Who populated the country of Britain before the Romans, and what happened to the Romans living there when the Roman Empire fell? Why did William feel he had the right to conquer Britain in 1066? In spite of her own bravery and superb political skills why was Elizabeth I so worried by the existence of Mary Queen of Scots? And in more modern times what is a connection between Winston Churchill’s and George Orwell’s views on the development of the nation.
These are some of the questions answered in this BBC series A History of Britain, written and presented by historian and author Simon Schama.
Weaknesses as well as strengths are examined, and the effects of both are evident in this very human look at the past. Using a combination of locations, buildings, art works, weapons, fashions, and for the more current times, newsreel and video footage, this program surrounds the viewer with sights and sounds, incidents and evocative scenery, so that the people and the times really come to life.
Appropriate music, and re-enactments of key scenes are added to the mix, making the series both watchable and memorable, something that can be viewed with enjoyment numerous times.
A History of Britain is presented on five discs in an attractive book type box. Each disc contains three episodes and a special section of biographies to read more about some of the key figures. A note in the set I reviewed, discs 4 and 5 were labeled incorrectly, one for the other.
Disc One contains: Beginnings, Conquest and Dynasty, Disc Two: Nations, King Death, Burning convictions; Disc Three: The Body of the Queen, The British Wars, Revolutions; Disc Four: Britannia Incorporated, The Wrong Empire, Forces of Nature; and Disc Five: Victoria and her Sisters, Empire of Good Intentions, and The Two Winstons.
Playing time for the series is over fifteen hours, and it is presented in widescreen format. This is an excellent way to brush up on British history, or to learn it for the first time.
Forget that learning history was ever dull, the BBC and the History Channel have produced A History of Britain that is anything but stuffy. Simon Schama takes a close look at individuals who helped develop Britain as a country from the Roman times to the 20th century.
A History of Britain - The Complete Collection is now available at Amazon . As of yet, this version of the collection is not available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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