Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Dead: Irish Escape

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This overlooked episode in history has all the ingredients for a great action/adventure movie. While I have read quite a bit of Irish history, this escaped my attention, so when I saw the DVD, it seemed like a good thing to watch. And I was not disappointed.

From the beginning, the sequence of events keeps the viewer hanging on to his/her chair. If someone made this into a movie (and I'm surprised they haven't), most movie goers would think it was fiction. There were so many close calls, so much suspense, such overwhelming odds against success, and an improbable and totally insane plan for the rescue of the Fenian brothers, the planners surely had divine inspiration and assistance, and perhaps Irish luck thrown in for good measure.

One reviewer found this production disturbing (therefore only giving it four stars), claiming that these men were "terrorists" and the documentary admits as much. It does no such thing, and the word "terrorist" is not heard once. The Fremantle Six are referred to as "freedom fighters", "Fenians", "rebels", "Irish patriots", "brothers-in-arms", and "traitors to the British crown". They can't be compared to modern-day terrorists. Fenians were fighting for freedom in and of their homeland (Ireland) from the brutal, heavy-handed, tyrannical rule of England under which the Irish populace enjoyed literally no freedoms. Remember, the Great Famine occurred only about 30 years earlier, causing the deaths of possibly two million, and the emigration of millions more, while food grown in Ireland was exported to England. They fought for freedom for their land and their people; today's terrorists want to destroy us and our freedom.

This is an inspirational event in history which is well-presented, so well that the viewer will feel he is right there in the midst of it all. If you're Irish (and even if you're not), love history, a good story, and need a bit of an Irish "fix", this is a must-see.

This is the kind of story that i would expect from hollywood thrilling, daring, dangerous, terrible odds, the evil enemy and success but unlike hollywood its true. A story about freedom fighters captured, imprisoned and the epic rescue they were part of. This is the kind of story that inspires.

A lot of documentaries have cheesy reenactments that take up little of the work and obviously don't require much effort. This work was the exact opposite. It was almost like a movie with narration, rather than a screenplay. The settings and outfits looked very real for the period. Plus, many scenes took place at sea, and you know most documentary makers won't spend money to realize that. Still, one person wore a long beard that was obviously a fake.

A ship of Irish Americans travel all the way to Australia to free some Irish nationalists who the British imprisoned. If you liked Eastwood's "Escape from Alcatraz," then you will like this. If you like being on the edge of your seat, with your heart in your throat, worried that the main characters won't succeed with their plan, then this is for you.

One interviewer was such a character that the documentary makers must have focused upon him for a reason. He had huge Dizzy Gillespie cheeks, pronounced cheek dimples like Mario Lopez, and a chin curtain. He spoke with a bit of a brogue. I think he was included to add to the Irish-ness of the work. The documentary interviewed male and female experts, both Irish and non-Irish.

Here's the problem: these freed prisoners were terrorists and the documentary admits this. Nowadays, we don't want people using bombs and causing chaos to promote their causes, so it may difficult for many viewers to applaud the deceased people here. Some viewers may be very disturbed with how the unethical acts of these men were never condemned by the documentary makers. Many viewers could benefit from seeing this alongside watching "Borstal Boy," and possibly "Michael Collins."

To anyone who condems terrorism.
What is terrorism? how do you define it?. The reason you dont see definitions of terrorism widely used is that state violence will fall under the same definition.State violence has killed at least 200 million people since the discovery of america,yet somehow we are not afraid of it.What we call terrorism is a reaction to state violence. Since the discovery of America terrorism has killed less than 1% of state sponsored deaths.More people are killed by bees!!Malnutrition kills four thousand times more than terrorists..What a bunch of cowards we are in the western world to suggest that terrorism is a prominant problem.During WW2 poland suffered most losing at least 25% of its population, The Irish people suffered similar losses four times in the last 500 years a fact that is lost to History because the Victors get to write it.
The fact that I say these things does not mean I support Terrorism, If I say it is worse to cut off someones head than to cut off their finger does not mean that I am in favour of cutting off fingers. The problem with people who condemn terrorism is that they refuse to understand it, If your car breaks down it wont help if you assault the car or refuse to negotiate with the car, the only thing that will help is to understand the workings of the car.
Like one of the other rewiewers I am quite familiar with Irish history but had little knowledge of this escape, Im sure if a similar escape was carried out by a brit we would all know about it.
This was a great story unfortunatly rare in the persecution of the weak by the strong, I live in Australia and was shocked by the treatment of convicts here in the past,Its hard to imagine that the Holocaust victims or the slaves of the US suffered as much misery as the convicts (and aborigional people) of Australias past(though not in the same numbers)