Product Description

In the golden age of piracy at the dawn of the 18th century blackbear stood out among the lawless rogues as the most fearsome & notorious seafarer of them all. He killed for the reputation & his reputation has become legend. Now comes the true story of the pirate edward teach blackbeard. Studio: Platinum Disc Llc Release Date: 05/01/2007 Starring: Angus Mcfadyen Jessica Chastain Run time: 169 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38039 in DVD
• Brand: ECHO BRIDGE HOME ENT.
• Released on: 2006-07-11
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 169 minutes

Features

• BLACKBEARD (DVD MOVIE)

Amazon.com
Broken into two parts, the epic Blackbeard tells the tale of this famed pirate's travails through the South Seas, beginning in 1717. Blackbeard begins with Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard (Mark Umbers) vowing to capture Blackbeard (Angus McFayden), captain of the Queen Anne, in order to make the South Seas safer. Maynard goes undercover to get hired as Queen Anne's navigator, but not before falling in love with Charlotte (Jessica Chastain), the daughter of corrupt governor of West Indies' New Providence, Charles Eden (Richard Chamberlain). As Blackbeard's crew embark on a treasure hunt, Charles Eden is exposed as being a pirate in his own right, as he heads the campaign to purchase stolen booty from various villains. He also plots to kill Charlotte, whose 21st birthday will qualify her for an inheritance that Eden has selfishly hoarded. All the while, Maynard works towards busting Blackbeard, exposing himself to multiple life-threatening situations. Accurately rendered, this dramatized biography of a world-famous pirate feels darker than other pirate films, due to its inclusion of violent pirate clichés such as people walking planks, and rum-drunk pirates torturing each other. Blackbeard's melodramatic romance between Maynard and Charlotte detracts from the film's depiction of hard-edged pirate life, but there is enough piracy here to please. --Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews

Arghh Matey!
Here is a great made-for-TV miniseries that does a fine job of capturing the mystique of the legendary (albeit infamous) pirate, Blackbeard. Angus Macfadyen nails the part of the flamboyant, reckless, merciless and rancorous buccaneer. With no offense to Mr. Macfadyen, he plays a great scoundrel!

The rest of the cast is quite good as well. Jessica Chastain is a nice fit as the timid, demure, young & innocent upper class dame who must transform into something of a tomboy in order to stand up against the nasty pirates. Mark Umbers delivers a good performance as the hero of the plot. Richard Chamberlain is an interesting choice as the corrupt governor of the Carribean province. 30 some-odd years ago Chamberlain would have been cast to play the role given to Mark Umbers.

Some other commentators have complained that the movie is not accurate. This is true: the storyline IS fictional. To preclude any confusion, it's best for the viewer to know this up-front. Instead of historical veracity, the "point" of this film is to tap into the mythology of the charismatic pirate who still reaches beyond the grave to captivate people to the present day. On that account, I believe the movie delivered what it promised. There were parts of the movie in which I thought to myself: "I bet the real Blackbeard would have been able to relate to how he was portrayed in this film." That's a very good thing in my book!

In truth, the demise of the historical Blackbeard was far more boring and anti-climactic than what happens in this film. (The real Blackbeard sunk his ship, THE QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE, and attempted to retire to the Carolinas & got caught - yawn). This is not the first film to take liberties with the lives of historical characters; I certainly don't think it should be hammered in regards to this issue.

All in all, if you like pirate movies, this one is certainly worth a look. I had no pre-conceived notions when I picked it up, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the film. One thing is for sure: after viewing this DVD you'll feel like you got a chance to peer back a few hundred years into the world of the pirates!

TRUTH IS BETTER THAN FICTION!
What seemed like a good idea at the time became a near-genuine mess with Hallmark Entertainment's "Blackbeard." Marketing it as the "true story" of the most famous pirate that ever lived, the film is anything but. Except for a few moments of truth, the story itself is almost pure fiction.
Now, I understand that a film can never be 100% historically accurate. But unlike films such as "Braveheart, "Gladiator" and "The Patriot," the writing for the movie is very disappointing. The film suffers from a hackneyed sub-plot with Maynard falling in love with the step-daughter of Governor Eden, and his "serving" with Blackbeard on the Queen Anne's Revenge for a time. Instead of moving, these scenes turn out melodramatic and uninteresting. The fight scenes for the movie are disappointing as well, failing to keep a person excited.
One of the few saving graces of the film is Angus MacFayden. Despite a tendency to mumble, he gives a fine performance as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, penetrating the pure darkness of a truly dark character. He's not perfect, but he's good nonetheless. Richard Chamberlain also turns in a fine performance as Governor Eden. But the rest of the cast deliver hackneyed, uninteresting performances.
"Blackbeard" isn't the worst film ever made, but it could've been so much better. Hallmark Entertainment had a great chance at telling a great story, and blew their opportunity. If you're looking for an interesting program about Edward Teach, then check out the National Geographic Documentary "Blackbeard: Terror at Sea." Heck, "Blackbeard's Ghost" is better than this. Other than for MacFayden's fine performance, "Blackbeard" is one to skip!
Movie/DVD Grade: D+

a little history, a little melodrama
Done for Hallmark in 2006, this more or less accurate representation of 1717 events brings us "Blackbeard" a recount of the career of Edward Teach (or Tench).Portrayed in this instance by Angus McFayden (most memorable as the disloyal Robert the Bruce in "Braveheart"), he is ruthless, coarse, and borderline psychotic - much as the real Blackbeard must have been. He forges out a small feudal kingdom in the Caribbean, eliminating rivals and legitimate tradesmen as he goes.

At New Providence, on the island of St Vincent, the corrupt governor - busy with his own plans to adopt an heiress, have her meet an untimely demise, and inherit her fortune, goes into an alliance with Blackbeard, who by this time is doing what he wants where he wants. Played with campy foppishness by Richard Chamberlain, the governor is finally laid low by Lt Robert Maynard - an actual naval officer of the Royal British Navy and the actual eliminator,also, of Blackbeard. His supposed love affair with the heiress adopted by the corrupt governor detracted from the swashbuckling tone of the movie, but had to be expected from a Hallmark effort. This was, in fact, a little bloody and gory for a family movie - especially gross was a segue from the genteel bureaucracy eating a nice rare bit of prime rib to a pirate having his fingers cut off - but overall was not a bad movie, though long (product info says 169 minutes; my dvd cover listed 189; I did not time it). For the record, the real Blackbeard never made it to shore for a first-class hanging; Maynard cut his head off at sea.

The movie isn't boring, though as I said, it's on the long side. If you have the time to give it, and Pirates of the Caribbean has piqued your interest about buccaneers, it's probably worth your time.