Curses: The Charm of Hope - Behind The Screenplay

“Curses: The Charm of Hope” is a film about pirate Andrew Swallow, driven by a deep-seated desire for revenge, setting sail on a perilous journey with his ruthless crew and a mysterious woman in search of a secret treasure.

Andrew Swallow is inspired by real-life pirates and privateers, notorious for their brutal tactics and cunning strategies. He is a complex and conflicted character, motivated by revenge but haunted by his past.

The mysterious woman is inspired by classic femme fatales and other strong female characters from adventure stories. She is a skilled navigator and fighter, with her own motivations for the treasure.

“Curses” draws inspiration from real-life pirate legends, the piracy history in the Caribbean, and other parts of the world.

Curses: The Charm of Hope writing playlist:

Not Waving – 99
Vangelis – Le singe bleu – Remastered
Nacho Maldonado – Dear Ko (To Ko the Regt)
Essaie Pas – 514 376-9230
Menahan Street Band – Midnight Morning
Thom Yorke – Unmade
Ekkehard Ehlers – Plays John Cassavetes 2
Julian Lage – In Heaven
The Dale Cooper Quartet – Une Cellier
Yom – Saving the World Is Easy
Eydís Evensen – Brotin
nthng – With You
Death Cab for Cutie – Pepper – Acoustic
Joseph Schiano di Lombo – Caresses (Always Too Short)
Hans Otte – Wassermannmusik (Aquarian Music) I.
Chassol – Wersailles (Planeur)
Frantz Casseus – Suite No. 1: Petro
Simón Díaz – Tonada Del Cabestrero
Ignacio Maria Gomez – Ile Penaro
Miles Davis – Générique – Bande originale du film
“Ascenseur pour l’échafaud”
Baden Powell – Canto De Xango
La Chica – Interlude
Anna von Hausswolff – Dolore di Orsini
Maurice Ravel – Daphnis et Chloe: Part III: Lever du jour
Pompeo Stillo & The Companions – He Was a Guitar
Player and Now Plays Machinegun in Vietnam
Rogér Fakhr – Lady Rain
Squarepusher – Detroit People Mover
Josiah Steinbrick – Full Bloom
Hatis Noit – Aura
Hannah Peel – The Unfolding
Douglas Dare – Red Arrows
Shabaka and the Ancestors – Teach Me How To Be Vulnerable
Anna Homler – Almost Beautiful
_BY.ALEXANDER – DEAR THERAPIST
Cate Le Bon – The Light
Cristobal Tapia De Veer – Wake Up!
Hiatus Kaiyote – Red Room – Nick Hakim Remix
Carlos Niño – Mezame (Awakening)
cktrl – Lighthouse
Forgiveness – Rainbird
Guy Clark – Let Him Roll
Conway the Machine featuring JID & Ludacris – Scatter Brain

Story Inspiration

The inspiration for “Curses” came from wanting to see an accurate depiction of a pirate’s world. The fact that pirate movies often portray an image of a world that wouldn’t resemble how those environments would have been. They wouldn’t have been overly clean and fun, people wouldn’t have been carefully put together with perfect teeth. While “Pirates of the Caribbean” has its appeal, the pirates wouldn’t be so well put together and even so presentably disheveled. It would be dark and gritty, as “Curses” is.

The history of piracy in the Caribbean and other parts of the world is a strong inspiration. The Golden Age of Piracy, which lasted from the late 17th century to the early 18th, saw the rise of notorious pirates such as Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack. “Curses” draws inspiration from the real-life exploits and battles of these pirates, as well as the treasures they sought and the rivalries that drove them.

Classic adventure stories and pirate tales also inspired the story, like as “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson and “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise. These stories often feature pirates seeking treasure and engaging in battles with other pirates and naval forces.

The character Andrew Swallow is inspired by classic antiheroes, such as the characters of Captain Ahab from “Moby-Dick” and the Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns.

You can learn more about the Broken English production of Curses by clicking the underlined link.