Customer Reviews

National Geographic - The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

National Geographic's "The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown" is a fast-paced, and engaging DVD that keeps young and old viewers attentive. The dramatizations and recreations are just graphic enough to let you know how dangerous life in the colony was (sickness, hunger, paranoia, fear of Spain). The risks these people took to begin an English colony in the "New World" are made clear. The only thing really missing from this DVD is some background about prior English/Native American interactions (dating back before the Lost Colony at Roanoke Island) that would explain why the English had misconceptions about the Native Americans, and why the Native Americans were a threat to their lives from the very beginning. This is a great teaching tool for students 5th grade and up.

The documentary The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown is not my favorite. In this 50-minute film, a major section was devoted to an exploration of what had happened at Jamestown from 1606 until 1612. The reporting style was similar to that of the TV series, 48 hours: mystery. You will see some skeletons on which autopsies were performed to figure out causes of the death. The sites were revisited. The Indian actors were dressed in conventional costume. However, the scenes lost the flavor of originality. What I dislike most is that causes of the voyages to Jamestown were only superficially touched, so were lingering impacts of the Jamestown legacy. If you like 48 hours: mystery and seek for only information of what had happened in the Jamestown colony during that brief period, this documentary was probably made for you. If you are interested in historical meanings of the Jamestown colony, probably you should find alternatives of information.

My 5th grade students just finished watching this video. We've been discussing the 13 colonies and I bought this so that they had something "Visual" to go along with it. My kids absolutely loved it! When we finished watching, they wanted another movie just like it to tell them about some of the other colonies. It brings up information that the kids won't learn in the history books. It's a great supplement.

Scene cuts every three seconds, repetitious horror-movie music, about five minutes of content stretched over an hour. Looks like it was made by a music video producer for 10-year-olds. Judging from the other comments, it is successful as a teaching tool for kids. But if you're an adult looking for a serious documentary, don't waste your time on this.

I strongly recommend this video to teachers who are covering early colonial American history in their classes. It's a great supplement to the lesson. My students were very attentive while watching this video. The acting along with the excavation sites makes everything come alive for them. They were inquisitive and always engaged. My students are eighth and tenth graders.

Educational, depicts a lot of things we weren't taught in school. Shows more how it really was back then and shows some of the hardships the new settlers endured. Glad we purchased it.

My husband and 5th grade students found this video quite interesting. Personally I wasn't so crazy about the sensationalized nature of it, but if it gets 10-year-olds excited about history, hey, that's a good deal! And it's not overly biased or poorly crafted or out of date or anything. (It IS National Geographic, after all!) If this is the only thing you're going to learn about Jamestown, it might not be your best bet historically, but it will definitely keep your interest.

This DVD is a view of Jamestown through archeological review of the site. The dangers they encountered are determined through archeological findings. They were able to determine a person's standing in the community and the role/s they played in the settlement of Jamestown. Forensic findings tell the story of Jamestown, Virginia...how they lived and how they died.

....interested so that itself is a high recommendation. The use of "pow" sounding words and exciting vocabulary makes this subject more interesting. There are several attempts to teach solid historical concepts and this would maybe work all the way down to 5th grade--in two parts w/an interesting follow up activity. Some good use of graphics as in the reconstruction of the fort that indicates the colossal amounts of both work and fear that motivated colonial people around Native Americans.

Extremely in depth, Nightmare in Jamestown tells the stories of our nations colonization like you've never heard before. With constant threats of attack from Spain or the local tribes, sickness affecting almost all the members and others succumbing to starvation, life in Jamestown was usually short lived. The film tells of how England constantly needed to resupply the colony with more members because life was so difficult that most of the population did not survive.

Reenactments are very well done and viewers are able to follow the films progression easily. While the stories are not the typical picturesque "Thanksgiving" image you are use to, they give a much more accurate portrayle of what life during this time was truly like, and done in a way that is still appropriate for most audiences. The most intense images would be those of real skeletons that were found and excavated, making this an appropriate film for students in a classroom setting.

Nightmare in Jamestown is educational and intriguing at the same time. Worth watching a few times, since you might pick up other little details after watching it a second time.