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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Christian invaders were regarded as infidels. The Arabs were scorned as lawless pagans. The Westerners saw their quest as literally a sanctified crusade, while the Muslims launched their own holy war, called a jihad, in retaliation. Sound familiar? It should, because although the events depicted in the History Channel's The Crusades - Crescent & The Cross took place nearly a thousand years ago, they are but a distant mirror to what's going on in the Middle East right now. This two-part, three-hour program, released here on two discs (the second includes over an hour of bonus material), impressively details all three Crusades, starting in the late 11th Century, when Pope Urban II dispatched a huge force to reclaim Jerusalem, which had been under Muslim control for some 400 years. For the knights and others who made the journey, it was a noble spiritual quest, not to mention an escape from Europe's petty wars and famines; in the end, the fact that many of them were greedy butchers who murdered Muslims, Jews, and even other Christians indiscriminately (sometimes even eating the flesh of the vanquished) detracted not at all from their conviction that they were acting in the name of God. Of course, so were the Muslims, who, after the bloody first crusade succeeded in seizing the holy city, mounted a massive counter-attack under leaders like Nur al-din and his son Saladin, who managed to take back Jerusalem (from whence Mohammed was said to have ascended to heaven) and hold on to it through the failed second and third crusades, the latter led by England's Richard the Lionheart.
All of this is presented by way of techniques that will be recognizable to History Channel buffs. They include modern-day historians, who re-trace the routes of the crusaders and examine the ancient sites where the action took place, as well as actors who portray characters of the time (chroniclers, knights, and others); numerous re-enactments, aided by excellent cinematography and skilful use of CGI (whereby a few dozen extras could be made to look like many thousands), vividly illustrate the battles and other events that took place during this roughly 200-year period. Add to that a bonus documentary about the Knights Templar (the soldier-monks in charge of protecting the Kingdom of Jerusalem) and a decent "making of" documentary, and you have an absorbing, enlightening look at events that prove one thing above all: the more things change, the more they stay the same. --Sam Graham
Product Description
They were promised Heaven but they found themselves in Hell. THE CRUSADES: CRESCENT & THE CROSS unfurls two centuries of war, two cultures impassioned by belief, and one land to stage it all an epic of human drama cast in the name of the holy. Once called the Levant, the area encompassing modern day Israel and parts of Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey fell under the siege of Christian soldiers in 1096 AD. Galvanized by Pope Urban II, waves of Christian warriors fought their way from Europe to the Holy Land intent on wresting it away from Arab occupiers. Countless battles, amazing feats, and unforgettable characters forged legends and legacies, but clear victory remained elusive. Only the 13th century and a new menace from Asia finally brought an end to conflict. This global event, multi-million dollar production from HISTORYTM uses breathtaking CGI-enhanced visuals and dramatic re-enactments to bring to life the key battles of the period. Stunning, rarely seen locations include a vast chain of Crusader castles stretching from Portugal to Jerusalem to Turkey and beyond. Drawn from primary sources that feel amazingly contemporary, vivid interviews with key participants give viewers a day-to-day feel of the medieval world.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Whether you're a scholar, just got a passing interest or like a bit of 'boys own' this is a great boxed set. Having loved the fiction movie Kingdom of Heaven I wanted to know more about the Crusades. As the previous reviewer said - very informative and unpatronising. Unlike the other reviewer, I liked the spooky religous guy. Added a bit of theatre - and he's quite funny in parts (unintentionally). It delivers all of the facts - but not in a crusty and dry old way. More kind of docu-drama. Recommended.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
An excellent DVD for all those senior students out there. Not many suitable books are available for this period of history for students at A-level, so this DVD is a very helpful addition.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In truth I would give this three and a half stars if I could; it's not worth four but three seems a little harsh. And why isn't it worth four (or more) stars? Firstly, it only covers the first three crusades, whereas the blurb here (and on the DVD cases themselves) gives the very definite impression of covering the entire period, until the fall of Acre in 1291. In fact everything after the third crusade, almost one hundred years of history, are dealt with in less than five minutes right at the end of disc three. Still, there are undoubtedly those who wouldn't be too worried about getting something that's not what is advsertised. Therefore we turn to a worse problem with this series - the narration.
The inclusion of a good number of famous crusade historians, from both sides of the religious divide, gives the series an authority sadly lacking in so many other documentaries. This should have been a winner then, but the narration entirely lets it down. Firstly, it's done by an American who insists on pronouncing everything incorrectly. Secondly, the content of the narration is often at odds with the crusade experts and, indeed, with itself. It also seems to have been written by someone following their own agenda rather than simply sticking with the history, which is very unhelpful. Unnecessary superlatives are the order of the day and many statements are made without context.
Having said all that, anyone watching this who has no or little knowledge of the crusades will definitely come away much better informed, if with the occassional odd idea. The inclusion of actual crusade experts as opposed to generic and overly enthusiastic American scholars does help to keep the documentary mostly on course, and provides names to look up for people who want to study this fascinating period further. Another winning aspect of the series is the inclusion of so much primary evidence, read out by actors decked out as the authors. They can definitely be annoying at times but I cannot think of a better way of getting so much contemporary writing in, without boring the general viewer. I must reiterate that this IS a documentary, in this case done in the familiar History Channel style of constantly showing the same dodgy re-enactment over and over.
So, if you feel you can cope with the dodgy narration and can get over the fact that this only covers the first three crusades despite advertising more, then you should definitely give it a go. If you cannot, avoid it and read a book instead. For example, both Thomas Ashbridge and Johnathan Phillips (who appear in this series) have written wonderful general histories of the crusades.
The inclusion of a good number of famous crusade historians, from both sides of the religious divide, gives the series an authority sadly lacking in so many other documentaries. This should have been a winner then, but the narration entirely lets it down. Firstly, it's done by an American who insists on pronouncing everything incorrectly. Secondly, the content of the narration is often at odds with the crusade experts and, indeed, with itself. It also seems to have been written by someone following their own agenda rather than simply sticking with the history, which is very unhelpful. Unnecessary superlatives are the order of the day and many statements are made without context.
Having said all that, anyone watching this who has no or little knowledge of the crusades will definitely come away much better informed, if with the occassional odd idea. The inclusion of actual crusade experts as opposed to generic and overly enthusiastic American scholars does help to keep the documentary mostly on course, and provides names to look up for people who want to study this fascinating period further. Another winning aspect of the series is the inclusion of so much primary evidence, read out by actors decked out as the authors. They can definitely be annoying at times but I cannot think of a better way of getting so much contemporary writing in, without boring the general viewer. I must reiterate that this IS a documentary, in this case done in the familiar History Channel style of constantly showing the same dodgy re-enactment over and over.
So, if you feel you can cope with the dodgy narration and can get over the fact that this only covers the first three crusades despite advertising more, then you should definitely give it a go. If you cannot, avoid it and read a book instead. For example, both Thomas Ashbridge and Johnathan Phillips (who appear in this series) have written wonderful general histories of the crusades.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Missing crusade
I thought that this was a reasonable re-construction of the first three Crusades. The comparative humanity of Moslem Saladin towards the christians in Jerusalem compares very... Read more
Published 29 days ago by James Wells
DO NOT BUY!
This was terrible. Absolutly poor, it skips very lightly over the first and second crusades then simply says, 'and then there was a third crusade led by Richard the Lionheart! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mick8818
Very Well presented and dramatised
I have seen parts of this documentary on History channel and decided to buy my own copy to enable me to enjoy and watch from the beginning to the end. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Nina Paszkowska
A Trip Into Muslim & English History
This 3 Disc set of an Historic Journey into the past and into the world of Christians and Muslims left me blown away.
What an educational Journey this was. Read more
What an educational Journey this was. Read more
Published 22 months ago by cullodenmist
DVD
Not as good as expected.
Remember it is not a movie just a documentary.
Remember it is not a movie just a documentary.
Published on 7 Jan 2010 by Brian Burford
Critique
Very informative, scholastic and unpatronising. Input from a variety of university lecturers. Especially good and (balancing) input from Tariq Ali. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2009 by Nrhlangman
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