Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 26th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 20th, 2004
Synopsis
Barbarians is The History Channel’s box set of a series of four interesting documentaries. Each chronicles the rise and fall of one or another of history’s famous “Barbarian” tribes – from their generally agrarian origins, to their bloody warlike height and eventual gradual decline or precipitous fall. Four groups are covered in this box set, on two discs:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 17th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 27th, 2004
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 13th, 2004
If you are a fan of space flight, this DVD is your holy grail.
While the Spacecraft Films series of releases is full of high-quality products covering the history of space flight, Apollo 11 – Men on the Moon pushes their usual high standards to the outer reaches. The few frustrations that I had with their previous titles have all been remedied here, and the result is an absolutely fantastic DVD set covering every aspect of NASA's famed Apollo 11 mission.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 10th, 2004
Apollo 8 – Leaving the Cradle continues the high standard that Spacecraft Films have set for themselves with their previous NASA-themed releases. While earlier titles examined the early role that rockets played in the ultimate goal of manned space flight, Apollo 8 sees that dream come to fruition.
This three-disc set is an amazing record of that famed mission, and literally all of the footage available in the NASA archives is included here, much of it coming complete with bonus audio. The foot...ge runs the gamut, from dull, to mildly interesting, to flat-out spectacular.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 10th, 2003
NASA's Gemini project is filled with some of the most overlooked missions of the early days of space flight. The previous Mercury missions had yielded the first American in space, and the following Apollo missions included the famous Apollo 11 moon landing, and the subsequent Apollo 13 near-disaster. The Gemini missions, however, were a crucial stepping stone in the process, which perfected the challenges of orbital mechanics as well as overcoming the limitations of working outside of the spacecraft.
This ...VD set begins with an hour-long documentary that tells the story of the Gemini missions, and provides a crucial context for the bonus footage that follows. This piece is comprised entirely of archival footage, and pulled together with expert narration and audio clips of the astronauts themselves.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 9th, 2003
How quickly we forget our accomplishments. It was not long ago that the thought of sending a man into space was a far-fetched concept. The thought of landing a man on the moon was pure science fiction. Once the space race heated up, however, all boundaries were eclipsed. We succeeded in reaching the moon, and eventually space flight became a regular occurrence. It is easy to take for granted the miracles that were performed during the early days.
Thankfully, the folks at Spacecraft Films are here to remind ...s. Utilizing existing NASA footage, this three-disc set is a glimpse into the wonder of the Saturn rocket program like it has never been seen before. Since these launches were so groundbreaking and experimental, NASA went to great lengths to capture as much of the process on film as possible, often utilizing 16mm film stock. Reels upon reels of that footage is showcased here, most of it in a raw and uncut form.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 1st, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 17th, 2003
Being a white, middle-class American male, my knowledge of the black struggle with apartheid in South Africa during the latter half of the 20th Century is virtually nil. My exposure to the music that was so instrumental to the success of that movement is even less. With these facts in mind, I was dreading having to review this title, as it is a documentary film covering a subject that I really had very little interest in.
My dread turned to fascination upon sitting down to watch the film, however. This is a... excellent documentary that hits a delicate balance between being informative, entertaining and beautiful. The struggle of the blacks in South Africa is told in a way that helped me to understand the intricacies of the situation in that country far better than anything that I have seen before. The powerful music of the movement is the star of the show here, with text and interview footage used sparingly to fill in the blanks. This fantastic film should be viewed by all Americans, as a reminder of the tragic realities that many people of the world face each day, due to the ignorance and fear of those who are frequently in power.
