Russia - Land of the Tsars (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)This documentary is fascinating in its sweep of the complex history of Russia, though the production is not top notch, and relies heavily on poorly filmed re-enactments, mostly of just hands, feet, and horses hooves, and repeated shots of lightning streaking across the sky, or blood dripping on the floor, to emphasize the drama of a scene. It is peppered with interviews with professors and historians, who provide intriguing insights into the methods and habits of the Tsars.
The first tape starts out by giving the lay of the immense land, and the rivers that were the roadways in the early days of this "nation of many nations", the Mongol invasions, Prince Vladimir, who was the first powerful leader and brought the people together using religion as the unifying force, and then moves on to the lives of the Tsars.
Visually, the final tape is the best, because it includes extraordinary, rare, early 20th century photos and films, of events like the war with Japan, and personages like Lenin. Perhaps the most incredible, poignant footage is of "Bloody Sunday", that shows the peaceful marchers being shot down. Those familiar with David Lean's version of "Doctor Zhivago", will recognize this tragic episode of history that was such a memorable scene in the film.
It has an excellent, atmospheric score by Gary Pozner, which has occasional echoes of Moussorgsky and Tchaikovsky, and greatly enhances and adds emotional impact to this documentary. Written and produced by Don Campbell, and narrated by Edward Herrmann, this is an easy way to digest a lot of history, and for those interested in Russia, I also recommend James Billington's superb "The Face of Russia".
Winston Churchill said "Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma", and watching this documentary helps to shed some light on the puzzle that is the great and beautiful land of Russia.

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RUSSIA:LAND OF THE TSARS - DVD Movie

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The History Channel Presents The Presidents (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)The History Channel re-aired this series recently in a marathon one Saturday. I was at work, and it was a slow day, and we happened to turn on the TV when the programs were up to about Abraham Lincoln, in the early afternoon. For the remainder of the day, besides a few minutes here and there of having to take phone calls, my co-worker and I were absolutely glued to the TV. When 4:00 came around, I got home as quick as I could, and my fiancee and I saw and watched at least another hour of the program together.
Of course, the programs are not as in-depth as some of the more serious history buffs might have hoped for, but they were great for providing not only a general overview of each President's administration, but also for giving you a sense of the feel of the times in which each President lived; plus there was plenty of misc. trivia along the way - "useless information", as I like to call it - and I loved that, as well, because it's just interesting stuff that you would never hear in a history class.
My fiancee and I intend to buy this program and show it to our kids one day, because it seemed very much to us like something that would be good for them, and we plan to put a lot of work into their education.
In short, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND this series.

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