strikes up a new deal with Jones; Jack will be spared enslavement on the Dutchman if he brings Jones one hundred souls to replace his own within the next three days. Jones accepts, removes the black spot from Jack's hand, and retains Will, keeping him as a "good faith payment."
While on the Dutchman, Will challenges Jones at a game of liar's dice, the purpose of which was to find out where Jones hides the key to the Chest. The stakes for which they gambled were Will's soul for an eternity of service, against the key to the Dead Man's Chest. Although Will was saved by his losing father, Bootstrap Bill, Jones did give Will a glimpse of where he kept the key to the Chest. The next morning, Jones realizes the key is gone and summons the Kraken to destroy the ship carrying Turner, forcing Bootstrap Bill Turner to watch the scene; the Dutchman then sails to Isla Cruces to stop Sparrow from getting the Chest.
Arriving, Jones sent his crew to retrieve the Chest; they return to him with it. The Dutchman then goes after the Black Pearl, and shoots at the Pearl but is outrun anyway and pretends to give up. Jones summons the Kraken instead and it attacks the ship, finally pulling it down into Davy Jones' Locker along with Jack Sparrow as Jones surveys. He afterwards opens the Chest only to find his heart missing, it having been taken by James Norrington. Shocked and believing that Jack Sparrow took the heart with him to Davy Jones' Locker, he screams "Damn you, Jack Sparrow!"
At World's End
Bill Nighy returns as Davy Jones in At World's End, now being under the control of Cutler Beckett for the use of the East India Trading Company. Lord Beckett who really had the heart with him, forces Jones to make an alliance with the EITC by having gunmen shoot Jones's heart should he disobey; and Mercer, a henchman of Beckett's, names Jones "a loose cannon". Beckett also orders Jones to sink pirate ships in the seas but is infuriated when Jones uses his habit of leaving no one alive in the process; Beckett wants prisoners to interrogate about the Brethren Court of Pirates. To ensure Jones would obey, Beckett also ordered him to kill the Kraken in case he attempted to use it against him. Lord Beckett afterwards orders Jones to seek and attack the Pirate Lord, Sao Feng; Jones subsequently kills Sao and captures Elizabeth Swann, who had been named captain by Sao Feng upon his death. When Admiral James Norrington dies on board the Dutchman freeing prisoners, Jones claims Norrington's sword (originally crafted by Will Turner) after he attempted to kill Jones. Jones then attempts mutiny and has his men kill the Company's marines on the Flying Dutchman. However, Mercer organizes a defense on the Chest which includes Mullroy and Murtogg aiming a cannon at it, forcing Jones to continue under Beckett's service.
Beckett later summons Jones to his ship, the Endeavour, where Jones confronts Will Turner again and divulges the truth of his own story while learning of Jack Sparrow's escape from the Locker. The three men then plan to arrive at Shipwreck Cove.
Jones later confronts Calypso in her human shape of Tia Dalma, locked in the brig of the Black Pearl; here, the two former lovers engage in a poignant conversation wherein several crucial subplots between the two are revealed, such as the reasons for which Calypso did not meet him after Jones' first decade of service on the Flying Dutchman and the subsequent mutation of Davy Jones. Tia Dalma touches his chest, and Jones is briefly seen in his original human form (also portrayed by Bill Nighy), which bears striking similarities to his grotesque appearance, including a long and full beard with multiple braids parallel to his facial tentacles. Jones, despite his attempts to hate her, seems unable to truly do so and instead tells her that his heart will always belong to her. Tia Dalma says that after her release, she will fully give her love to him and will help him fight the Brethren Court. However, Will Turner later reveals to her that Jones had revealed how to enslave her to the Brethren Court.
After the parley between Beckett, Turner, and Jones with Swann, Hector Barbossa, and Sparrow, the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl sail into battle as flagships for their sides. A monstrous maelstrom (caused by the now-free Calypso) forms between them and both enter it, engaging in an epic battle. During the battle Jones kills Mercer and retrieves the key to the Chest. After Mercer is dead, he fights Jack Sparrow for his Chest – an intense sword fight atop the mast of the Dutchman. In the end of the battle, Jack acquires both the Chest and the key while Jones battles Will and Elizabeth. Jones quickly overpowers Elizabeth, and is subsequently impaled through the back by Will before he can finish her off. Undaunted, Jones bends the tip of Will's sword so he cannot remove it and kicks him aside; realizing their relationship, he holds Will at sword-point, asking if he fears death. Jack asks "Do you?" holding the heart and a sword in the other hand and taunts him in a desperate bid to save Will. Before Jack can stab the heart, Jones thrusts and twists his sword deep into Will's chest, Jack visibly shocked. Suddenly Will's father jumps upon Jones to fight him and briefly overpowers Jones, but is quickly defeated. Moments later, Sparrow helps Turner put his hand on his broken sword and plunge it into Davy Jones' beating heart, mortally wounding him. Jones staggers backwards and looks up into the sky, in which a blast of lightning is visible. The heart stops beating and Jones then dies, his last word being "Calypso." He then tumbles backwards off the ship, and falls into the still raging maelstrom.
Best films
Played by the actor
Filmography of Davy Jones (2 films)
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, 2h48Directed by Gore Verbinski
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantastic, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Fantasy, Swashbuckler, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films, Children's films
Actors Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander
Rating71%
To control the oceans, Lord Cutler Beckett executes anyone associated with piracy and uses Davy Jones to destroy pirate ships. Condemned prisoners sing “Hoist the Colours” to compel the nine Pirate Lords to convene at Shipwreck Cove to hold the Brethren Court. However, Captain Jack Sparrow, one of the Lords, never named a successor. Captain Barbossa, along with Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Tia Dalma, and the crew of the Black Pearl, plot to rescue Jack from Davy Jones’ Locker. Travelling to Singapore, the crew meet Sao Feng who owns navigational charts to the Locker. Beckett’s soldiers invade, but the crew escape, Feng and Turner making a deal to give Jack to Feng so he in turn can use the Pearl to rescue his father Bootstrap Bill from the Flying Dutchman. The crew successfully rescue Jack, but find themselves trapped in the Locker, encountering dead souls, including Elizabeth’s murdered father Governor Swann. They learn the Dutchman must have a captain, and their heart must be cut out to captain the vessel.
, 2h30Directed by Gore Verbinski
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy, Swashbuckler, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films, Children's films, L'Or
Actors Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgård, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport
Rating73%
The wedding of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann is crashed by Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company, who has arrest warrants for the couple along with Commodore James Norrington, for allowing Captain Jack Sparrow to escape custody. Norrington resigned after his crew died in a typhoon. Elizabeth is imprisoned, but Beckett promises to free her if Will tracks down Jack and brings him his magic compass which points to whatever the holder wants most. Shortly after, Governor Swann tries to escape Port Royal with Elizabeth but is captured. Elizabeth negotiates with Beckett to let her escape to find the compass herself.