DestinationSaint Lucia I On the silver screen
Saint Lucia
on the silver screen Saint Lucia has acted as the stunning backdrop to many movies over the years
Like many of the islands in the West Indies, Saint Lucia popped up in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. When Captain Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal aboard his fast-sinking ship, he passes skeletons hanging from a natural arch with the sign “Pirates ye be warned”. The scene was filmed at Lady’s Slipper Arch, a natural rock bridge close to Marigot Bay. The brig Unicorn, which was based in Saint Lucia, was also featured in the film as the ships Henrietta and Terrasaw including a scene in which Johnny Depp walks the plank. The Unicorn used to take movie lovers on sunset cruises and treasure hunts until it sank to a watery grave on a 2014 trip to Saint Vincent for repairs. The boat also featured in 1970s television series Roots and as a slave ship in Muppet’s Treasure Island. As a result, the only way to see the Unicorn these days is to pay a visit to Davy
Jones’ Locker as a scuba diver. Older visitors to Saint Lucia’s Marigot Bay might start reminiscing for their childhood. The bay was the location for several of the scenes from 1967’s Doctor Dolittle. The movie, featuring Rex Harrison, followed the adventures of a vet who could “talk to the animals”. In the film, he visits Sea-star Island in search of a legendary giant pink snail. Sea-star Island is none other than the sandy beach of Marigot Bay. Today, you can take a free water taxi a couple of minutes across from the Marigot Bay Marina and Resort. The use of the beach as a filming location for the movie is recognised in the name of DOOlittle’s Restaurant and Bar here, part of the Marigot Beach Club (marigotbeachclub. com), a great place to sink a few sundowners. Christopher Reeves’ Superman also paid a visit to the country. In
Superman II, he takes Lois Lane to his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic and then flies halfway around the planet to get things for dinner. He stops off near the Pitons to pick some flowers for her. The largely forgotten 1985 film Water was largely filmed in Saint Lucia. On the face of it, the film had everything going for it. It was written by successful screenwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, famous for Porridge and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and the cast included Michael Caine, Leonard Rossiter and Billy Connolly. The film even included a concert scene with George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton. The country is open to helping film producers wanting to shoot in the country and have supported a number of productions to come to Saint Lucia. There are also moves to establish a film commission in the country.
Captain Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal. Photo: Disney
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