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Mar. 6th, 2011 08:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
endlessraritiesI just finished watching the complete Simon Schama's A History of Britain. There was a slight hiccup - I accidentally missed out the second-last episode and had to watch it last, but...
For those who have an interest in British history, I can't recommend this collection highly enough. The fervent nationalists of Scotland and Wales might scoff at the way it skates over certain episodes of regional history, but it really shouldn't be seen as the complete guide to the history of Britain, per se. It should be interpreted, instead, as a series of themed essays which capture the essence of certain key moments in Britain's history.
The viewer is carried on a compelling journey which takes them from Neolithic Orkney, through the medieval wars of independence, via Mary, Queen of Scots and Civil War, right through to World War II. The scope is vast, covering the role Britain played in the wider British Empire, in particular the Americas, and India. This isn't history as a glorious triumphalist celebration of achievements: it's a sombre reflective summary of a journey which has been painful and cruel and often futile for those caught at its heart.
The resulting programmes are often bleak, and sometimes harrowing. Seen in tandem with contemporary developments in the modern world, the resonances can be particularly uncomfortable. And yet, when it boils down it, the final impression that is left is one of bittersweet regret and above all, hope for the future.
If you never caught it the first time, keep an eye out for it. It's well worth watching!
For those who have an interest in British history, I can't recommend this collection highly enough. The fervent nationalists of Scotland and Wales might scoff at the way it skates over certain episodes of regional history, but it really shouldn't be seen as the complete guide to the history of Britain, per se. It should be interpreted, instead, as a series of themed essays which capture the essence of certain key moments in Britain's history.
The viewer is carried on a compelling journey which takes them from Neolithic Orkney, through the medieval wars of independence, via Mary, Queen of Scots and Civil War, right through to World War II. The scope is vast, covering the role Britain played in the wider British Empire, in particular the Americas, and India. This isn't history as a glorious triumphalist celebration of achievements: it's a sombre reflective summary of a journey which has been painful and cruel and often futile for those caught at its heart.
The resulting programmes are often bleak, and sometimes harrowing. Seen in tandem with contemporary developments in the modern world, the resonances can be particularly uncomfortable. And yet, when it boils down it, the final impression that is left is one of bittersweet regret and above all, hope for the future.
If you never caught it the first time, keep an eye out for it. It's well worth watching!
