Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 17:11:57 06/22/06 Thu
OK, I confess, I did break down and give it another chance at 11 p.m., using all my mental powers to try and suspend my disbelief. But I still had a hard time, and I could spend well over three hours just listing all the inaccuracies (not to mention the internal flaws) that filled every scene, but I managed to resist.
Also, I much prefer the charmingly charismatic Blackbeard of Robert Newton and of recorded history to the surly bully Hallmark portrays him as (although, admittedly, they are following in the footsteps of Captain Johnson). And BTW, National Geographic is the only one who got his imposing height right--didn't this guy look downright short and dumpy compared to all the actors around him? (Robert Newton, on the other hand, could easily have been made to look the right height if they hadn't cast an obviously taller actor as the romantic lead.) I wonder if Macfadyen gained weight for the role to make himself look bigger--according to that fansite, he spends most of his time working out at the gym and kickboxing! It didn't look like it here. And did you notice the red ribbons in his beard at one point--borrowed directly from "Blackbeard the Pirate" since I don't think that's mentioned anywhere either in history or in the Captain Johnson account?
They finally did raise the appropriate jolly roger during the final battle 15 minutes from the end--as if somebody on the crew finally did some research at the last minute--but then Blackbeard's response sounds totally anachronistic: "Oh, you're raising the new jolly roger, Captain." Blackbeard: "You're damn straight I am." Ugh! What happened to infamous lines from recorded history like the following, which Blackbeard shouted back when Maynard hailed him: "Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarters, or take any from you." Maynard's own account adds that he called his crew "cowardly puppies." (To refer to anyone as any kind of dog was serious fightin' words in those days!) OK, granted, nobody these days would probably understand the original line, but they could have come up with something close!
On a more positive note (I know it doesn't seem like it, I really did try hard to keep an open mind!), notwithstanding the script and other aspects of the production, I thought the *acting* was pretty good in this one (much better than the NG version), although Richard Chamberlain was a too over the top for me. I especially liked Nigel Terry (who you don't see in the movies much) as the fictional "Calico" Billy, and the guy who played Israel Hands was pretty good too. (But what happened to the famous scene where Blackbeard lames him and he leaves the crew? Did I miss that?) Even the guy who played Maynard was pretty good, in spite of the silly fictional storyline. And I revelled in all the footage aboard the ships (although, again, I could complain that they showed the Queen Anne's Revenge as a brigantine, while in reality Blackbeard is only recorded as having sailed in a three-masted ship or a single-masted sloop, *sigh*). And at least the ending was *somewhat* reminiscent of the true story, in terms of the confrontation between Blackbeard and Maynard (like the part where Maynard's crew hid below deck to lure Blackbeard aboard, and Blackbeard continued to fight even though severely wounded, then was beheaded), but I could still list a bevy of mistakes there too. But it's best I don't say anymore about it, huh? I'm just continuing to annoy the people who somehow think it's only a movie! ;-) (I'm sorry for wanting to see the exciting *true* story brought to life by an actor who's up to the task! I'll be waiting for the remake of the NG version with a director who doesn't apparently specialize in documentaries.)
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