Review of Blackbeard: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean

Introduction

Avast me hearties, belay yer swabbing, stop up the bung holes and tie down the bilge rats - it`s only the DVD release of `Blackbeard: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean`, a two-part joint co-production from the BBC and the National Geographic Channel. It`s an account of the life of the most famous salty seadog of `em all, a man once known as Edward Teach, who would become a pirate of lubber legend, and go on to blaze a trail of terror from the Bahamas to Boston in the early 18th century.

Starring James Purefoy as the follicly extravagant captain, and James Hillier as his first mate Gibbons, this one`s not to be confused with the Blackbeard miniseries recently shown on Sky One, the one with ol` whitebeard Stacy Keach and the other bloke with the beard, the fella who played Robert The Bruce in `Braveheart`. Arrrr, there be far too many beards...

Video

A mostly good looking 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, albeit appearing a little soft at times with some occasional grain and a few artefacts on display during the darker scenes. Decent enough overall, though, complemented by some vibrant period sets and authentic looking costuming.

There`s a rather bogus layer change after 90 minutes as the image freezes then skips a second or two. Note: not cool

Audio

A solid Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track, perfectly suited to the dialogue driven narration and the occasionally rousing score.

Features

Looks like someone`s pillaged and plundered the extras section of the disc, leaving ne`er a sign o` booty. Gar, the swines!

Conclusion

`Blackbeard: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean` is a typically romanticised notion of the pirate life, although it does appear to try hard to stick to the actual facts as we know them. It`s a portrayal of Teach and his ilk not as cruel, bloodthirsty, murdering thieves, but as honourable, almost noble scoundrels done wrong and set upon a path of high seas skullduggery by pompous politicians working on behalf of scheming governments and their amoral armed forces leaving sailors high and dry after the war of the Spanish succession. Blackbeard himself is painted as no less than a handsome and charming fellow, a man with a penchant for philosophy and a taste for the theatrical - a far cry from the boarish oaf stereotype created in his image.

Which is fine and well, except it sits at a queer juxtaposition to their actions displayed in this pseudo-history lesson, the harsh manner in which they go about looting every ship that looks like it might carry a few pounds of gold or a barrel of rum. Questionable character assertions aside, the dashing James Purefoy makes a fairly convincing pirate (although he`d make a better James Bond) and the narration from shipmate Isreal Hands (Mark Noble) is interesting and informative, used as the primary source to carry the narrative and makes a point of avoiding the, "oh noes, it`s a half-hearted edu-drama" territory.

It`s a pleasant watch, although it hardly goes to any great length to secure enthrallment, and with convincing performances, a good pace and a few flourishes or piratey humour thrown in for good measure, it`s not a bad bag overall if pirates are your cup of tea. As it traces the course of Blackbeard himself, some of the more interesting peripheral characters are limited in their screen time (such as Frenchie, the pretty cabin boy with breasts) and it`s a little disappointing to see them travel through the story remaining half-drawn. It would also have been of some benefit if the drama had gone a little further into the past of Edward Teach, back to before his pirating days, if only to add to the dramatic impact of his rise from notoriety to legend. Saying that, it appears that little is known about the early years of the grizzly bandit, and I doubt very much there`s a Blackbeard estate to help with factual accuracy. Oh well...