The Abrafaxe – Under The Black Flag (German: Die Abrafaxe – Unter schwarzer Flagge and also known as The Pirates of Tortuga: Under The Black Flag) is a German film directed by Gerhard Hahn and Tony Power. It was released in 2001 and is based on the popular and long running German comic strip series Die Abrafaxe by Lona Rietschel and Lothar Dräger.
Contents
Plot
The lead characters are three kids named Abrax, Brabax and Califax (Alex and Max in English). They sneak into the back of the museum where they find a rare golden Aztec bowl. While playing around with it, its layers move, and they are transported back in time. Both Abrax and Brabax land in the cargo hold of a Spanish galleon under captain Don Archimbaldo.
Califax lands in the pirate city of Tortuga governed by legendary beautiful and dangerous pirate Anne Bonny. Eventually Anne Bonny together with Abrax, Brabax, Califax and her crew uncover the secret island and treasure of El Dorado.
When Abrax, Brabax and Califax decide that it is time to go home, they use the rare Aztec golden bowl to return to the museum where they put back the bowl. They are caught by a security guard and the museum tour guide, then released. Just when they are outside of the museum, they see a light similar to the one before when they were travelling, but now on top of the museum. (It is known that by accident the security guard of museum and the museum tour guide travelled in time, with a new adventure beginning where the old one left off.)
Cast and characters
Original German version
Kim Hasper – Abrax (Alex in the English version)
David Turba – Brabax (Max in the English version)
Ilona Schulz – Califax
Nena – Anne Bonny
Helmut Krauss – Blackbeard
Santiago Ziesmer – Don Archimbaldo
Wilfried Herbst – Prado
Ulrich Voß – Shanty
Michael Pan – Carlos
Stefan Friedrich – Juan
English-dubbed version
Justin Bradley – Califax
Holly Gauthier-Frankel – Anne Bonny
A.J. Henderson – Blackbeard/Prado
Rick Jones – Don Archimbaldo
Susan Glover – Museum Curator
Release
The film was released on DVD in the United Kingdom in 2007 by Brightspark Productions. In 2012, Brightspark re-released the film under the name Pirates! as a way to piggyback on the release of The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!.