In Search of the Trojan War
by Bill Lyons
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DVD details
Actor: Colin Renfrew, Dr. John Chadwick, Jerome Sperling, Michael Wood, Peter ConnollyDirector: Bill Lyons
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: David Jackson
Cinematographer: Richard Ganniclifft
Producer: Bill Lyons
Editor: Helen Mandt
Editor: Patrick Haggerty
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 345 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-04-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Reviews of In Search of the Trojan War
DVD Review: Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?
Summary: 5 Stars
"In Search of the Trojan War" is an astoundingly exhaustive study of the Trojan War. Was it a myth, shrouded in the mists of time, or did it really happen? According to British historian and Oxford graduate,who is as easy on the eyes as his take is easy for the novice, it really did. Wood travels the Aegean, the ancient sites of the Hittites, and does some speculative history that perhaps it was the Greeks who were the villains. In a sense, history vindicates Wood. Virgil's "Aeneid" portrays the Trojans as the good guys, who go on to found the Roman Empire.
"In Search of the Trojan War" explores many aspects- from the lives of the women to the archeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Wood explains Hittite culture, Greek trade. On the surface, it sounds quite boring. And,indeed,what could be duller than Homer's Catalogue of Ships? It's about as thrilling as Old Testament genealogies. Even with this, Wood imbues it with life.
Michael Wood is an erudite and charming host. Indeed, this famous question posed to Helen of Troy could well apply to him- Michael Wood, historian and dreamboat!
DVD Review: A Fascination with the Facts
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this series when first aired, and have devoured repeat broadcasts eagerly. There is a depth to Michael Wood's approach that shames shallow detractors. The educational application is obvious to anyone who has taught history and language
to receptive audiences. Students are accountable for their own behavior, in any case. Having an excellent background, Wood gives a superb account of himself in this treatment of a controversial subject.
Jim O'Dell
Historian
Buellton, CA
DVD Review: Slightly dated but still quite useful
Summary: 4 Stars
At school I was bored to tears with the rubbish they made you 'appreciate'. Quite apart from the fact that from what I could see, if you were in a dumb class they might actually give you something cool to read, like the Hobbit or something, while we had to suffer through all sorts of allegedly award winning piffle someone on the school board thought kids might get into. Consequently, I became known amongst my group of friends for making it look like I had read the book due to my ability to waffle the waffle, so to speak.
But one good thing came out of this and that is that while steadfastly ingoring books they'd set me to read I was spending my time reading stuff like Herodotus and Homer. So many years later when I discovered the TV historian Michael Woods and his DVD on Alexander the Great I was very much at home. Discovering this earlier series of his was great news to me and I bought it without delay.
All up this is a good series for the arm chair historian. A few things you already knew, a couple of things you thought you knew and a regular snippets of what you didn't realise. Admittedly this is far drier a series than the Alexander the Great expose. The pacing is somewhat slow and the age of the thing does certainly hit you in the face when he's talking about going beyond the Iron Curtain, to a museum in East Berlin, to check out artifacts. Also the computer imagery used in some segments is humourously archaic looking. In fact I'm sure my nephew would barely recognise it as computer graphics, but hey, I'm old enough to remember playing games on my old Atari so for me it's something I can forgive.
The tangents Wood is most on about here is firstly to show actual continuity, looking at the sources to see how much of it is still around today. And he succeeds quite well. He also takes some time discussing the story behind the Iliad and questions a number of historians regarding the Homeric action/romance/war story and trying to look at how much of it could possibly be true. Of course it's almost certain we'll never know and Woods leaves it at that, he doesn't go too far out on a limb.
As part of this DVD release Michael Wood gives a considered interview regarding this, only his second foray into TV history stardom. This marks him as a suitably self deprecating chap who while understanding why his chosen genre of TV history is not always appreciated by more mainstream historians he does set out his stall rather well. Especially since archeology ensuing since this series was made has largely backed up his conclusions.
While it has a slightly dated feel and isn't as good as his Alexander journey this is a useful product to pick up for the amateur history buff.
DVD Review: Love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
This awesome miniseries has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it on PBS. Michael Wood is an engaging host, and he makes a compelling argument for the view of the Trojan War presented here. Especially noteworthy are the chapters on bardic tradition and the Hittite empire. I'd pay twice the price for this show. Great location shooting, terrific interviews and a good ride from start to finish.DVD Review: The LONG road back to Troy
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most exhaustive, comprehensive investigation into the "Troy question" that I've ever been exposed to. Did some conflict take place some 3,000+ years ago which prompted the legacy of the Trojan War myth? Did it not? Was there, in fact, a city known as Ilium / Troy? Michael Wood explores the question from all possible angles. While no definitive answers are to be found (I'll go ahead & divulge that much @ the get-go), it's still a fascinating inquiry into perhaps the single most famous & influential story in the western hemisphere.
Wood's journey takes us on a grand-tour of the Mediterranean basin, as well as to London & Berlin. He invokes the talents of archeologists, philologists, historians and sundry Greek scholars in his search for the truth. Many discussions take place as to how some of the data may support the historical veracity of a Trojan War, while other data does not. Wood also investigates the phenomena of how some scholars have been guilty of fudging and /or "reading into" the data to see what they want to see. It is difficult to be objective on this topic when one wants to take Homer at his word - even though the supposed war (if there was one?) took place 400-500 years prior to Homer's birth.
Some reviewers have complained that this series is long & drawn-out. Well, yes, it is. However, the scope of the question of what Wood is trying to grapple with is simply enormous. An hour documentary would not have done the subject-matter justice. With that in mind, I would recommend this DVD set ONLY to those who are fervently interested in the topic. Those who have but a passing interest in the Trojan War are likely to lose interest after the first few hours.
I've often likened Michael Wood as the Carl Sagan of archeology. This DVD set will likely go down as Wood's magnum-opus, and it explains why Wood is such a vital promoter of the archeology community. So, if you want to know what REALLY happened (or didn't happen?) at an ancient city of Troy, this is a can't miss!
Description of In Search of the Trojan War
The tale of the Trojan War has fascinated and intrigued people for thousands of years. But is there any truth in Homer's epic poem? Charismatic historian Michael Wood brings to life the heroes and the romance of the Bronze Age in this award-winning archaeological detective story filmed in Greece, Turkey, Ireland and Berlin.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
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