The Spartans
by Melanie Archer
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bettany HughesDirector: Melanie Archer
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-04-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Pbs Paramount
Movie Reviews of The Spartans
Movie Review: Two-Hearted Review
Summary: 4 Stars
Bettany Hughes' video "The Spartans" is a vivid exploration of ancient Greece's second city-state from the Bronze Age through its later rise and decline as a political and military force. Ms. Hughes, a writer and BBC television personality, who holds Oxford degrees in ancient and modern history, presents her material in a relaxed and informal style that charms as well as informs the viewer.
She begins her story by acknowledging that when most people think of ancient Greece, they think of Athens. She then suggests that we also owe Sparta a debt for our political and cultural development. For example, she says that Sparta was the first Greek city to define both rights as well as the responsibilities of citizenship.
In describing the disconnection between the end of the Greek Bronze Age and the historical black hole that followed it, she says, "The thread of history snapped." She also says Athens is where, "the blueprint for Western Civilization got its first draft." This is a woman whose ability to write and to paint word pictures is so good that it's a match for the stunning Peloponnesian visuals which would otherwise dominate the video.
Following her introduction, Ms. Hughes gives a detailed account of Spartan social and military development, including high and low points in Spartan history. Lows include invading a nearby territory and enslaving its Greek population to provide both a labor force and a breadbasket for the Spartan homeland. On the plus side of the ledger, she describes the last stand of the three-hundred Spartans killed defending the pass at Thermopylae against invading Persian hordes. She's right to do so. For that achievement of human will and spirit echoes down the corridor of centuries and confers on those antique warriors a kind of collective immortality.
Throughout, she speaks to us from actual locations, such as modern Sparta, or the pass at Thermopylae, or we're seated with her as she drives from one locale to another in search of her vision of Sparta. The driving sequences are especially effective. As viewers, we can't help but feel as though we're passengers, riding with her as she chats about what's coming at the next stop.
There are a few exceptions, but Ms. Hughes usually does not cite sources for her commentary. There are also very few interviews, either with locals or with historical experts. At one point, as she describes Spartan life, she tells us, "Male homosexuality was compulsory." She cites no academic or historical sources for this remark. Had she said that homosexuality was common, or even encouraged, in this warrior state, evidence might support her assertion without quoting specific sources. What she does say may very well be true. The remark, however, is so provocative that I believe she should have provided immediate and thorough corroboration.
That comment also brings into focus what had been a slight, almost unconscious, uneasiness generated by the lack of substantiation throughout the production. In retrospect, it's an uneasiness that prevents me from assigning this otherwise excellent video a five-star rating.
Ms. Hughes has two newer historic Greek video documentaries to her credit: "Athens: The Dawn of Democracy" and "Helen of Troy." Both, in their individual ways, effectively use documentation, such as historical sources and expert interviews. Ms. Hughes presentation techniques seem to have evolved and improved with experience. These last two videos, especially her "Helen," do rate the full five stars.
Summary of The Spartans
Maybe it was Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire or Frank Miller's 300 that got you interested in learning about Sparta, but the thought of delving into Herodotus, Thucydides, or Plutarch appeared a bit too daunting. Luckily you don't have to brave the classics in order to get a rich education of the ultimate warrior city-state of ancient Greece. PBS's The Spartans is a well-researched, well-paced three-hour documentary telling you everything an armchair Lambda-wearing Hoplite would ever want to know about Greece's legendary warriors. Classical historian Bettany Hughes does an amazing job of exploring all aspects of life and history in the utopian city-state, including their rise to power, battles, discipline and training, thrifty existence, ideals of equality, enforcement of social/sexual freedom for both genders, and, ultimately, their downfall. Couple The Spartans with Empires: The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, and you are guaranteed to walk away knowing more than most about the roots of Western Civilization without having to crack open the classics (though that is recommended!). --Rob BraccoDocumentary DVD Video
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