Search - National Geographic - The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown on DVD

Nightmare in Jamestown keeps viewers glued

Sam Walker | Winston-Salem, NC | 02/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"National Geographic's "The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown" is a fast-paced, and engaging DVD that keeps young and old viewers attentive. The dramatizations and recreations are just graphic enough to let you know how dangerous life in the colony was (sickness, hunger, paranoia, fear of Spain). The risks these people took to begin an English colony in the "New World" are made clear. The only thing really missing from this DVD is some background about prior English/Native American interactions (dating back before the Lost Colony at Roanoke Island) that would explain why the English had misconceptions about the Native Americans, and why the Native Americans were a threat to their lives from the very beginning. This is a great teaching tool for students 5th grade and up."

Not my favorite!

YaChien Wang | East Lansing, MI, USA | 08/06/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The documentary The New World: Nightmare in Jamestown is not my favorite. In this 50-minute film, a major section was devoted to an exploration of what had happened at Jamestown from 1606 until 1612. The reporting style was similar to that of the TV series, 48 hours: mystery. You will see some skeletons on which autopsies were performed to figure out causes of the death. The sites were revisited. The Indian actors were dressed in conventional costume. However, the scenes lost the flavor of originality. What I dislike most is that causes of the voyages to Jamestown were only superficially touched, so were lingering impacts of the Jamestown legacy. If you like 48 hours: mystery and seek for only information of what had happened in the Jamestown colony during that brief period, this documentary was probably made for you. If you are interested in historical meanings of the Jamestown colony, probably you should find alternatives of information.



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Great

SS Teacher | 02/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My 5th grade students just finished watching this video. We've been discussing the 13 colonies and I bought this so that they had something "Visual" to go along with it. My kids absolutely loved it! When we finished watching, they wanted another movie just like it to tell them about some of the other colonies. It brings up information that the kids won't learn in the history books. It's a great supplement."