BLACK SAM A Pirates Tale

A Spec Script Treatment by Ran Cartwright

BLACK SAM treatment/2

BLACK SAM A Pirates Tale Wellfleet, MA, 1714, Sam Bellamy arrives from England to live with his uncles family. He intends to acquire enough money to buy a ship, form a crew, and sail to the Caribbean to salvage sunken ships for gold and silver. Sam meets many people who will shape his immediate future. Included are Palsgrave Williams, a jeweler, and 15 year old Maria Hallet whom he meets in a cemetery. Maria and Sam fall in love and develop a whirlwind relationship. Sam settles into a life of smuggling thats fronted by a local tavern. Included among the smugglers are Sams Uncle Israel, Palsgrave Williams, and a crusty old ex-pirate named Joseph Rivers. During this time Maria becomes pregnant and springs the news on Sam. With the pregnancy, Sam deems it even more imperative to get a ship and find his fortune. He goes to Palsgrave, asking the jeweler to finance Sams enterprise. Pals agrees on the condition that he comes along as Sams quartermaster. ...youll need someone whos honest to keep tabs on all that gold..., so says Palsgrave. Its agreed.

BLACK SAM treatment/3 Pals acquires a ship; they recruit a rather mangy crew and set sail for the Caribbean. Prior to leaving, Sam promises Maria that hell be back for her, and make her and the child so rich that all of Cape Cod will be envious. By the time Sam and Pals arrive at a treasure wreck site, a sunken 1715 plate fleet off the Florida coast, they find the gold and silver already picked over. They search for weeks, but dont find any gold. The crew is despondent, ready to desert. They dont want to go back to the toils of the Royal Navy or join the Merchant Marines or return to Cape Cod to worthless jobs. Sam gives them a pep talk, offering his crew a deal... We can return to Cape Cod; spend the rest of our lives paying off our debts. Well be poor, working for rich masters! It will be the only life well ever know. Or...we can be our own rich masters! We can go on the account; become looters of nations! A crewmen holds up a recently made flag - black with white skull and cross bones. All we have to do is raise this flag! This flag represents not death, but resurrection. Never again will we be slaves of the wealthy. From this day forward we are new men. Free men! What say ye? Do we work for our masters or

BLACK SAM treatment/4 do we become the masters? It doesnt take long for the crew to decide. They choose piracy. * * *

Back in the Caribbean, Sam and Pals team up with pirate Henry Jennings. Jennings is useless, lazy, tries to get others to do his dirty work. Sam and Pals go along with Jennings, but soon tire of him. The pirates plot to attack Bayo Hondo on Cubas north shore, Sam to lead the assault. As they sail into the harbor, Jennings fires his canon nearly causing disaster for them all. Hearing that another ship loaded gold had recently left the harbor, Jennings hazardously goes after the ship while Sam and Pals stay behind. While Jennings is gone, Sam steels Jennings gold and leaves. Jennings returns, throwing a fit when he finds Sam and his treasure gone. * * *

Sam, Pals, and their crew meet up with the infamous pirate captain, Ben Hornigold, and members of Hornigolds crew, including Edward Teech (Blackbeard) and Richard Noland. Sam tells Hornigold about their adventures with Henry Jennings, and how they tricked Jennings and made off with his treasure. Hornigold finds Sams tale hilarious, is

BLACK SAM treatment/5 impressed with the young Sam, and offers to teach Sam and his crew the fine art and science of my ancient and bloody profession. Sam, Pals, and their crew agree. They go on account, joining Hornigolds crew. Hornigold notes that Sams a fast learner, perhaps a little too fast. And Sam learns something about Hornigold - the pirate captain is still loyal to the English Crown and does not like to take English ships or ships with English captains. And after several months of pirating, things are coming to a head. * * *

...shes an English ship with an English captain, Mr Noland! Captain Hornigold angrily proclaims. I will not take that ship! The crew are outraged, and lead by Sam, they claim that ALL merchant ships are fair game. A vote is taken. Hornigold and crew agree to relieve the ship only of its supply of liquor. Later, on Samana Beach, another vote is taken, one to replace Hornigold as fleet captain. That night, on the beach, a moon reflecting on the water while a breeze rustles the leaves of palm trees, Hornigold learns of the vote. Hes displaced, the crew electing Sam as their new captain. Though understanding Sams position and

BLACK SAM treatment/6 agreeing with the taking of English ships, Blackbeard proclaims his loyalty to his old captain. Thus, Hornigold is allowed to freely leave. He and 26 others, including Blackbeard, set sail in a ship Sam provides to them. * * *

Sam, developing a flair for piracy, roams the Caribbean, taking ship after ship. Hes well known as a gentleman pirate, taking on crew who wish to join and setting others free after looting their ships. In time his small fleet increases in size as does his crew. * * *

February 1717, a lookout shouts: Approaching galley aport, 3 leagues away! Off the port bow in the distance is the 300 ton, 28 gun galley, Whydah. A slaver just having dropped off her cargo in Jamaica, shes making her return voyage through the Windward Passage on her way back to England. Sam gives chase. It takes the pirates three days and nights to catch the galley. Finally, the Whydah gives in without fight. Sam and his men board the ship and are surprised to find the hold full of gold, silver, and ivory. Sam has made his fortune and claims the Whydah for his

BLACK SAM treatment/7 flagship. By early April 1717, Sam and Pals have met with much success. They decide that the next winter theyll terrorize merchantmen in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. First, though, Sam surprises everyone by wanting to sail north again - back to New England. Maria awaits. And so, the two pirate ships turn north... * * *

The two pirate ships sail north. Its a calm day; some pirates are playing cards on a hatch cover, others lounge on deck, one plays a pipe while another dances an Irish jig. Sam stands at the starboard rail, looking out to sea. Theres a storm brewing. He can feel it. Soon after the sky has grown dark, heavy overcast, a storm tossing the Marianne and Whydah on the waves. Lightning and thunder flash and rumble. Wind whistles through the rigging; the small sails still set flap on the wind. Rain pours down on the decks, the waves pounding the ships. A work crew on the Whydahs main deck tugs on a line to further shorten sail. On the Marianne, Palsgrave stands on the rain washed main deck, watching a work crew pull a line to tighten the already double reefed mainsail. A wind gust catches the

BLACK SAM treatment/8 sail. It begins to unfurl, tearing the line free from the work crew. The sail swells full, and with a snap like cannon fire, it tears away from the yard, catches in the rigging, then shrouds, then the wind carries it away into the darkened storm, the broken lines from the missing sail whipping around in the wind. Later, the storm ended, the sky partly cloudy, the two ships rest gently on the water, their sails furled or dangling, the main sail of the Marianne still gone. Theres general chatter as work crews scurry about repairing storm damage. * * *

Storm damage repaired on the Whydah, Sam recommends a celebration. The crew decide to put on a play - The Royal Pirate. The play commences as a small group of pirates remain asleep below decks, sleeping off a drunk. In the middle of the play, the sleeping pirates awaken. Hearing shouts above, they scramble up a ladder in time to see a fellow pirate on the verge of being hung. Not knowing its a play being staged by their shipmates, the newly awakened pirates break open a gun cabinet below deck, and rush those above, creating a mle in which others are wounded and a fellow pirate killed. The

BLACK SAM treatment/9 fight is finally stopped. Sam orders the attacking pirates to be placed in chains below deck. The murdered pirate is buried at sea. Sam swears its the last time a play will ever be performed on his ship. * * *

Three ships at anchor, their sails struck, the Marianne tethered to a small sloop captained by Simon Beere whos been brought aboard the Whydah. Sam likes Beere, asks Beere to join him. Beere defiantly and haughtily declines, denouncing Sam and his profession at the same time. An enraged Sam then chastises Beere: Damn my blood! Im sorry they wont let you have your ship...well sink her! And damn you, Captain Beere, youre a sneaking puppy and so are all wholl submit to be governed by laws that rich men have made for their own security! The cowards havent the courage otherwise to defend what they get by their knavery! Damn all of ye! Damn the crafty rascals and you who serve them - all of you a pack of hen-hearted numbskulls! They call us cutthroats and villains! The only difference is they rob the poor under the cover of law! We plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage! Still angered, Sam has his gun crew sink Beeres ship, then orders Beere and his crew to Pals ship. Sam doesnt

BLACK SAM treatment/10 want Beere aboard the Whydah. * * *

Dark clouds gather on the northern horizon. The Whydah and Marianne are at anchor, their sails trimmed. Another gathering storm. The crew are becoming alarmed, thinking they may be cursed. Later that evening, the storm rages, lightning and thunder roaring around them, waves crashing against the ships. Sails are furled, lines secured. Then The lines and shrouds of the Whydahs mizzen mast whip in the wind. Theres a sudden loud crack and the upper part of the mizzen mast crashes to the deck. Below deck hanging lanterns swing, water leaks through cracks, pours through the grating of some hatch covers. Theres another load crack. The main mast, at a slight angle, the deck above buckled, has been broken loose from its wooden braces. Later, the storm is over, the clouds clearing. The Whydahs anchored, the crew busy themselves with repairs. The storm separated the two ships. Theres no sign of the Marianne. Soon, the Whydah, alone, continues north, the mizzen mast gone. The Lookout spots a sail and the Whydah overtakes a small two masted ship, the Ann. The Ann lays-

BLACK SAM treatment/11 to, her mainsail lines loosened, wind dropping from the sail. With the Ann taken captive, the two ships continue north. * * *

Meanwhile, on the Marianne, Palsgrave spots two ships on the horizon. His crew begin to ready for an attack, and then realize they are pursuing the Whydah and another ship. The Marianne rejoins the Whydah, making their small fleet three ships. Pals decides he wants to stop at Block Island off the New England coast to visit his sister and mother. Sam concurs, deciding to continue north with the intention that he and Pals will meet up again in two weeks at Green Island in Canada. So, approaching Block Island, Pals takes the Marianne and departs the fleet while the Whydah and Ann continue on. * * *

The Ann and Whydah, cannons run out, flank the small three masted Mary Anne, an Irish pink (not to be confused with Pals ship the Marianne) loaded with wine. Sam assigns seven of his pirates to run the Mary Anne with three of her original crew. They continue north, the Mary Anne lagging behind, the pirates taunting and teasing the three crewmen.

BLACK SAM treatment/12 And all the while the Mary Anne drifts farther and farther apart from the Whydah and Ann. Then, on the northern horizon, they see fog drifting across the water. Unknown to the pirates, the largest noreaster in decades is building and the three ships are sailing straight toward it. And as night begins to fall, the winds pick up as the storm clouds rapidly gather. As the Whydah and Ann lose sight of the Mary Anne, another ship is spotted - the Fisher. Sam persuades the Fishers captain to guide Sams ships safely through the storm and to port on Cape Cod. But the Fishers captain has other ideas - run the Whydah and her crew toward the rocks along the shoreline. * * *

On the Mary Anne, the storm approaches; lightning and thunder roll across the sea. A light rain falls. The seven pirates, drunk, and three crew are on deck, watching. Now night, the rain a major squall, the seas rough, tossing the Mary Anne between growing waves. The wind whistles through the lines and shrouds, straining the sails. Lightning and thunder are heavier, more frequent. The rain pours heavily while waves wash over the deck. The crew and pirates grasp anything for support as the storm

BLACK SAM treatment/13 rips sails, lines, and masts free. Finally, terrified and soaked through, they hurry below deck, thinking they are doomed. Below deck the pirates and prisoners huddle together in a corner of the hold under a rocking lantern. Cold, wet, and scared, they shiver as the raging storm echoes through the hold. Empty wine bottles and trash roll across the floor as the wind and waves roll the ship back and forth. The timbers of the ship groan under the battering gale. A pirate instructs a Mary Anne crewman to read from his of Common Prayer. * * * Book

The Whydah and Ann sail on, lead by the Fisher. The howling gale tosses the ships, dangling lines snap in the wind, waves crash against the hulls. * * *

A huge wave hits the Mary Anne, rattling the timbers. The pirates, grasping their wine bottles, and crew, cry out. The lantern flame flickers, then steadies. Death is coming. * * *

Ten miles north, the storm rages around the three ships as the Fisher turns inshore, luring the Whydah toward

BLACK SAM treatment/14 the rocks. The Whydah is battered by the storm, huge waves breaking across her bow. Howling wind blows the torrential rain horizontal, cutting through the shrouds and lines. Pirates race around the ship to make her steady, trim sails, secure lines. Sam realizes its a losing cause; hes been tricked. He can hear the nearby breakers. He orders the anchors dropped to save the ship from crashing into the rocks. The Whydah lurches as the anchors take hold and the ship begins to swing around, stern shoreward, dragging the anchors with it. It does no good. The anchor cables are cut to free the ship. A huge wave crashes into the ship, pitching it on its side. Cannons break loose, crashing across the deck. Below, more cannons break loose, crashing through bulwarks and bulkheads, and into the sea. Pirates are swept overboard, sliding across the decks, washed from the lines and shrouds - Sam among them. Masts snap and are washed away, shredded sails flap in the wind, dangling lines snap like gunfire. All across the rolling ship desperate pirates attempt to jump and swim only to be swept under. Finally, the ship completes its roll, capsized, keel up, like a turtle shell being battered

BLACK SAM treatment/15 by the waves. And in the surf just offshore, there are only two survivors of the 146 crew and prisoners who were aboard the Whydah. * * *

The morning sun rises on Nauset Beach. Ironically, the Whydah has crashed ashore within sight of Marias tar paper shack. Ship debris is everywhere, including many bodies of pirates and prisoners. Off shore rests the over turned hull of the Whydah. Scavenging villagers wander the beach, whispering among themselves that the witch on the cliffs above caused the wreck. And Maria stands above, staring down, knowing the truth of what she sees. * * *

Ten miles south, the storm is ended, the sky partly cloudy, a brisk breeze blowing. The pirates and three crew of the Mary Anne stagger on deck, realize theyve survived the nor-easter, their ship grounded on a sandbar. Delighted, they sit in the sand in the shade of the hull, drinking whats left of the wine until two locals come by, offering help. They accept, but are eventually caught by authorities as the identity of the pirates are revealed. * * *

BLACK SAM treatment/16 Sam, dazed, pained, battered and broken like his ship, staggers across the marshy landscape between brush and bushes, making his way to Wellfleet. He makes it to the tree cemetery where he had first met Maria. Then, with effort, he lies down and curls up by the tree trunk. He falls asleep and sometime during the night he dies. Hes later found by locals. * * *

Six days later - Block Island, Palsgrave and his crew ready the Marianne to sail when a surviving crewmen from the Whydah suddenly shows up. Battered and beaten, the crewman relates the tale. Saddened at the loss of his friend and fellow shipmates, Palsgrave releases Beere and his men, and then Pals and his crew sail, turning their ship south toward Nassau. THE END