Amazon.com

Can you handle the truth? If you're Mickey Mouse, George Will, a Philip Morris executive, or any one of the corporate no-good-doers who pollute the environment, abandon their customers, or cheat their workers, best be on your guard: Michael Moore has got your number, or at the very least, your home address! Moore, muckraking journalist, guerilla filmmaker (Roger & Me), and all-around nonpartisan offender, follows up his Emmy-winning, albeit short-lived, TV series TV Nation with this even more confrontational series that can be seen on Bravo ("Between the Playboy Channel and Cartoon Network"). This set contains all the episodes from the show's premiere season. It is perhaps the most outrageous television you have never seen. The series is much more than Moore "going in someplace to bug somebody." There is method to Moore's madness. His outrage is palpable as he shames an insurance company into paying for a customer's life-or-death pancreas transplant by staging the man's mock funeral outside corporate headquarters. At the height of Monica-gate, Moore shows Washington, D.C., what a real witch-hunt looks like, complete with shrieking costumed Pilgrims. Other season 1 highlights include the return of Crackers, the plucky Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken, who visits Disneyland to advise Mickey Mouse about Disney's alleged unfair labor practices. Moore also spreads holiday jeer inside Philip Morris by leading a choir of cigarette-ravaged carolers, each of whom must use a voice box. The Awful Truth is not for the faint of heart (or conservatives, for that matter). As Moore remarks after a segment in which his "Gay Team" cruises America in a pink Sodommobile, "We'll never be back on NBC now." You go, Mike!

In the sophomore season, Moore rails against politics as usual and exposes what he calls your "basic, everyday, run of the mill evil corporations." The Awful Truth was anything but comfort television, as witness the episode "Compassionate Conservative Night," in which "Team Dow" and "Team Nasdaq" engage in such contests as "Dunk the Homeless" and "Pie the Poor." In another segment, Moore launches an orange day-glow wallet exchange program after a spate of shootings in which police mistook African American victims' wallets for firearms. Moore makes hay with the 2000 presidential election. In one audacious segment, he offers his support to any candidate who will jump into the Awful Truth's portable mosh pit. George W. Bush's response, "Go find real work," made its way into Fahrenheit 9/11. Only Alan Keyes is game, incurring attacks by the other candidates during a televised debate. In this series' version of a Very Special Episode, Moore presents a short film he directed, "The Choice," in which Moore runs a Ficus plant against an unopposed candidate for the New Jersey House of Representatives.Throughout the season, Moore plants the seeds that will pollinate in his two controversial cross-over theatrical documentaries. Anticipating Bowling for Columbine, one segment takes aim at the NRA with the introduction of a new gun mascot, Pistol Pete, a costumed weapon, who is summarily tossed out of a Las Vegas gun show, NRA headquarters, and our nation's capitol. Moore also turns up the temperature on then-Texas Governor George W. Bush in a segment that pits the man who would be president against his brother Jeb to see which of their respective states, Texas or Florida, will prevail in the number of executions. For a brief and shining moment, the revolution was televised. At 30 minutes an episode, The Awful Truth remains swift (or Swiftian) satire. For fans, this two-disc set will complete the Moore manifesto, and give more ammunition to his critics. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (36)

can't handle the truth?
I feel an overwhelming sadness for people who are so polarized by the convictions their daddies instilled in them that they cannot think for themselves. Michael Moore has an agenda: that is true. But he also uses only facts and TRUTH. For lies, check out Rush Limbagh or the Fox News channel. Anyone shopping at Amazon lives in a free country, and it is the duty of all free people to think for themselves and look at all sides of every issue. That most of America refuses to do so is a travesty in itself. And this is the heart of Michael Moore's documentaries. You don't have to agree with everything he says, but you have to be open to being challenged by facts you have not been exposed to before. You have to realize that sometimes (gasp!) the powers that be LIE. Once upon a time investigative reporters were hailed for their duty to the people when they uncovered hidden truths such as the Watergate scandal. Now most people want to ignore the truth and stay locked in their happy bubbles. Michael Moore is here to pop those bubbles, and it is about time someone did. This series is a great place to start, since it is not too much information at once when taken episode by episode. As a whole, this program is powerful, revealing, sometimes shocking, and always entertaining. The point here is to THINK, not to accept blindly. This should be required viewing for everyone.

Love the DVD
I watched this series on Bravo and Michael Moore has a lot of hear and soul and guts. He's filled with empathy for his fellow beings, and it's not just lip service empathy. He used to make 15,000 year for many years and worked to get what he has now.

He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Vote for the party that doesn't have Ashcroft! Bush is nothing compared to Ashcroft. This guy quotes Al Capone. People generally quote people they admire. Martin Luther King, for example, quoted Mohandas Ghandhi. John Ashcroft quotes a Mafioso. That's really nice.

Why Are People So Angry?
I appreciate having the opportunity to see things from different perspectives. That's just what Michael Moore presents. Intellegent, curious, well informed individuals are not threatened by his extremist points of view. Thinking, questioning, people of moral character welcome the opportunity to evaluate situations, people, policies etc. in manner presented by NO ONe ELSE. He provides one more data point...the continum and complexity of situations require us to evaluate the whole picture. It is our responsibility to weigh all the information... not just what we like to hear or what is popular. His positions create tension, tension creates dialogue, dialogue encourages learning. Why are people so angry... our country was built on questioning the status quo... isn't that a good thing?

What a waste of space
I do not think about Michael Moore, other than in disgust. What a waste of an intelligent (if he even is) human being. What a waste of a human life...his.

Find a cause worth living for, Mr. Moore. There are people with AIDS in Africa, starving in the Sudan and India - and all you can see is the nose at the end of your face. Again, what a waste.

My attitude is, change the channel and ignore this man. Since when is crudeness worthly of being thought provoking?

yulk.

I actually watched the episodes
Has anyone noticed that the negative reviews on this DVD collection mention absolutely nothing about the content of the material itself. Moore's segments on corporate crime, corporate greed and the social plight of many in this country is eye opening. Compared to many of this country's forefathers Moore is closer to being a "Real American" than the vast majority of his critics. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A magnificent series.
The DVDs faithfully reproduce the videotapes; I see complaints about the quality of the transfer as unjustified. One would think from reading the other reviews that the DVDs are somehow technically defective; this isn't the case. They don't improve on the original footage, but who reasonably expects them to do that?

This is a fascinating documentary series, covering a retracement of the Silk Road from east to west, as recorded by NHK over the course of several years, beginning in 1979. This set contains the first dozen episodes, part I of the series (Boxed Set 1 and Boxed Set 2, which is not to be confused with Silk Road II, the final 18 episodes). It begins in Chang-An and ends in the Pamirs. Part II, alas, doesn't seem to have made it to DVD; that covers the journey from Central Asia to Rome.

Titles of the episodes in this set are:
The Glories of Ancient Chang-An
A Thousand Kilometers Beyond the Yellow River
The Art Gallery in the Desert
The Dark Castle
In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-Lan
Across the Taklamakan Desert
Khotan -- Oasis of Silk and Jade
A Heat Wave Called Turfan
Through the Tian Shan Mountains by Rail
Journey into Music -- South Through the Tian Shan Mountains
Where Horses Fly Like the Wind
Two Roads to the Pamirs

TOO BAD
We have watched the series on VHS--also a very poor transfer but fascinating film. I had hoped the DVD would be a good transfer but sounds as if that is not the case.

Outstanding documentary
The content of this documentary is outstanding. Though the video deficiency is not as bad as previous reviews suggest, the content more than makes up for it. I give it a 4-star rating because of the technical deficiency. If not, this is definitely 5-star material.

Content 5 stars--video 3 stars
Having watched this entire set, I can say that the quality of the content outweighs any qualms about sound or video quality. Yes, the picture looks more like an old VHS tape than a new DVD, but it's not THAT bad. I found it it didn't get in the way of enjoying one of the best documentaries ever made. Bottom line: if you're picky--make that super picky--about video quality, avoid this. If, however, you are really interested in an excellent documentary on the Silk Road, then take the plunge. You won't be disappointed.

thanks for the helpful review
After reading the one star review, I was really glad to have checked reviews before buying it. As a doctor, I really have no problems spending thousands of dollars per month on dvds. But once you get a lemon, you are very very annoyed. I must thank the reviewer for pointing out the poor transfer to dvd. As for myself, I am a Kitaro fan. Hey, how can you do justice to Kitaro with a MONO soundtrack. Joke, right? ... Read more

Description

From National Geographic Television and Thirteen/WNET New York, Africa is a groundbreaking eight-hour series captured over two years of filming in 11 countries.

This epic series presents Africa through the eyes of its people, conveying the diversity and beauty of the land and the compelling personal stories of the people who shape its future.

Africa contains eight hours plus one-hour bonus program, "The Making of Africa." ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An extraordinary voyage
This series is absolutely stunning in many ways. First and foremost, the cinematography is breathtaking, from the verist handheld shots to the almost abstract compositions of aerial 90 degree and macro shots. Ron Fricke's Baraka has had a lot of influence on the documentary genre, and there are plenty of Baraka-type moments in here, with assorted new age-ish world music pastiches to support them.
But show is not all there is. The script is beautifully written, with just the right balance between narration and interviews, and editing that lets the product breathe, and the viewer reflect. The agility with which the episodes branch out from the story of individuals to natural, historical, social and cultural references is impressive. And amazingly, you never loose touch with reality, since the documentary's transcendence lies upon the day-to-day lives and thoughts of its subjects.
You also feel the respect the crews had for their subjects, and the «making of» bonus shows it well. Ethnological research ethics are respected, in a world where ethical rules towards the «Other» are too often pushed aside by the greed of producers and researchers.
All in all an amazing document to be viewed over and over again. This is one boxset I highly recommend.

This is Full Screen
I was just about to order this set, but just before checkout i realized that Amazon is only offering this in the FULL SCREEN Version.
Unfortunately, I am not willing to watch this wonderful series with sides cut off............

FIVE STARS for the Content

Africa- GOD'S GIFT
Two Words. National Geographic. I subscribed to the magazine, saw the atlas, and rented the movies at the Anna Lemmon Wheelock Library in Tacoma very frequently. National Geographic took us through the enchanted Amazon, and great cities like Rome, Baghdad, and Sydney. They took us through the terrifing wars of Iraq and explored the top of K2 and Mount Everest. They did documentaries on cats, tigers, lions, lizards, and traveled with Steve Irwin through Australia. Now they take on the biggest challenge yet. AFRICA "GOD'S GIFT".

I call Africa "God's Gift" because in my prospective, he did something special with it. Every continent has something special to it but Africa has a little bit more. It was featured on CBS's "Survivor Africa" as they went through exciting challenges and tasks in Kenya. The northern part of Africa, now in a country called "Egypt", had ancient lands in early times. The people built sphinxs, prymids and had very hard jobs which they did for most of the day for little or no pay.

National Geographic did their best for this and accomplished their mission at the same time. Their mission for "Africa" was to get a television special and feature Africa's best features. I can definatley tell you, that if you want to see something neat and experiance Africa at the same time, this is for you.

Don't get overeactive about this it is a great special but, you shouldn't get carried away. OK maybye you can get carried away. It's wonderful without a doubt and shows everything about this splendid continent.

Give it a try. Go ahead!

Have a good life America!,
Jeffrey Alan Cote'
(brazilgamer_tacomawa)

Wonderfully touching
This DVD series uses a refreshing and unique way to tell the story of the people, places and animals of Africa. The personal stories were touching, the landscapes were breathtaking and the close up on the animals was just amazing.

I was very happy to see a series that did not just identify what's wrong with Africa, but took the time to tell us so much of what is right and is worth saving and exploring. Timely indeed!!!

In so many ways this was more than just a documentary. This in-depth and honest look probably saved all the other documentaries or books that are about Africa.

I am glad to see that so many Africans are proud of their culture, many preserve it in so many ways and yet realize that some changes are necessary to keep pace in a global environment.

Thanks to all the wonderful people from the different countries on that beautiful continent that allowed me to peek into their lives. I am eternally grateful. Thanks also to the wonderful crew that did all the work to bring such remarkable stories into my living room. It was well worth the hard work. It was just wonderfully touching!!!

Some serious problems, and lacking extras?
From the technical point of view, the images are crisp and the sound is excellent. However, this series was shot on film, and transfer to the NTSC 29.97 frame rate just isn't good. I think the PAL version must be so much better. As a result, there are many shots where motions are jerky. I am not talking about the timelapse, ok? Those are very well done!

Second issue is that this compilation has no extras except the 1-hour "bonus" making-off, and soem web links. Where are the directors' commentary? Where are the multiple languages? The whole series doesn't even have subtitle!? This is such a shame. If you have seen an IMAX DVD before, you know what I mean, they pack so much extras into their DVDs, like 4-5 languages, closed captioned for the Hearing Impaired, trailers etc. Africa is a wonderful collection, only marred by its lack of extras, which are already becoming essentials in DVDs these days. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The hypocrisy of the U.S. government is powerfully scrutinized in Distorted Morality, a scathing thesis presented by renowned scholar Noam Chomsky. Speaking before an intimate audience at Harvard University on February 6, 2002, Chomsky sets fair and logical parameters to his thesis (namely, we are all hypocrites and, for the purposes of debate, the U.S. government should always be given benefit of the doubt) before outlining, with academic precision and citation of real history (as opposed to biased written history), the reasons why America's post-9/11 war on terror is a logical impossibility.

This, according to Chomsky's carefully supported analysis, is because the U.S. government has been, and continues to be, a major supporter of state-supported terrorism, favoring retaliatory or preemptive aggression over mediation in the world court, and avoiding accountability by excluding itself from the globally accepted definition of terrorism. (To underscore his point, Chomsky repeatedly volunteers his sources, inviting scrutiny at every turn.) With an additional hour-long Q&A session (in some ways more compelling, since it offers Chomsky's response to opposing viewpoints), Distorted Morality deserves the widest possible audience. In the short period between Chomsky's Harvard speech and the start of America's war against Iraq in March 2003, Chomsky's thesis has attained the chilling status of prophesy. Inevitably, Chomsky will be labeled anti-American, but at least his morality is crystal clear, immune to the obfuscation of politics and mainstream news. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Excellent DVD. I learned so much!
I have not read much by Noam Chomsky but this DVD makes me want to. In-depth thought and analysis of our War on Terror in two lectures. The first one delivered shortly after 911 at MIT and the other at Harvard. Most of us have little historical understanding and perspective of world events since 911. This very good DVD title was an eye opener for me. It introduced issues that are so easily (and more comfortably) overlooked. Most importantly, Professor Chomsky addresses the possible reasons why America is disliked by many abroad - a question that most of us would rather ignore. I've learned that history and knowledge are not anti-American. Knowledge has the power to make us better people. Buy this now and really learn something.

Another great work presented from a speech at Harvard.
This DVD is a new release from Chomsky about how it is impossible for the war on terrorism to be happening. It includes a Q and A session that is very interesting and will further advance insight into what is happening behind the news headlines. Nice clean picture, audio mix, good opening sequence, nice menus, chapter search, overall well-done, and --I don't know about other editions-- but mine has English, Chinese (CN), and Chinese (HK) subtitles; but it is- of course- in English.

'Whatever has been happening for the past several months and is going on now, and however you evaluate it, like it, hate it, or whatever, it's pretty clear that there cannot be a war on terror.'- Noam Chomsky, Distorted Morality

Disk set:

Including a 55-minute talk at Harvard.
A lively hour-long Q and A session.
A bibliography and biography.

This is written on the back of the DVD.
"Noam Chomsky is a renowned scholar, the founder of the modern science of linguistics, a philosopher, and social analyst, a media critic, an author of more than 70 books, a winner of numerous prizes and wards; and ranks with Marx, Shakespeare, and the Bible as one of the 10 most quoted sources in the humanities".

"Anyone who is serious about trying to understand world events since September 11th cannot afford to miss this".

Dry, but he sure raises interesting issues
"Distorted Morality" consists of a "talk" Noam Chomsky gave at Harvard a couple of years ago and a series of question and answer sessions that took place at MIT. Chomsky, if you aren't familiar with him, is a linguistics professor at MIT who sidelines as a critic of American foreign policy. He's considered one of the brightest linguistic theorists in the world, a man who formulated a theory about language several decades ago that's still talked about today. It's sad to say, but the general public probably won't remember him for his scholarly work. Chomsky has written dozens of books about the scurrilous behavior of our elected officials and their actions taken against foreign nations, from the Vietnam War to activities in East Timor to the current war on terrorism. He attacks the media for serving as an instrument of American hegemony. One day, Chomsky hopes to replace capitalism with a system of government referred to as anarcho-syndicalism. He also unwaveringly supports the United Nations and the World Court, hoping that the United States will toss its sovereignty aside and merge with those two international bodies. I didn't get all of this detail from "Distorted Morality," but from another, longer DVD about Chomsky's background and intellectual underpinnings called "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media."

Chomsky's lecture at Harvard-which he calls a "talk" because it sounds more informal-deals with the Bush administration's efforts to combat international terrorism. Beginning with a premise about terrorism taken from an old American military handbook, he attempts to prove that a war on terrorism is an impossibility, an illogical idea completely inconsistent with our nation's prior actions in Central America and the Middle East. The United States consistently supports and works closely with terroristic regimes, argues the professor, which means that we are in fact and in action a terroristic regime. A war on terrorism, therefore, would mean that we must fight ourselves. Chomsky doesn't go so far as to condone the September 11, 2001 nightmare; he accepts that it is a horrific incident worthy of retaliation, but he wants the United States to do so through the umbrella of the United Nations and the World Court. The lecture only runs for an hour or so. The question and answer session at MIT covers a whole host of foreign policy issues-guerilla warfare, 9/11-with some of the answers from Chomsky varying from a few sentences to five minutes or more.

Noam Chomsky is an acquired taste. While I disagree strenuously with him concerning American involvement in the UN and the World Court, I usually agree with many of the issues he raises about our foreign relations. I'm more at home with him when he attacks the concentrated media systems in the United States and calls for a breakup of the big corporations that control what we see and hear. Critics routinely blast Chomsky by labeling him as either pro-communist or a literal communist. Well, he's not, but tossing a label like this one around obscures many of the pertinent issues he raises. America has acted to support tyrants in the past. American companies have exploited third world countries and citizens of those countries (Nike and the United Fruit Company, anyone?). A nation cannot indulge in exploitative practices for decades and expect there won't be reprisals.

Here's a good question that Chomsky would probably love-and one that ties into the lecture he gives on this disc: why, when we expelled the Taliban from Afghanistan and still have troops on the ground over there, are the poppy fields pumping out raw opium as never before? The heroin derived from those fields ends up in the United States, does it not? Why don't we stop it? Perhaps the government wants a certain segment of the American population to use narcotics because it's easier to control a docile citizenry. Too, it allows the federal government to continue to wage yet another one of their great wars, the ever reliable "War on Drugs." I just can't believe our government didn't shut down those poppy fields. Doing so could save thousands, if not tens of thousands, of our citizens from a life of addiction, despair, and death. While you don't hear the media raising issues such as this one, you will here people like Noam Chomsky asking about it. For that, I do respect his insights and ability to increase awareness.

"Distorted Morality" isn't the best available information on Chomsky floating around. In fact, I found the lecture and Q&A on this disc a little dry. I keep planning on checking out a few of his books so I can get a better take on the man. While I find some of his solutions to our problems unacceptable, the questions he asks and the issues he raises continue to challenge what our government is doing and the reasons behind it.

A feeling of relief.....
I first heard of Noam Chomsky when I was a late teenager in the late eighties while living in Oxford, UK and frequenting typical student haunts. A sign of my ignornance was that I did not pick up a book by the man till I was 33, and was shocked by what he said. It was if a weight was lifted. This man has consistently and lucidly critiqued our system. He makes it quite simple, and I will put it simply for you, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution, and as free educated westerners we have an obligation to repay our fellow man for our privelidges. To compare anything Jones says with Chomsky is plainly insulting. To call him a liar or to think he is part of a conspiracy well hey, if its a conspiracy for two or more people to want to change the inequality and hurt in the world, then count me in, except sinister conspiracy is by nature secret and theres not much that is buried so deep as not to be known. The people I'm worried about are those who only just found out!!! What were they doing for all of their life. Watch this movie, thank the man that he has been talking to people for 40 odd years, and know that the acorns he has planted may grow into strong oaks.

Ignorance in America
All of the negative reviews of Noam Chomsky must follow a theme of ignorance equals strength. In the same context, war must equal peace and freedom is slavery. Wake up America, were being sold! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet Box Set
This box set is an absolute disgrace to this wonderful old show and what I would like to know is why I was charged $75.00 for this mess. The picuture quality is more than awful. The picture jumps, runs and there are skips in the sound track. Most of the shows can not be viewed due to their poor quality. I have this collection on VHS and the picture and sound are much better. I am returning this set for a full refund. Do not waste your money on this set as you will be very disappointed. ... Read more

Description

Called "the greatest rock film ever made," this landmark documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their notorious 1969 U.S. tour. When 300,000 members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hell's Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, direct cinema pioneers David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin immortalized on film the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment. ... Read more

Reviews (86)

Brilliant companion piece (and antidote) to "Woodstock" doc
I don't have much new to add here, but I will say this documentary is a very important historical document of its time and scene. I would suggest watching the "Woodstock" documentary first. After that makes you feel high, lovable, and loved, put this one in; it will bring you back down to earth. "Gimme Shelter" left me thinking that the hippie bliss realization of Woodstock was confined to just that one single weekend. Although the music and performances at Woodstock were some of the absolute best ever captured on film, the hippie ideals that filled that festival were nothing but ideals. And what we saw in Altamont, however, left me thinking that the disaster of Woodstock '99 didn't seem so bad compared to Altamont '69.

"Gimme Shelter" is not at all a concert film, which is okay because that's not even its purpose. The Stones sounded pretty bad live throughout the film. They were experimenting with drugs and new equipment (not a good combination). I wouldn't have minded, however, if the filmmakers had included more footage of a knockout Tina Turner. And couldn't they have put the camera on Gram Parsons (with The Flying Burrito Brothers) for at least a few seconds!!. Little did they know how valuable that footage would have been! But those are just questions, not quibbles.

So as a concert film don't expect much. But as a document of the end of an era (and its ideals), I can't imagine a better one. This is a must-see documentary. Easily one of the best ever.

Angels Not to Blame/The Truth is Shown !!
Everyone shold not be on the Angels ass. They did what they were hired to do - protect the stage from idiots " who shoudn't have been there, zapped out on the drugs some of them could not handle".There were a few great musical moments at Woodstock, but it was the "peace and love crowd" and the promoters were just money hungry freaks.

The Rolling Stones have always had a dark side, and just because a few hippie types couldn't handle the scene, it has gone down as the "end of the Sixties". Well, my dear friends, the sixties were a time of change, but the rot had set in way before Altamont. I know, as I was there. Where are all the "share the world, wealth, and love" folks now? Sitting in places they protested, greedy and nothing like they were in the Sixties, towing the line like their parents and others they wanted to overthrow then. Greed, greed, greed. That's where the "peace and love" generation is now, not caring about their "bros and sisters". Power to the people my ass.

a strong film with many bonus features
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Gimme Shelter is regarded by many as the most important rock film of all time. It follows the Rolling Stones on their infamous 1969 US tour. It covers the Madison Square Garden concert and the near-disastrous Altamont Speedway concert, along with actuality footage of the band in meetings with their lawyer, Melvin Belli (also known for defending Jack Ruby and for a guest appearance in a Star Trek episode) It remains one of the most popular rock films ever made and is as thought-provoking today as it was 35 years ago. An actual now-famous homicide was caught on tape and is featured in this film (as well as nudity), making it inappropriate for children.

The Criterion DVD includes many special features also.

There is a theatrical trailer and a re-release trailer for the film as well as the films, "Salesmen" and "Grey Gardens" also directed by the Maysles brothers.

There is film restoration deomonstration, several deleted scenes and outtakes, audio commentary by the directors and collaborator, Stanley Goldstein. There are also 80 minutes of excerpts from the 4 hour call-in radio show done after the Altamont concert and a photo gallery of the Altamont concert.

As an added bonus the accompanying booklet is many times larger than normal (this one is 44 pages) and contains several essays by many different people.

This DVD is a MUST for Rolling Stones fans as well as Criterion Collection DVD fans alike.

Superb look at The Rolling Stones' ill-fated 1969 tour
Gimmie Shelter is The Rolling Stones' documentary on the band's ill-fated 1969 North American tour in support of the album Let it Bleed. We see the band performing at Madison Square Garden playing songs like Jumping Jack Flash and Love in Vain among others, which was also released on the classic 1970 live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out. We also get to see the band record Brown Sugar and Wild Horses from their 1971 album Sticky Fingers at the legendary Muscle Shoals Studios in Alabama. However, the most famous bit from this classic movie was the ill-fated performance in Altamont in December of 1969 which was toted as a West Coast Woodstock but turned out to be anything but when a fan was killed by The Hell's Angels and rioting by the crowd caused the band to stop performing a few times. Musically, this film has great versions of Sympathy For the Devil, Under My Thumb, Jumping Jack Flash, Love in Vain and many other great Stones classics. I first saw this movie when I was 9 in 1985 and enjoy this film seeing as my mom is a huge Stones fan. Highly recommended!

the late 1960s, without the rosy spectacles
Despite the bad sound and grainy film quality, this is a riveting, brutal documentary that focuses on the 1969 free concert at Altamont Speedway that was envisioned by the Rolling Stones as a fun time for everyone to "get it on", and ended with chaos and someone being killed, which is shown in the film. With the Hell's Angels in charge of security, and a vast crowd in a senseless and often aggressive drug induced stupor, watching this evolve is like looking into the abyss of the damned. The mid and late '60s were not the flower-power love generation years some remember through rose-tinted lenses, they were very often violent and hateful, as anyone who saw the rabble "express themselves" at the 1968 Democratic Convention can attest. There are people who blame the outcome of this concert on the Hell's Angels, but this film proves that they were only a part of the problem.

There is also much pretension: Guys in suits trying to be hip and cool, and Melvin Belli, the celebrity attorney of his day, making sure he gets his 15 minutes of camera time. The Rolling Stones (at this point Mick Taylor had replaced Brian Jones, who had died in July of that year) seem to be out of place in dealing with their fame, and trying to "act the part", as well as being in a fog of substance abuse. Mick Jagger is the one that appears to be the most "in control", and he tries his best to bring calm and order to the concert crowd, to no avail.
There are short sequences of other groups, like the Jefferson Airplane, and musically, perhaps the best part in the entire film is Tina Turner, as she sings "I've Been Loving You Too Long" all the while using the microphone as a substitute love interest.
Total running time is 91 minutes.

All or in part, the songs performed by the Stones are:
"Honky Tonk Man"
"Brown Sugar"
"Gimme Shelter"
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Love in Vain"
"Satisfaction"
"Street Fighting Man"
"Sympathy for the Devil"
"Under My Thumb"
"Wild Horses"
"You Gotta Move" ... Read more

Description

Sister Wendy Beckett has transformed public appreciation of art through her astonishing knowledge, insight and passion for painting and painters. Join her on a trip across the world and through the ages, where her contemplative insights and unorthodox enthusiasm bring the world's great art to life. Contains Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, Sister Wendy's Odyssey, and Sister Wendy's Grand Tour. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Wendy is wonderful
Wendy presents the world of art on a variety of levels, historic, psychological, spritual and mystical. She is enthusiastic and emotional towards her topics. Listening to her is really a joy. Consider that her life is not filled with the financial, relational, and ownership concerns that most of us deal with on a daily basis. Her spirit is uncluttered to the point that she can see clearly, freely and purely and she wants to share that experience with us. She has no real possessions of her own, but wants to give us what she does have, and that is her obvious enthusiasm, insight and deep understanding.

The collection itself is great but . . .
The collection itself is great, it includes much more than the VHS version, however I had a problem with 3 out of 4 of the DVD disks in the box not working correctly. I returned it and got another set only to have the same problem with the same numbered disks. I finally had to return it and did not get another replacement copy. I gave up after 2 sets displayed exactly the same problem. There's no reason for this because Sister Wendy's American DVD collection works fine as do all of the other art DVD's I bought. Yet, I had problems with this collection, so there must be a defect in the manufacture.

put aside your prejudice, learn and have fun!
I highly recommend this DVD even if the idea of an old nun talking about art doesn't seem appealing or trendy to you. Believe me, I was VERY suspicious about it and also prejudiced at the beginning, but Sister Wendy's excellent teachings of art history coupled with her intense passion for the subject has completely won me over. If like me your prejudiced, go ahead and buy it, the chances are that you won't regret it. You willl learn a lot and have fun too. I went to the inauguration events of both Bilbao's Guggenheim and Cincinnati's CAC. I am attracted to art not only because of the art itself but also because of the avant-gard, rebellious, environment of sophistication and good taste that surrounds it. Thus, I am in the target category of people who may be prejudiced against an old nun talking about art as that brings to mind images of conservativism, total obcession with old religious paintings, preaching, unworldlyness, lack of technical knowledge, etc, etc. Nothing of that is true of Sister Wendy. In fact in this DVD she will tell you that Matisse is her favorite painter (surprised that is not Giotto?), she will provide all the technical details and context like an Ivy league professor and she will gp beyond that by pouring her heart out about the emotions that the paintings originate in her, and you will be surprised to know that is not all about piety. The best DVD I have ever seen about art and I have an extensive collection with more traditional sources as narrators (museum directors, NY art critics, painters, etc) which aren't nearly as good.

She's out there but she's cool...
Making great works of art accessible to everyone is a worthy enterprise. Sister Wendy sets out on this daunting task with her interesting lisp and her often offbeat analysis of these greats works. Her enthusiasm is infectious. People really are intimidated when they see this stuff. Afraid to "get it wrong". Sister Wendy is here to sort of lead you into looking at art yourself with that same childlike enthusiasm. With an open mind. She likes to show you how to dump preconceived notions of what is and is not great art and just look. Enjoy the act of looking. Sister Wendy is a bit of a hedonist that way. I find her analysis very strange at times. I don't always agree with her but she is so much fun I can forgive her anything.

For a fun little game, try to count the number of times she says "Ewotic" in a given episode. The makings of a great drinking game there.

Get it much cheaper at http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com
So what happened to your little button asking if we had a cheaper source? Doe the truth hurt? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Promises presents a powerful portrait of seven Palestinian and Israeli children who live in and around Jerusalem. As filmmaker B.Z. Goldberg, who was raised in Israel, notes, "They live no more than 20 minutes from each other, but they are each growing up in very separate worlds." The children include Mahmoud, Shlomo, Sanabel, Faraj, Moishe, and twins Yarko and Daniel. With the exception of the latter, all are religious (the twins are the grandchildren of a Holocaust survivor). Most have strong political beliefs and have seen their share of tragedy--Faraj's friend was killed in front of him--but as the film makes clear, they're also kids. They like to watch TV, hold burping contests, and compete in sports (Faraj is a runner, Yarko and Daniel play volleyball). Promises doesn't attempt to explain them, but lets the kids speak for themselves. The results are funny, sad, and ultimately quite profound. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A little much.
After watching this documentary, I couldn't help but feel a bond with the people who were audience to the pranks.I thought I was getting one thing, but instead I got another.The description of this film led me to think it would feature a lot more comedy than it did.In fact, I half expected to find an intellectual, thought provoking version of say Punk'd or even Trigger Happy TV, inasmuch as I thought it would be a series of pranks.What I found was that throughout the course of the film, they really only pulled three such ruses, all of which had a clever build up but somehow fell flat. As gladdened as I am to see activists at work, the Yes Men didn't seem to achieve much.Okay, I did enjoy the fact that they could fool the media into believing the WTO was re-inventing itself, but even that didn't go far. The majority of this film's 80 something minutes consists of the Yes Men standing around talking about how they're going to pull off their stunts.The setup involving free hamburgers at a lecture about recycling human waste had tremendous potential, but they didn't go anywhere with it.All in all this has to be one of the least humorous and thought provoking of all the satirical comedies I've ever seen. Rent it, but don't plan on having too much fun.

Top Notch PRANKSTERS like us
Change the world, OK? Why not impersonate the leaders, infiltrate their organization, expose them for what they really are and then shut them down and all from within. If you're going to do it, do it with humor, that's what these guys did. This movie is Great, changes a persons ideas of what a few people are really capable of doing in the world. These guys helped the world and had fun doing it. We need more freedom fighters of their caliber. I highly recommend viewing this film for you and you're friends and start thinking creatively. If you love the movie and want more I recommend you check out The Yes Men the book at www.disinfo.com and I also recommend the book Re/Search #11: Pranks by V. Vale available right here on Amazon and I'd also highly recommend checking out a book called The Happy Mutant Handbook that is out of print but you can find copies on here and ebay sometimes or other book sites, **ALSO EVERYONE** I recommend checking out and listening to www.airamericaradio.com to stay informed about what's going on and have a few laughs also animated political cartoonist www.markfiore.com OH AND HAPPY PRANKING.

The stupidity of corporations revealed...
After the birth of Fahrenheit 9/11 and other Michael Moore creations, there has been a plethora of politically driven documentaries entering the media culture.More and more films are being created to showcase either the ingenuity of the activists, or to uncover some unknown corruption in the system that we were not familiar with.It is a chance to be educated about the world surrounding us and the honesty of evil. In one of the most recent documentary releases, The Yes Men, we have the opportunity to both see the ingenuity of the activists and slightly uncover some corruption in the world.While The Yes Men is a very active film giving us these nervous moments of tension as two men pretend to be someone that they are not, the words and final moments that they are trying to convey do not always seem to come full circle.It felt as if they had this huge "ta-da" at the end of their crafty moment, but nobody seemed to care.Everyone agreed and went about their normal business.I guess that was the point that these activists were trying to show, but somehow I felt like it was all a part of some lackluster performance instead of this "in-your-face, this is wrong with our country" moment.

Our two main characters that we follow throughout the course of the film, Mike Bonanno and Dr. Andreas Bichlbauer (as if these are their real names), seem like they have such a grasp on their knowledge of the issues that they would want a bigger change to happen at the end of their "moment of glory" instead of just walking away as if they were just another cog in the machine.For example, their first speech overseas about the WTO and this phallic device that will help supervisors maintain their workers was a punch in the face, but like my reaction to the situation, nobody seemed to care.I think, in this case, it hurt the film.I wanted feedback from the audience about this bold move by the WTO and see outrage in their eyes, but instead nobody seemed to care.The same can be said about the last conference they attend where they officially close the WTO.That is a huge statement, and yet again ... nobody seemed to care.Sure, there were people afterwards talking about how happy they were, but the excitement or emotion was just not present.I wanted, and honestly needed, something that showed that these activists were making riffs in the corporate eyes of the world, not just filling a time slot.

The only time that they did not get such a passive response was when they spoke during a college class about the food solution in third world countries.Here, we did see the emotion and the anger at what they suggested, albeit was a bit more graphic and disturbing, but there was an outburst at the idea.The only trouble is that I have been to conferences before, and most of the time you are there because your business has forced you to be there, so you will believe anything that is said until the day is over just to get through.In college, you pay for your schooling so independent thought really is encouraged and is shown in this film.I do not think that this college scene did the justice that it deserved and really didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the film.I think these guys wanted to get some raw emotion reactions from anyone, and they found it here.I think they were trying to overcompensate for what their other conferences were missing.Sadly, it felt more like a jumbled mess instead of a valued point.

Overall, I was somewhat impressed with some of the aspects of this film, while not impressed with others.I thought the fact that these two "nobodys" could get into these conferences without a lick of creditation or background check.Especially after the world's security tightened after 9/11.I think that was the aspect that shocked me the most.The rest of the film was interesting to watch, it just never felt like it was edited together correctly or that there was this big "ooooohhhhhh......ahhhhhhhhh" sort of moments.Like the audiences at the conferences, I sat back and watched without really seeing the outcome of their work.I would have liked to know more about these guys and the changes they made to our global community.I would have liked to see at least one curmudgedy old man getting angry about what these two radicals thought, but nothing.Just plain agreement and wipe the slate clean.I felt the Yes Men focused to deeply on the development of each situation without having any sort of strong follow-up with the results.That hurt this film deeply.Perhaps I have grown accustomed to the "shock-umentary" style of filmmaking that is being released more and more, but I just never felt passionate about these guys.They were doing good work, but will it be remembered for years to come?I am not 100% sold on it yet.

Grade: *** out of *****

What exactly is this supposed to accomplish?
What do you get when you pair two effeminate liberals, Michael Moore, Greg Palast and a website critical of the World Trade Organization?Answer, you get a rather silly documentary called, "The Yes Men".

The film begins with the two protagonists explaining how the "Yes Men" came to be.They began their pseudo-activist careers by designing a mock George W. Bush website that was hypercritical of him and his policies as then Governor of Texas.In the short sequence of clips, President Bush says that there should be, "limits to freedom," that, "there is a lot of garbage on the internet," and finally, referring to our heroes, "these are garbage men."

After having stuck it to Bush, they were asked to design a similar website, this time taking aim at the World Trade Organization.The premise was the same in that they would employ the same look of the real WTO site while highlighting information about what the WTO has done to ravage Third World countries far and wide.The hook here is that because of this site and it's striking similarity to the real thing, they end up getting invited to give lectures as representatives of the WTO.This is where the plot thickens; our two boys take the opportunity at these lectures to present an over-the-top satire of the WTO in an attempt to expose them for the uncaring weapon of globalization that they perceive them to be.Hilarity ensues.

I'll give them this, "The Yes Men" was better than "Fahrenheit 9/11" but that isn't saying much.I have no doubt that some of the information they present in the film is true but it is hard to take it seriously when it's being delivered by the likes of Moore and Greg Palast, author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."The anti-corporation documentary aptly named, "The Corporation" suffers from the same problem.The message may be dead on but the messenger lacks any kind of moral or intellectual authority.

There are three main parts to "The Yes Men".In the first bit of satire, the main player dresses up in a gold suit with a large phallic TV protruding from between his legs.The gag is that he's saying that this get-up is the wave of the future in manager-worker relations.In the plant of the future, workers will be lightly shocked into complicity by managers that can watch a global workforce from anywhere in the world.If you think you are losing something in translation don't worry, it isn't much better when you see in the movie.The gag is very adolescent, especially for two people whom appear to be intelligent adults.The audience at the lecture in the movie didn't really get it either.

The second bit takes place on a college campus.They present to the unsuspecting students that in order to feed starving people in the Third World, they will attempt to recycle food waste.They show a computer generated cartoon of an American eating a McDonald's hamburger, going to the bathroom and then via an underground pipeline, depositing the waste and reforming it into hamburger patties in some Arab country.Naturally the students react with angry questions, name-calling and eventually thrown projectiles as has become the staple for collegiate debates these days (pies, shoes, etc).This was actually funny to watch.The reactions of the idiot students to what is most assuredly an absurd proposal almost makes the movie for me.This bit is mostly a send-up of the idea that Americanization and globalization is McDonalds-uber-alles.That is to say that McDonalds is iconic of America coming into a country and stripping it of its cultural identity and replacing with consumerism and a well-stocked marketplace.

Lastly, the film crescendo's with a conference in Australia where the heroes expose the WTO as inhumane and a tool of the corporate elite.In this lecture they make up a story that the WTO is shutting down and restructuring to incorporate UN human rights mandates.The funny part is the audience completely agrees with them.

In the final analysis the "Yes Men" acknowledge that they are just mere pranksters and that those who combat the corporations with lawsuits and such do the real work.This is from there website, "Traditional forms of action are more important than ever today: street protest, direct action, rallies, politics, lawsuits, letter-writing... All this and more is needed for change to happen."

These fellows are biased and they admit as much on their site."Kerry is part of Western civilization. His intention isn't to smash the state and destroy the government; his sole real concern for this world isn't the profitability of the mighty; his concept of justice and right doesn't come from another world altogether, one in which earthly laws and concerns have no relevance. The fundamentalist terrorist who seemingly won the election is very different in all three respects.

If Kerry had won, we who care about people might have had some hope of affecting his approach, perhaps second- or third-hand, via those who have his ear. With Bush, we have to focus on the preliminary step of getting this plague out of office."

They have every right to be biased and it doesn't really take away from the movie.Nobody could have sat down to watch this thing and expect these two gents to be anything but dyed in the wool liberals.However, after an hour and twenty minutes of this nonsense all one can say in reference to their efforts to the expose the WTO is, "What have you really accomplished?"How much more aware of what the WTO has wrought are people now that you've made this movie?The answer is not much.

Overall it's an OK movie.It's like "Jackass" for the intellectual crowd.College kids will love it and think it actually means something.Most others will never know it ever existed.And the WTO will keep on keeping on, doing what it does, barely acknowledging that these guys exist.Frankly, I preferred "Super-Size Me".

Yes Men Funny, But More Meat on the Plate Needed!
I had an opportunity last night to view "The Yes Men" DVD and came away with mixed feelings.As a portrait of campaign by two politically savvy satirists, it had much to offer.As a work of political education, it fell short on several dimensions.The DVD itself is certainly quite professional, even nicely polished in places.And the situations in which the Yes Men put themselves as mistaken representatives of the World Trade Organization were tailor made to evoke telling criticisms of the corporate biases, global designs, and woeful consequences of the real WTO upon the countries of the South.But some of the humor ("the leisure suit," for example) was simply so outrageous that it swallowed up the trenchant critique it was trying to make.Yes, the presentation of the suit did point to the silly gullibility and all-too-proper manners and decorum of some of the trade representatives and corporate bigwigs attending these conferences.But, no: the humor really didn't hit its mark or make its political points as well as it could have.The two highlights of the film were: the reaction of the Plattsburgh student audience to the recycled burger plan for alleviating world hunger; and the response of Australian policymakers and bureaucrats to the bogus announcement of the dismantling of the existing WTO and its "reinvention" along more humane lines.The former showed that many of the student generation see through the ruses of global elites and recognize that many are literally selling the nations of the South a lot of "crap."The latter pointed to the political ambivalence of policymaking and bureaucratic tools of institutions of top-down globalization like the WTO and the hopeful evidence thateven the members of this audience-bureaucratic-corporate "yes men" (and women all--could appreciate the new direction the Yes Men expressed in their reinvention ploy.What the film/DVd lacked was a real interplay between the glaring facts about the WTO's daily culpability in global structures of trade, development, and wealth inequities and the sardonic playacting of the Yes Men and their resource people.The viewer only incidentally picks up a few gross statistics about the WTO's role in advancing an elite-driven globalization and trade strategy.The bottom line for me is: impersonation and satire can take this troupe only so far.If political education through humor was the goal, more meat needed to be put on the plate. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This Sucks
This is a complete waste of time. The information that is given is completly useless and not worth the amount of time it takes to sit through this, not to mention the amount of money you are about to spend. And don't even think of using it as a teacing utensial, all but the most driven students will surely fall asleep, and the ones that do stay awake will curse you as a teacher for years to come.

Sister Wendy's passion for art ignites it in others
My local PBS station had a Sister Wendy "marathon" on New Year's Day, showing the entire American Collection; I was both captivated and inspired. Had museums been open, I would have dashed to San Francisco to take in some art. Also, the program made me want to visit museums she toured.

In an interview with Bill Moyers (also available on video) that followed the American Collection, Oxford-educated Sister Wendy emphasized that her mission is to help people embrace art by making it accessible. (Even Moyers admitted to being intimidated by the thought that he might not evaluate a work of art correctly,i.e., according to how art critics see it.)

Sister Wendy mentions in the Moyers interview that she possesses an immense library of scholarly works on art. She feels her in-depth study of these books justifies her definite opinions about art.

Whether you agree or disagree with Sister Wendy's assessment of what a work of art is expressing, you won't be able to deny that her passion is inspiring.

Sister Wendy's credibility was, for me, increased when Moyers asked her what she thought of Andres Serrano's "Piss-Christ," a work in which a replica of Christ was immersed in a container of urine. She didn't dismiss the work as something created merely to shock, rather she thought the artist meant to represent the irreverence with which most people treat Christ and his teachings. She qualified her judgment by stating that she considered it a rather mediocre work because it didn't challenge the viewer: people had an immediate and visceral reaction that didn't require consideration or time to form.

Finally, in a society that seemingly hasn't moved beyond an adolescent attitude toward sex, Sister Wendy's perspective that human sexuality is a gift from God and an aspect of ourselves to be celebrated is refreshing.

Chattering Boredom
I bought this "American Collection" based on the European series which aired on PBS. The European experience I enjoyed, but this American jaunt was a journey to Tedium. This is a travelogue about cities and museums with some art tossed in to justify to whole production. Sister Wendy chatters endlessly about her opinions, her living quarters, and more items than I wanted or cared to hear about. The whole project is too ambitious for the time frame of six hours. For example, Vermeer painted only 34 paintings that exist today. One museum visted has 5 hanging. Wow! A chance to view 5 of the 34, but Sister Wendy blew buy the first 4, and went on endlessly about the 5th one. The time would have been better spent by viewing each for a few moments, whereby I could have done a freeze frame. Save your money.

Sister Wendy is a pilar of greatness. A sublime view of art.
Sister Wendy is a fantastic resource for art. She imbues passion and depth beyond any art professor or historian I have ever seen.

These tapes will leave you with a sense of wonder and make even the hardest time feel chipper. ... Read more

Description

Explore the mysterious Amazon through the amazing IMAX (R) experience and celebrate the beauty, vitality and wonder of this magical rain forest, which is disappearing at an alarming rate. Filmmakers overcame many difficulties to photograph this rarely seen tropical landscape and present it with all the visual power associated with IMAX. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Linda Hunt, this unique collaboration between an American scientist and a tribal shaman on a mission to find rare medicinal plants will amaze and astound you. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Rick Duim idiotic review
Rick Duim has no idea what he is talking about.

#1. you do not register any personal information with Microsoft or anyone else when you register to watch WM9 HD material. You do not fill in any forms or anything of the sort. When you put the disc in, it checks to make sure the disc you are attempting to play is a legitimate copy and that is it. After your 1 week viewing period is up, it just checks once again to make sure your copy is legal, and gives you another week, you could do this forever! There is no limit to how often or how long you watch the material.

#2. This is true High Definition video. It looks STUNNING! If you have a computer powerful enough to play it it is WORTH IT! There are DVD players coming out at the end of the summer that can also play WM9 HD material, so you will not need a computer. I use a HD projector on a 14 foot wide screen to view my WM9 material, and it is better than going to the movies.

Until HD DVDs come out (probably not for 2-3 years or longer) there is not really very many options to use your HD display with HD material. Regardless, the movie is great in HD or not, so get it for the movie itself, and if you want to see it in High Definition, at least you have the option.

Microsoft marketing
Avoid any high def disks that require Microsoft Media Player. My previous experience with one of these (Step into Liquid) required registration just to view it. And the registration was limited to a week! I refuse to register anything with MS, just on principle. Don't know if you have to register Amazon to view it or not, but I am against a format based on one companies proprietary format AND the obvious marketing crap that's going on. Your mileage may differ... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Originally broadcast in 1985, In Search of the Trojan War followed the successful formula established by his first historical detective series, In Search of the Dark Ages, and firmly established Michael Wood as the most personable of TV historians. Wood is not only a born TV presenter, he's got both the academic gravitas and the narrative skill to craft a compelling mystery from the archaeological, literary and mythological sources. Over six hour-long programs, Wood marshals the disparate strands of evidence to present as fully rounded a portrait as possible of both the historical and the legendary city of Troy, its central place in Western culture, and the Mycenaean Age itself. From Schliemann's initial cavalier bulldozing of the mound at Hisarlik, to Homer's epics, the Hittite Empire, and the role of slave women, Wood journeys back and forth across the Aegean and elsewhere, from a pre-unification Berlin to Liverpool, to illuminate the dawn of Western literature, myth, and history. Did the Trojan war ever happen, or was the city destroyed by natural causes? Wood doesn't claim to find a definitive answer, of course, but for the viewer it's rewarding enough simply to accompany him on this fascinating journey. The DVD includes a new 25-minute interview with Wood, who looks back affectionately on the making of the series. --Mark Walker ... Read more

Reviews (12)

At Last Complete
Michael Wood's 1985 documentary "In Serach Of The Trojan War" was one of his first epic forays into a particular areas of history. His subject is not just the Trojan War but all of its aspects in the world around it. How the war possibly came to be and how we know anything about it is also a part of the story. As Wood takes us on his journey he makes it clear that it is not just from Homer that we know the tale.

In presenting Homer himself Wood takes us not just to Greece. He takes us to the West Coast of Ireland and rural Turkey where even today, as Homer himself did, story tellers recite epic tales from memory that would fill a large book. The catalogue of ships takes him all over Greece where surprisingly features in the landscape that Homer describes are still there. A trip to the cold desolate landscape of Northern Turkey (far from Troy) even produces clues about the war literally carved in stone. Heinrich Schliemann of course casts his shadow but Wood keeps him in perspective. He was right about where Troy was but it was archaelogists after him who finally nailed things down. He also spun quite a bit of bunk over the years that Wood nicely sets right by seperating what Schliemann wanted some things to be and what they actually were.

To say the least Wood has an enthusiasm for his subject that he is able to convey to the viewer. The jorney is quite an eyeful taking the viewer to places that would take almost a lifetime to cover. PBS first showed the series relatively intact with a few minor edits. When last seen on the History Chanel it had been severely cut by over an hour (about 10 or more minutes from each of the 6 episodes). Here we have the complete version again and after 20 years and having seen it several times it is still a joy to watch.

A Milestone! The best cinematic Trojan War reference!
This one is a milestone in TV historical documentary making!

After twenty years this documentary keeps all its freshness and still is easily the best cinematic account on the Trojan War. If not for the slight image discoloration, the East Berlin scenes, the cars and the clothing, this series could have been made today. All the facts, ideas and interpretations presented here are strikingly new and haven't been superseded yet.
Besides the recent find of the Treasure of Troy in the Putshkin Museum in Russia, the only missing info (included nevertheless in the included interview with Michael Wood) is that from the recent German-American excavations which changed the accepted scale of the city and its surroundings in Bronze Age times.
The documentary has a pace and an atmosphere of its own, succeeding in being both highly informative and highly entertaining: a golden association VERY difficult to achieve! This is one of the increasingly rare series which makes the viewer repeat the experience over and over!
Using common sense, solid documental sources and interviews with some of the foremost experts of the day, Michael Wood shows awesome communication skills in informing and carrying away the viewer, spreading his contagious enthusiasm for the theme but keeping always an unbiased scientific stance. This, together with excellent photography, superb editing and highly suggestive music creates a spell which makes the enduring of the six one-hour episodes surprisingly agreeable and additive. All this with very limited use of crude scale models and 80's glorious 2D low-res computer graphics!

This should be a lesson to some "historical" documentary makers of today who make excessive use of fancy (but sometimes very unreliable) 3d graphic "reconstitutions" and of re-enactors with inaccurate outfits and ridiculous choreography to "improve" on mediocre presentations and bad scripts.

1st DVD:
1- The Age of Heroes: The story of the Trojan War. The lost treasure of Troy. Account of Heinrich Schliemann's life and research on Troy.
2- The Legend under Siege: Wilhelm Dörpfeld research. Arthur Evans' discoveries and theories. Carl Blegen's findings, the Linear-B deciphering and the role of both in Trojan War credibility.
3- The Singer of Tales: The role and long time fidelity of oral traditions. Homer's reliability challenged.

2nd DVD
4- The Women of Troy: Plundering in Bronze Age. The taking of women and children as slaves and their economic and political role. The recent African slavery parallel.
5- Empire of the Hittites: Decisive documental evidence from the Hittites. Recurrent conflicts with the Mycenaeans.
6- The Fall of Troy: The Trojan conflict and the Mediterranean late Bronze Age collapse.
- Interview with Michael Wood: A good epilog for the series!
- Michael Wood's Photo Journal of Troy

This two DVD set contains the complete series together with a 2004 interview with Michael Wood in the British Museum which makes a good updated epilog to the series.

This is a MUST for every person, specially those interested in History (World-Military-Mediterranean-Aegean-Bronze Age), Greek Mythology, Oral traditions, Homeric epics, and Documentary Making.

I have waited for years
This is one of the best presentations concerning the Trojan War. In a clear and erudite manner Michael Wood has made a documentary that touched on all aspects of the war itself and the late bronze age world.

He makes history "come alive" and his use of experts and locales are fascinating. I especially loved the episode about Homer and the bardic traditions.

The music is also stirring and adds to rather than detracts from the series. Whether you are a casual ancient history student or a Trojan War fanatic, this series will appeal to you. It makes all the films about the war (even the newest one, despite Brad Pitt) seem a waste of time. None of them catches the true story and spirit of the age as does Michael Wood in this wonderful program.

A BBC must-have
I consider the purchase of this series to be a personal coup. The series has provided so many hours of pleasure. To find it in print again at a reasonable price is a joy. Michael Wood speaks of his subject with such fondness. I'm actually grateful for the movie "Troy" being released, the result of the movie being the rerelease of this wonderful production, with all it's exuberance.

From the point of view of historians
Seeing this series brought me back to my University of California history classes with Erich Gruen, one of the finest classical scholars in the English-speaking world. If you are an ancient history buff, you probably know who he is. In his classes, we didn't simply learn about names, dates, and the "headlines" of events, but were taught to investigate original source material and do our own analysis of the historical facts. All popular histories are colored by the biases of the writers. As they say, "history is written by the victors." Michael Wood's Trojan War series is approached from the point of view of the professional historian. He uses Homer's Iliad as his first guide. Any historical study of the Trojan War begins with Homer. Then he examines Homer's references to place names, events, etc. The section on the "Catalog of the Ships" is simply brilliant. He even travels to Thisbe and checks to see if there really are a lot of pigeons there! He refers to making over 40 trips to different places in the Aegean to check Homeric references against surviving artifacts and geographical landmarks. And this happens in the first episode. This type of investigative and insightful research is present throughout the series. In all, it is a truly scholarly effort of the highest quality. It presents all that we currently know of what happened at Troy during the 13th Century. ... Read more

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After you've seen 5 Films About Christo & Jeanne-Claude, your appreciation for art and artists will be permanently enlightened. Spanning three decades of unique collaboration between controversial public-art creator Christo, his creative partner and wife Jeanne-Claude, and cinema verité pioneers David and Albert Maysles (Salesman, Grey Gardens, and many other award-winning films), this DVD set of five captivating, unscripted documentaries is a living chronicle of art as a public challenge, inviting the viewer to witness the creation and installation of temporary artworks that triumphantly illustrate (as noted by Salon.com essayist Charles Taylor) "the collision between art and everyday life." Whether they are raising a massive "Valley Curtain" of vibrant orange nylon across a Colorado mountain range; a 24-mile "Running Fence" in Northern California; surrounding islands in Florida with gigantic rings of hot-pink fabric; or simultaneously erecting a total of 3,100 huge umbrellas across rolling landscapes in Japan and California, the Christos (who self-finance all of their expensive installations) are both deliriously self-indulgent and open-heartedly generous about their work and the impressive engineering that goes into creating it.

For these and other time-consuming but fleetingly visible endowments of beauty on an epic scale, the Maysles were there with camera and microphone, capturing the impact, controversy, humor, and ultimate glory of Christo's wondrous vision. Accompanied by an engaging 2004 interview between Christo, Jeanne-Claude, and Albert Maysles (David died in 1987), and an 80-page booklet including Taylor's excellent essay and detailed statistics on each of the featured projects, 5 Films is a timeless testament to Christo's assertion that "all of our art is about freedom." It comes as no surprise, then, that the experience of viewing these inspiring films is so joyously liberating. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (1)

5 films about Christo and Jeanne-Claude - compelling!
I never heard of Christo before watching these films, so it was a treat discovering them, and his art projects at the same time. These documentaries are very interesting, all of them cover his projects from pre-production through finish. If it sounds mundane, it's not, as the movies are also very entertaining for various purposes: one, the actual projects are beautiful, and it's a treat to watch people work together to put them up. two, Christo and Jeanne-Claude themselves are crazy and interesting people to watch. three, none of these projects were easy to get permission for, the process and heart-aches they go through to get permission is all accounted here. The subject matter is interesting, but the documentaries are also dramatically compelling in their structure.

At one point, after wrapping the pont neuf, two strangers in Paris argue about whether or not this is art. The man in favor of it says "you and I don't know each other, if this project never materialized, we'd never meet, ever." This is the essence of Christo's work! He brings people together to celebrate the spirit of self-expression. Ridiculous or not, art or not, it is important an achievement and it provokes discussion. ... Read more