Customer Reviews

True Caribbean Pirates (History Channel)

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

 

 

A very fun, exciting, and educational DVD on select famous pirates and their plunders/demises. It it a little gruesome at times.(mostly just the discriptions of gruesome things the pirates did to torture people) So it may be too much for younger kids.
It also would have been nice had they included some other pirates, like those of the Barbary coast and maybe some Asian one's as well. It definitely could have covered more ground. Perhaps they will make a second edition to it some day. All in all I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

The DVD was good, but there were some pirates that were not shown like Captain Kidd that was also a famous pirate of his time. Over all a good make almost hollywood style film.

Despite a few flaws, there is enough in "True Carribbean Pirates" to hold both the general and informed viewer for a little bit. Focusing on the rise of piracy and the histories of Sir Henry Morgan, William Jennings, Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Calico Jack, and Bart Roberts, it does cover most of the notable names. Yes, there are a few omissions there, but with the film's presentation of their stories in an interconnected manner adding another person like Kidd or somesuch would have interrupted the flow.

These are after all pirates, so there are a few violent moments but nothing too severe (I think) for very young kids, otherwise they'd love the film. The worst are: the torture of a man via being lifted by his genitals and subsequent death during an attack on a town(you can't really tell what's being done all the time from the camera angle), a few slit throats (which are shown really in profile with no blood), a moment where Mary Read uncovers herself to Calico Jack to prove she is a woman (she is shown unbuttoning her shirt and then a pan to Jack's stunned reaction), and a hanging that never occured on Bart Roberts' ship.

Therein is one of the small flaws of the production, it is not entirely accurate. Presented by various pirate "experts," it still purports a few historical myths, especially of Blackbeard and Roberts (whom, it is claimed, hanged the governor or Martinique from his ship when he never did) and glosses over some personal details for Morgan (he didn't exactly die peacefully as is shown) and Read (who was married at the time of her death, they probably neglected that as it would make her appear feminine). The film does end abruptly though, with its CGI being nothing special (location shots are much better) but the battles done nicely for the production level. The pirate experts shown contain various authors, I would not really recommend their books, instead of one likes this film turn to "If a Pirate I Must Be" for Roberts or "Pirates: Terror on the High Seas...." for a wider scope in time and coverage. Otherwise I recommend the program highly.

If you want to watch an enjoyable documentary about true pirates in the Caribbean during the 17th century then look no further. You don't learn about all the famous pirates or everything that the pirates are about because there just isn't enough time but you do learn a lot. I learned some new things about pirates and about some famous ones too. The re enactments are presented in a more stylized movie form rather than the usual chessy low budget ones that a lot of documentarys have.

So if want to learn more about pirates from a documentary that isn't too boring then this is the one for you.

This documentary has excellent production value all around. Well-researched and well-funded, it unfolds the history of piracy with the visual style of a Hollywood action film, and is just as engrossing. The bonus "Making of" featurette is also masterfully done. Five stars!

I first saw this movie on the History channel and was looking for it everywhere and everywhere I looked it cost a lot, until I found a good deal on here. I think it's a good educational movie on pirates and the actors did a good job at bringing the characters to life. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves pirates as much as I do.

Harrr... As always the History Channel has another great pirate DVD! This is a great collection to my pirate DVD's!

Excellent. It you ever wondered about Pirates in the Caribbean, this is just the DVD. You will not be disappointed. A DVD to watch again & again.