The Normans - The Complete Epic Saga
by William Rufus
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DVD details
Actor: NormansDirector: William Rufus
Brand: Kultur
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 152 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: KULTUR VIDEO
DVD Reviews of The Normans - The Complete Epic Saga
DVD Review: Finely crafted
Summary: 4 Stars
Until a few years ago, I was largely ignorant of the Middle Ages, assuming that the civilized world went into a hiatus with the fall of Rome. Then I started reading about the Byzantine Empire, and many of the other empires of which the Normans were one.
What this video illustrates is that while the Normans were fierce warriors, they were also tolerant overlords who allowed their captive peoples to retain their own religions and social orders. In a relatively short period of time, they were assimilated into these captive peoples, and disappeared. The most interesting of these assimilations was that into the Catholic Church, which this program describes quite well.
As other reviewers have observed, this program is divided into three stand-alone parts, each excellent in its own way: (1) the early Norman conquests, from their Viking roots to their conquest of Britain at the Battle of Hastings, (2) their expansion throughout the Mediterranean, especially in southern Italy and Sicily, which at that time was a world power, and (3) their involvement in the Crusades (a nice discussion of Eleanor of Aquitaine here) and ultimately their full assimilation.
For me, the best segment was the second, when they were at the peak of their power, which included intelligent commentary by John Julius Norwich, author of a fine three-volume history of the Byzantine Empire Byzantium: The Early Centuries.
Unfortunately, the commentary is otherwise limited and quite prosaic. There is a French academic who renders some eminently forgettable comments, which are dutifully translated using subtitles. In this regard the program is not up to the History Channel standard.
One error deserves comment. In the second segment it is stated that Sicily was the only place in Europe where Christians, Jews and Muslims lived in relative harmony. That was also true of Moorish Spain at roughly the same time. Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain
If you like this video, you may enjoy The Teaching Company: The Vikings DVD series (The Teaching Company Great Courses Number 3910., Set of 6 DVDs with the course guide book)
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Description of The Normans - The Complete Epic Saga
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