potc is a melodrama
sadly I am in university right now, which means i get to research lots of junk that has nothing to do with real life.
however, I am doing a presentation on the melodramatic theatre and art form, and its interesting to note that Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is on the top of the popular movies list that follow a typical melodramatic pattern. perhaps this will assist us in how we look at 3.
some basic requirements of the melodramatic show/film:
1. melodrama appeals to the audience on the basis of ACTION... the characters generally do not THINK, they DO. hence, they often find themselves in very strange and difficult predicaments.
2. the PLOT is not the strong point of a melodrama. It takes a backseat to getting the characters into outrageous situations that the audience cant imagine them escaping from... but of course they do.
3. there is a basic premise of morality in which all melodramas celebrate the plight of the poor man, and condemn big business or authority.
4. music is used to heighten emotional tension. each character has their own theme, which plays when they enter or are being spoken of.
5. melodramas are sentimental and optimistic. they pan out like a GAME... they build suspense, tension, surprise, but dont generally have a lot of substance. it does not flow in a steady progression but rather has peaks of action.
6. Endings always contain arbitrary scenes of poetic justice. couples are paired off, villains get what they deserve, the good guys triumph.
7. Here is the layout of the essential characters in a melodrama:
-Hero (generally poor or underpriviledged)
-Heroine (upper class, but in some way considered the victim.)
-the comic (usually ethnic in some way, he is the highest paid member of the company, and the most loved)
-soubrette (the working girl with good manners who is devoted to the heroine)
-villain
-villain's sidekick (their assistant who they usually kill off towards the end)
-heavy woman (heavy here having an emotional rather than physical connotation)
-light comedy characters (lower class people who provide comic relief)
there are more, but these are the basics. i think its very clear to pinpoint each other these characters in POTC.
my point of posting all this info is that though writers seldom follow a strict melodramatic pattern anymore, the WHOLE premise of POTC EXACTLY fits the basic structure of a melodrama. To turn tables last minute and end it as a tragedy (which has a completely different structure and character pattern) would be bogus. it wouldnt work.