Threes and Fives in DMC
I went to see Dead Man's Chest again today, and as I was the only person in the cinema I didn't feel too geeky taking notes. I couldn't decide what to focus on until Pintel & Ragetti arrived at Pelegostos Island and I remembered references piratemistress made to threes and fives in one of her excellent essays recently, so from that point on I tried to list all the threes and fives I could see. I know I missed lots (because I kept getting distracted by... um... the scenery...), but I picked up on loads of threes, and a common usage of a 'trinity' shot, in which three characters are shown together.
I'm a theologian so beyond the obvious Trinity fives and threes don't mean much to me (it's all about seven and twelve) but I thought people might find this interesting and food for thought (and I just know someone can use this to argue for J/E)
Pelegosto Island
Pintel, Ragetti & the dog- a trinity
Pintel crosses himself three times
Three skulls each side of Jack's throne
Three tins of spice
Six men in each cage
Cages reach wall on third try
Three Pelegostos (two women and a child) confront Jack
Twelve fruits on the bamboo pole (six each side)
Jack falls through six bridges
Tia Dalma's hut
Candles in groups of three or five
Pintel suggests three things the chest may contain
Pintel, Ragetti & Gibbs give three different answers, and are shown as a trinity
To ward off the Black Spot, they do three things
Meeting Davy Jones
We see three lamps doused
Five survivors of the wrecked ship (including Will)
The Catholic chap holds his rosary three beads above the crucifix
Three days and ninety-nine souls
The Edinburgh Trader
Two sailors talk to the captain in the cabin - another trinity
The candles on the cabin wall are in threes
Five crewmen watch the 'haunted dress'
Tortuga
Three musicians in the tavern
Five lost souls (including Norrington)
Norrington has lost three things- his crew, his commission, and his life
Two men throw another from the balcony - another trinity
Three pigs in the sty
Three sacks stacked on the dock
Three ships at anchor (including the Pearl)
Jack performs three hand motions when giving Elizabeth the compass
He then takes five steps away
Beckett & Weatherby
Beckett wants three things- Weatherby's authority, influence and loyalty
Weatherby is flanked by two marines - another trinity
The Flying Dutchman
Will is given five lashes - we actually see three
Liar's Dice- both games shown involve three players with five dice each
Three sets of anemone things close up when Davy Jones approaches
Five crewmen stand around Will during the game
There are three lumps of coral on Bootstrap's shoulders
We are shown three of Will's steps into Jones' cabin
Persuade Me scene
There are five men shown swabbing the deck (including Norry)
Gibbs, Elizabeth & Jack - another trinity
Kraken vs Edinburgh Trader
Davy says 'Let no [insert thing here]' three times
The crew turning the wheel are given five lashes, of which three are seen
Three tentacles are seen crawling up the side of the ship
There are five survivors (Davy can't count)
Curiosity scene
Jack, Elizabeth and rum - another trinity (can you say OT3?)
'Right here, right on this deck, right now'- three rights make a wedding?
Elizabeth lists three differences between her and Jack- honour, decency and a 'moral centre'
Isla Cruces
Five in the boat
Jack gives Pintel & Ragetti instructions regarding three things- the boat, the tide and the dirt
Jack, Elizabeth and Norrington walking across the beach - another trinity
Three-way swordfight (duh)
Elizabeth, Pintel & Ragetti - another trinity
Three of Davy's crew emerge at once, in the first shot of them
The roofed part of the church has three windows
Liz, Pintel and Ragetti call 'sword' three times (once each, I believe)
Three coconuts fall to the ground with Jack
We hear five heartbeats when he opens the chest, and I think three are while the heart is shown
Will takes three steps away from the wheel before falling over
Five in the boat on the way back to the Pearl
Kraken vs Black Pearl
Davy is shown flanked by two crewmen - another trinity
Followed by a shot of five crew by the rail
Three cannons are seen on the side of the Dutchman as she prepares to fire
The triple guns (duh)
There are six barrels of powder left, and three are seen being loaded
The second shot of Jack in the boat, he takes three pulls on the oars, and the rudder swings three times
Five tentacles break into the great cabin
Three kegs of rum are shown exploding
Before the kiss, when the camera is on Elizabeth there are three bodies behind her, and the same for Jack when the camera is on him
Five of the Black Pearl's original crew survive
Three tentacles are seen behind Jack when he gets his hat back
Tia Dalma again
Will stabs the table five times - again I think three are shown
We see three of Barbossa's steps down the stairs
If anyone can remember any more, or notices where I've miscounted, let me know and I'll edit accordingly. This has to mean something.
I'm a theologian so beyond the obvious Trinity fives and threes don't mean much to me (it's all about seven and twelve) but I thought people might find this interesting and food for thought (and I just know someone can use this to argue for J/E)
Pelegosto Island
Pintel, Ragetti & the dog- a trinity
Pintel crosses himself three times
Three skulls each side of Jack's throne
Three tins of spice
Six men in each cage
Cages reach wall on third try
Three Pelegostos (two women and a child) confront Jack
Twelve fruits on the bamboo pole (six each side)
Jack falls through six bridges
Tia Dalma's hut
Candles in groups of three or five
Pintel suggests three things the chest may contain
Pintel, Ragetti & Gibbs give three different answers, and are shown as a trinity
To ward off the Black Spot, they do three things
Meeting Davy Jones
We see three lamps doused
Five survivors of the wrecked ship (including Will)
The Catholic chap holds his rosary three beads above the crucifix
Three days and ninety-nine souls
The Edinburgh Trader
Two sailors talk to the captain in the cabin - another trinity
The candles on the cabin wall are in threes
Five crewmen watch the 'haunted dress'
Tortuga
Three musicians in the tavern
Five lost souls (including Norrington)
Norrington has lost three things- his crew, his commission, and his life
Two men throw another from the balcony - another trinity
Three pigs in the sty
Three sacks stacked on the dock
Three ships at anchor (including the Pearl)
Jack performs three hand motions when giving Elizabeth the compass
He then takes five steps away
Beckett & Weatherby
Beckett wants three things- Weatherby's authority, influence and loyalty
Weatherby is flanked by two marines - another trinity
The Flying Dutchman
Will is given five lashes - we actually see three
Liar's Dice- both games shown involve three players with five dice each
Three sets of anemone things close up when Davy Jones approaches
Five crewmen stand around Will during the game
There are three lumps of coral on Bootstrap's shoulders
We are shown three of Will's steps into Jones' cabin
Persuade Me scene
There are five men shown swabbing the deck (including Norry)
Gibbs, Elizabeth & Jack - another trinity
Kraken vs Edinburgh Trader
Davy says 'Let no [insert thing here]' three times
The crew turning the wheel are given five lashes, of which three are seen
Three tentacles are seen crawling up the side of the ship
There are five survivors (Davy can't count)
Curiosity scene
Jack, Elizabeth and rum - another trinity (can you say OT3?)
'Right here, right on this deck, right now'- three rights make a wedding?
Elizabeth lists three differences between her and Jack- honour, decency and a 'moral centre'
Isla Cruces
Five in the boat
Jack gives Pintel & Ragetti instructions regarding three things- the boat, the tide and the dirt
Jack, Elizabeth and Norrington walking across the beach - another trinity
Three-way swordfight (duh)
Elizabeth, Pintel & Ragetti - another trinity
Three of Davy's crew emerge at once, in the first shot of them
The roofed part of the church has three windows
Liz, Pintel and Ragetti call 'sword' three times (once each, I believe)
Three coconuts fall to the ground with Jack
We hear five heartbeats when he opens the chest, and I think three are while the heart is shown
Will takes three steps away from the wheel before falling over
Five in the boat on the way back to the Pearl
Kraken vs Black Pearl
Davy is shown flanked by two crewmen - another trinity
Followed by a shot of five crew by the rail
Three cannons are seen on the side of the Dutchman as she prepares to fire
The triple guns (duh)
There are six barrels of powder left, and three are seen being loaded
The second shot of Jack in the boat, he takes three pulls on the oars, and the rudder swings three times
Five tentacles break into the great cabin
Three kegs of rum are shown exploding
Before the kiss, when the camera is on Elizabeth there are three bodies behind her, and the same for Jack when the camera is on him
Five of the Black Pearl's original crew survive
Three tentacles are seen behind Jack when he gets his hat back
Tia Dalma again
Will stabs the table five times - again I think three are shown
We see three of Barbossa's steps down the stairs
If anyone can remember any more, or notices where I've miscounted, let me know and I'll edit accordingly. This has to mean something.