Search - True Caribbean Pirates (History Channel) on DVD

Very good DVD on pirates

Rhett D. Sorensen | Provo, Ut USA | 06/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Informative AND Entertaining!

C. Grondin | Olathe, KS USA | 11/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

A short life and a merry one

M. A. Hawk | 11/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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.

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True Caribbean Pirates (History Channel) DVD

D. L. Dodds | EL Lago, TX | 07/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

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