Empires of Industry - Black Gold: The Story of Oil (History Channel)
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Movie Reviews of Empires of Industry - Black Gold: The Story of Oil (History Channel)
Movie Review: Bad Black Gold
Summary: 2 Stars
Having read Daniel Yergin's epic on the oil industry (The Prize) I was expecting much much more from this DVD. I must say after viewing its less than 1 hour effort I am utterly disappointed. To begin with, Amazon.com should make it mandatory for each DVD on sale to state the length of the production. This is basic product information and I wonder why we need to get this information from customer reviews when available. After a 5 hour "The Story of India" and a 4-disc "The Universe" my expectations were for a 2 hour presentation at the least.
This DVD has not enough coverage and depth for its price. It focused mainly on the origins of oil in the USA and thereafter demands for it, firstly for kerosene lighting and thereafter during the automobile craze in the USA. It largely ignored the development of the oil industry in Persian Gulf countries, Mexico, South Amercia and parts of Asia and the politics surrounding oil during World War II.
Movie Review: Empires of Industry - Black Gold: The story of oil
Summary: 5 Stars
Great general history of the petroleum industry in America and abroad. Terrific photos, documents and tales - I'd highly recommend.Movie Review: Story of Oil
Summary: 3 Stars
Good historical review of the importance of oil in our society. Somewhat simplified with little insight of political and industrial importance.Movie Review: Film Review
Summary: 4 Stars
It was slightly better than average, but it certainly was aimed to make the petro industry look good.Movie Review: An Industry Public Relations Effort passed off as "History"
Summary: 1 Stars
This documentary is very informative as it pertains to the development of the big oil corporations, Standard, Gulf and Texaco in the U.S. It is rather odd that it passes through the 1930s with no mention of Middle East fields, that is until the 1970s (!) with the "oil weapon" of OPEC (which actually formed in the early 1960s) and gas embargo. One will find no mention of the role that oil corporations played in transforming merchant and Navy ships to oil during WWI, hence acquiring a "key" to the U.S. Treasury through "national security" rhetoric. One will find no mention of how the U.S. corporations muscled out British imperial influence in Saudi Arabia before WWII. Nor how western oil corporations both finagled in the sovereignty of foreign nations through supporting autocratic regimes and military coups using cynical anti-communist (and later human rights and "terrorist") justifications (Iran, Iraq, Latin America, Indonesia, Sudan, etc.). Nor is there any mention of the importance of controlling Middle East oil to rebuild Europe and Japan after WWII (nor the important, perhaps even central, role of oil in igniting that war!). Finally, not a peep about the escalation of petrochemical production and its environmental effect, not to mention emissions and global warming. This documentary is vastly compromised by the industry perspective, yet informative, if supplemented by other readings and documentaries (such as The Corporation, or Hidden Wars of Desert Storm).
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