National Geographic - Beyond the Movie - Troy

Starring:Beyond the Movie-Troy
Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Product Type: DVD

Description

No single story in western civilization has continuously inspired and intrigued more people than the Trojan tale of war and deception. But, did a place called Troy really exist? Was Homer's epic more than just an engaging story? Join us in the search for a lost world and unravel the mysteries that swirl around this ancient city. Through stunning recreations and the perspectives of international scholars, National Geographic transports you back in time as we explore the ancient legends of this fabled city.

Customer Reviews:

My 7 year old daughter liked it.......2006-01-03

My daughter Sonya asked me to write a review and tell she really liked the DVD.

Now my two cents. Basically the main line of this story is if the site currently known as Troy is the Troy from the Iliad. A few experts are sharing their opinions and their conclusion is basically yes, it could be that Troy. But this film doesn't tell much about the Iliad, a lot of time is spent showing the modern time actors playing ancient scenes somewhere in the US (not very convincing to my taste). Another big part of the file is about the treasure known as the Gold of Troy, currently held in Moscow. There is some interesting footage from Turkey and Greece, but unfortunately, not as much as I would expect.

Overall, this is an interesting program to watch especially if you going to see the movie "Troy". But it could've been done better. Too much modern stuff, too little about the ancient Troy.

More like 2 1/2 stars..........2005-07-07

Not as bad as the Alexander fiasco that NG put out, this has more to do with the search for Troy than the Iliad. Even so, I still dispise using Roman God names while reading from Homer, which happened.

It certainly could have been better, but it certainly could have been much worse.

I wanted my hour back.......2004-07-01

This was very disapointing. The re-enactments were horrible. Watch In Search of the Trojan War instead its long but it provides a lot more information or better yet read "The Ancient Greece of Odysseus" by Peter Connolly.

Save your money, pass this one by.......2004-06-30

I can't help but wonder if I saw the same video as those who gave this five stars. When I bought it I was really looking forward to it - in that I have a great many National Geographic Video's, all of which are very good. This one is not up to their standards.
The re-enactments are really bad (they look more like Romans rather than bronze age greeks). I was also underwhelmed by the information or lack of.

Boring and not worth the price........2004-06-20

I was very disappointed. These National Geographic specials are usually quality productions. But this one seems more of an afterthought than a serious effort. The actors walk around in cheap high school costumes that make no effort at all to be historical. And the expert commentary seems very tongue-in-cheek. Nothing in this special is at all special. I really expected better.
Check out Michael Wood's "In Search of the Trojan War" instead. It has more of what you expected to be in this DVD.

National Geographic - Beyond the Movie - Alexander

Average customer rating:

Bruce Hodson
History mixed with unfoundable acqusations
very good
Understanding Alexander
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY !!!!!!!!

National Geographic - Beyond the Movie - Alexander
Starring: Beyond the Movie-Alexander
Manufacturer: Nat'l Geographic Vid
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The True Story of Alexander the Great (History Channel)
National Geographic - Beyond the Movie - Troy
Alexander the Great - Myth and Reality
Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
The Real Alexander the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Ruled the World

ASIN: B0002V7U2I
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Customer Reviews:

Bruce Hodson.......2006-11-10

Excellent programme, smartly produced holding one's attention throughout. Another first for National Geographic. Quickly despatched.

History mixed with unfoundable acqusations.......2006-02-19

The "documentary" begins and implies that both Alexander the Great and his father Philip of Macedonia, were gay-ish...
A gay or bi-sexual person (as the documentary more or less characterises Alexander and Philip) could not and cannot conquer the world. A person who cannot recognize reality from myth or fiction, can not lead troops and win battles one after another, like Alexander did. A psychopath or crazy person could not unite all Greek states (who first discovered democracy)and go on freeing the rest of the known world from the Persian ruler.
Those who try to stick adjectives like crazy, gay, or anything else but a natural leader and strategy genious, should consider the above. The rest of us should try to exercise some critical thinking to what is served to us and not take as granted everything we watch on the television.

very good.......2005-07-25

I am no specialist in anything about antiquity. I am also not a military history buff. I often pick up random documentaries about historical topics, to supplement my lack of background in western civ.

I study comparative literature, so historical references, especially those of the classics, constantly come up all the time.

I would fully recommend this documentary to the wide audience it is meant for.

It is too basic for you if you are one of those guys whose mind is like a file-cabinet of historical data, both useful and otherwise.

However, it is great for the non-expert who doesn't have the luxury of time and concentration to dedicate to Alexander the Great. This documentary is more than informative.

Understanding Alexander.......2005-06-26

First I'd like to reply to the previous reviewer: The quote simply means that Alexander was complex--from what we know of him, he encompassed all these things, but a *lot* of what we know about him is built-up myth, hence "and perhaps none." It's an obvious statement, but it's a good segue for people who don't know about Alexander.

Secondly, yes, this film reeks of "cheesy" historical documentary, but it's entertaining and informative. The intent was to give people a "true" (from what we know) history behind the Hollywood-driven movie (which flopped anyway--I'll be interested to see Baz Luhrman's movie if he's still going to do it), and it did that. It explores psychological motives, military strategy, and even major characters influenced by Alexander as late as George Patton. There's also a decent short on the influence of the Iliad on Alexander. That one's not quite as interesting, in that it's basically an overview of the Iliad. It's also clear that they were targeting the movie-going audience by referring to "Troy" rather than Homer's Iliad.

All in all, I enjoyed this video. Alexander comes through in all his complexity here, and this is only a tiny scratch in the scholarship on him.

Those interested in Robin Lane Fox's work might want to take a look, as he is interviewed in this video. Other scholars interviewed are: Paul Cartledge, John Maxwell O'Brien, Joseph Scholten, Colonel Lance Betros, David Byers Millers, Partha Bose, and Andrew Chugg.

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY !!!!!!!!.......2004-11-08

What utter nonsense ! Dreadful drech; one example : at the start an American ( so-called scholar) declaims " He was a wise man and a murderer ; a genius and a psychopath . He was all these things and perhaps none of them ." What the hell is THAT supposed to mean ???!!!!!!!!!It's all down hill from there.

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