Not exactly the terror of the Caribbean

The notoriety of pirates and their villainous acts of plunder, deceit and massacre have been immortalized in countless tales. The swashbuckling cinematic fiction of The Pirates of the Caribbean has once again brought to the fore these buried tales of treasure and adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew. But, really, who is the real deal when it comes to pirates? One figure stands out from the pages of history — Blackbeard.

The historical Blackbeard is reputed to be the most infamous English pirate in the Caribbean Sea during the early 18th century. One can say that almost all pirate lore came from that era, which was the Golden Age of Piracy. Blackbeard’s lawless seafaring career only lasted a few years, but his nefarious reputation has outlived him. He had a knack for theatrics, and added to his already frightening image by wearing a crimson coat and lighting his notorious beard — woven with wicks laced with gunpowder — during battle to give off the impression of a "devil" with clouds of smoke around his head. A man of intimidating height, he also amplified his menacing appearance by having multiple weapons like two swords at his waist, and bandoleers stuffed with several pistols and knives across his chest.

Angus Macfadyen plays Blackbeard in the Hallmark TV movie.

However the original Hallmark production, Blackbeard, does not portray Blackbeard as such a terrifying character.

It is a two-part film that stars Angus Macfadyen as Blackbeard (he played the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, in the epic film, Braveheart). Much of his Scottish brogue is laid on thick in his role as the roguish mutineer-turned-captain aboard his legendary ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

This fictional story of Blackbeard begins when Lieutenant Robert Maynard is given a mission to stop piracy at the high seas. Maynard (played by Mark Umbers), is a dashing young man who finds himself besotted with a pretty heiress, then loses her by being abducted by Blackbeard and his crew. Maynard ultimately helps Blackbeard find Captain Kidd’s treasure but ends up being marooned in the island where they find it.

This film sorely lacks in production values and its portrayal of this true-to-life pirate of the Caribbean. The very thought of Blackbeard on screen would have one expecting a dark, sinister and bloodthirsty maniac, but there was none of that in this film. All the pirates look like ordinary poor folk save for Captain Hornigold whose eye patch is the only thing that gives him some semblance of a pirate. Kudos goes to Umbers who gives a realistic performance of an English soldier from the Royal Navy.

The action scenes fall short of impressive moves and excitement even if it’s a drunken brawl in a brothel. There are no twists and turns in the flow of storytelling. It has a very straightforward and linear delivery with no plot complications or flashbacks. All in all, Blackbeard — at least part one of the TV movie — is a film that doesn’t cause any sails to rise — both in and out of the sea.


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Not exactly the terror of the Caribbean