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Conquistadors by David Wallace
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DVD Cover InformationActor: John Collee, Michael Wood Director: David Wallace Brand: PBS Writer: Michael Wood Cinematographer: Peter Harvey Editor: Chris Lysaght Editor: Gerry Branigan Producer: Laurence Rees Producer: Leo Eaton Producer: Rebecca Dobbs Producer: Sally Thomas DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language) Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.85:1 Running Time: 240 minutes DVD Release Date: 2006-06-06 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: PBS
Movie Reviews of ConquistadorsMovie Review: Worth your attention Summary: 5 Stars
Some of the other reviewers have complained that this series doesn't match with the "classic" history authors on the subject. It's my opinion that this view fails to recognize how Michael Wood's documentaries usually operate. His research often has a revisionist ethic, and if you observe the credits and his interviews, many of his sources are often current versus classic experts, and he also goes out of his way, especially in this series, to get folk and indigenous perspectives.
This is in line with his general humanist approach. I for one enjoy it, and while he interprets facts with a an eye for revision or "what ifs" or "just maybe," he never abuses the subject. In fact, he takes us on a journey to question everything we might know or think we know from reading canonical texts.
This particular series is also beautifully shot and taken as a whole is a fresh educational and entertainment experience for those who know little about the Conquistadors and their importance to world history.
Summary of ConquistadorsStudio: Pbs Release Date: 05/06/2009 Run time: 240 minutes In 1519 Hernán Cortés defied the Spanish governor of Cuba and set sail from Santiago with three ships and 300 men. He was looking for gold, and he would find it, but he would also destroy the Aztec civilization, setting the agenda for further expeditions that shaped the future of the Americas. Conquistadors is written and presented by Michael Wood, the adventurous historian who has traveled in search of Troy and followed the path of Alexander the Great from Macedonia to India. In his latest series he walks in the footsteps of Cortés, Pizzaro, and their fellow conquerors to explain what happened when two cultures met for the first time. Whether he's climbing a mountain pass in the pouring rain or eating guinea pigs in a mountain village, Wood's passion for the story he's telling makes Conquistadors compelling viewing. When Cortés arrived in Mexico he burned his ships so his men had no choice but to follow him, and Pizarro destroyed the Inca empire with 160 soldiers. These were remarkable people, but their lust for gold and glory caused terrible destruction, and Wood doesn't shy away from the horrors of the conquest, revealing his protagonists in all their troubling complexity. His encounters with the descendents of the Aztecs and the Incas also reveal that although the conquistadors destroyed empires, traces of the native cultures survive, transmitted by generations of ordinary people. Wood's unique approach to history once again reveals how much the present owes to the past. --Simon Leake
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