Question

In your review cover what this disease is (the Black Death), how it got to Europe, and its impact on Europe. Also include whether you liked the documentary and why or why not (this is a film review).

Answer 1

In the mid-1300s, the Black Death was a destructive worldwide outbreak of bubonic plague that affected Europe and Asia. In October 1347, when 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina, the plague arrived in Europe. A terrible surprise was witnessed by people gathering on the docks: most of the sailors onboard the ships were dead, and those left living were gravely sick, coated with black boils that oozed with blood and pus. The Sicilian authorities hastily sent the fleet of "hell ships" out of the harbour, but it was too late: the Black Death will kill more than 20 million people in Europe over the next five years , nearly one third of the population of the continent.

The plague never truly stopped because, years later, it emerged with a vengeance. However, by keeping arriving sailors in isolation, authorities in the Venetian-controlled port city of Ragusa were able to limit the spread until it was apparent they did not bring the disease, causing social distancing that relied on isolation to limit the spread of the disease.

Thus, between the bloodthirsty true believers and an almost similarly bloodthirsty band of non-believers, the film orchestrates a test of will and confidence. You barely know who to hope for, which is the point of the storey, but one that causes all of these lamentable human beings to have little emotional involvement.

An all-British cast brings ample vigour to these positions, including John Lynch as the second knight in charge, Andy Nyman as the eager torturer, Emun Elliott as a mercenary fighter, and Tim McInnerney as the glibly smiling assistant of the town chief. The Sachsen-Anhalt area of Germany is ideal for the dim, brooding architecture and cinematography that rule out all colours other than those that nature would offer on a gloomy day in a swampy bog. A hand-held camera and the grim specifics contribute to the impression that a documentary team transported back to the 14th century somewhere in time.