Videos by Subjects
Videos by Subjects
Understanding European & Western Culture
Civilisation Box Set
(1993)
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.
Rated: NR
Starring: Kenneth Clark, et al.
Edition Details:
• NTSC format (US and Canada only)
• Color, Box set, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 7
• ASIN: 078002253X
Editorial
Reviews
Amazon.com
The lavish and lengthy production of PBS's The Greeks: Crucible of
Civilization is a fitting tribute to the glory of ancient Greece, telling
the story of Greek democracy from its first stirrings in 500 B.C. through to the
cataclysmic wars that virtually destroyed the empire. It concludes with a
fascinating look at how the Greeks were defeated, yet their philosophy endured
and changed the world forever. Beautifully photographed, and with intelligent
narration delivered by actor Liam Neeson, this two-volume set goes into
considerable detail while also being engaging to the eye as well as the mind.
The photography at ancient sites is often spectacular and judicious use of
actors filmed in re-creations of critical events provide immediacy. Much of the
story relates how the Greeks essentially invented politics and democracy, and
interviews with prominent scholars of classical history provide insight into the
major characters, including Thales, Pericles, and Socrates. The stories of epic
battles on land and sea and a thoughtful treatment of the Greek ideals of
heroism are presented well. But the documentary particularly succeeds in the
latter stages, when the story turns to the downfall of Socrates and a thoughtful
explanation of how Greek philosophy transformed civilization. --Robert J.
McNamara
Video
Description
Magnificent! Stupendous! Simply awe-inspiring! The empire built by the
Greeks in the fourth and fifth centuries, B.C. is perhaps one of the most
breathtaking ever built. Not just a work of art and genius, the empire laid the
foundation for modern science, politics, warfare and philosophy. Come along and
recount the rise and fall of the legacy of an empire that marked the dawning of
the great Western civilization - the grandeur of the great philosophers, the
magnificence of the architecture, the appeal of the great heroes. It's classical
Greece like you've never seen! "The Revolution" takes you to ancient
Athens where Athenians struggle against tyrants ... "Golden Age"
replays the heroic victory over the Persian empire and tells of the startling
Greek transformation ... and "Empire of the Mind" reveals the downfall
of a glorious empire through the eyes of Socrates.
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Jones wrote the scripts for each 50-minute presentation in the four volumes of The Crusades, which originally aired on The History Channel. His narration is not without an occasional sardonic air, almost of the roll-your-eyes type, which not only lends a skeptical perspective to a frequently misunderstood era in Western Europe, but also quite frequently editorializes the events that occurred between Pope Urban II's call for liberation of Jerusalem from the "infidels" of Islam and the embarrassing moment when officers of the fourth Crusade are conned out of its divine calling by the Venetians. While Jones's reconnaissance is sometimes oversimplified by casually not mentioning several Crusade sorties after the fourth (there were several, but by the 13th century they had become redolent of ennui and misguided commercial adventure), the technical ingenuity of the production and Jones's use of anecdote backed by academicians and preserved eyewitness accounts cinches a viewer's interest. Medieval "siege machines" are re-created to test their mettle against legends of famous battles, Jones dons real 11th- and 12th-century armor to demonstrate the outlandish appearance of Crusaders in the lands of Mohammed, mosaics come to life with body-painted characters of medieval fable, and computer graphics are deployed to re-create the interior of the great cathedral at Cluny.
All these elements are contrasted with intermezzos of contemporary European and
Middle Eastern society and a moving original soundtrack to make The Crusades a
thoroughly engaging documentary of the bloodletting of medieval Christian conquests and
the ultimate result of Islamic fanaticism born from its crimson tide. In Jones's own words
at the end of Volume IV: "It took 200 years for the Crusaders to create [this] Muslim
fanaticism. It was the exact imitation of Christian intolerance." To understand the
effects of the Crusades is to understand much of today's religious geography, and Mr.
Jones and company can fairly lay claim to having helped set the record straight. --Jamie
Friddle
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