Centennial [UK DVD] [1978]

As a rule, mini series have aspired to the label `epic'. By having starrier cast names, bigger sets, and of course more worldwide locations. This early mini series from the late 70's did something different - it kept the same location - the fictional town of Centennial, and charted the creation and evolution of the land and then the town, and the people that came and had an impact. So instead of the characters being large and the locations serving to tell us about the characters, the people are the ephemeral ones, passing through and hoping to leave their stamp on history. It's typical Michener in its style, and works perfectly in the mini series format - elegiac, rather than just epic.
So the story unfolds over 26 hours of TV of a beautiful bend in the river which is home to a tribe of native Americans, then comes the trappers, then the traders, the settlers, then the cattlemen, the shepherds, the farmers and civilization takes hold. It's a satisfying and at times informative unraveling of American history, told factually, but through a fictional town. That's not to say the characters are not well written - thanks to utterly memorable performances by the like of Robert Conrad as Pasquinel, Dennis Weaver as the cattle driver, Timothy Dalton as the rancher and yes, even Richard Chamberlain as McKeag amongst a huge cast, these are vignettes which will stay with you.
If the series has a weakness, it's the tendency to give extended and unnecessary flashbacks, particularly in the later episodes where the director feels the continual need to remind us at length of what has gone before. As for dating, it could be argued certainly that the sound quality and picture are somewhat dated now, but on the whole the series stands up remarkably well - paradoxically it is the later modern scenes with Robert Vaughn and Andy Griffith (and a young Sharon Gless) which have dated most.
Perhaps the most surprising element to me watching this again for the first time in 28 years, is the emphasis on harmony on the land - the give and take that the early settlers achieved, but later generations signally failed to achieve.
All in all, a worthwhile message, a handy historical summary, a fascinating cast and a collection of interesting interweaving stories - on whatever level you take it, this is well worth watching, despite its occasional flaw.

It must be all of 30 years since this James A. Michener's No 1. Bestseller was first shown on BBC2. I recorded every episode on VHS tape, and have since copied it onto DVD. I must have watched it more than a dozen times and never tire of it. The story commences in Colorado in 1756 with a primitive Indian tribe known only as "Our People", and the death in combat, of Lame Beaver's (William Atherton) father, and continues rapidly to 1795 with the arrival of the first white trapper, Pascinell (William Conrad) into the Indian lands. The epic continues, generation by generation, with a host of wonderful actors 'as long as your arm', right up to the mid 1970's. If you have not seen it, buy it, you will not regret doing so.

Well, yes in my own opinion. Quite why it's taken Universal so long to release this is ridiculous, and theres still no release scheduled for the UK as far as I know. I've imported a Region 1 copy and can report that the six discs (single sided) fold out from a seperate insert inside a book type box. Picture quality is great, especially when compared to the VHS release, and the numerous pirated efforts out there. I've yet to find out whether the series has been cut for political correctness purposes, but I doubt it. The only extra here is a featurette looking back at the series with interviews from stars and crew. A real bargain if you've a multi region player. They don't make series like this any more, and if you saw it when originally broadcast in the late 70's you'll know exactly what I mean. It's hard to switch off because it hooks you right from the start. Fantastic, a real milestone in TV - BUY IT!