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In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great [DVD]
 
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In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great [DVD]

DVD ~ Michael Wood
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
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Frequently Bought Together

In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great [DVD] + In Search Of The Trojan War [DVD] [2004] + In Search Of Myths And Heroes [DVD]
Total RRP: £59.97
Price For All Three: £37.74

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Product details

  • Actors: Michael Wood
  • Directors: David Wallace
  • Writers: Michael Wood, Homer, Plutarch
  • Producers: Laurence Rees, Leo Eaton, Rebecca Dobbs
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Classification: U
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 1 Aug 2005
  • Run Time: 240 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0002CH90K
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,300 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Historian Michael Wood embarks on an idiosyncratic journey of 20,000 miles tracing the expedition of Alexander the Great in this captivating documentary. Relying on the words of Greek and Roman historians, Wood sought to follow Alexander's route of world conquest as closely as possible, and it is simply amazing how much folklore about the great general he is able to pick up on the way. Beginning in Greece and proceeding through 16 countries, including Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan and India, Wood listens intently to local storytellers who are still passing down the legends of Alexander. In one fascinating segment, Wood is barred from entering Iraq, but he is able to view the terrain on which Alexander's troops faced the Persians by scanning the radar screens of an American AWACS plane patrolling high above. In the course of his travels, Wood passes through four war zones and he notes that strategic regions of Alexander's day are still "on the fault lines of history". This is a lengthy production, clocking in at almost four hours, but the relaxed pace is a virtue, as Woods and the people he meets along the way, from local storytellers to noted historians, pass along an amazing array of historical knowledge. Lovers of history will find this documentary to be a joy and may well find themselves savouring every mile of Alexander's great journey. --Robert J. McNamara


Synopsis

Michael Wood takes us on a journey following the triumphant march of Alexander of Macedonia from Greece to India and brings new insights into the man whose myth and achievements are still considered important in the twenty-first century.

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars First Rate Wood, 2 Jul 2006
By Kerryah (Port Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews
This is one of the very best of Michael Wood's documentaries, an excellent blend of history and travel, not all of it easy. The comparison of the past (based on the works of classical writers quoted by Wood) with the present as experienced by Michael and film crew, is fascinating, particularly when direct links with Alexander are encountered.

Of the documentaries available on Alexander the Great, this one is definitely the best.
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40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Alexander the Great, Iskandar and other versions of the tale, 21 Oct 2006
This is a superb presentation which has, nevertheless, some flaws. Segment one, which tells the story of Alexander's youth and the launch of the great expedition, gives due credit to Alexander's father, Philip II, as strategist and politician, but fails to mention that Philip planned the expedition to conquer Persia, raised an army and its supply lines and had a route mapped out. He was murdered just before he was due to leave Macedonia. Alexander was able to move so quickly because the work had been already prepared by Philip. Wood gives the impression that Persia was Alexander's idea. Wood also fails to emphasise enough Alexander's rivalry with Philip. A brilliant and commanding personality, Alexander spent his youth being eclipsed by his father's achievements, and it made him furious to excel Philip. This rivalry was cultivated by his mother Olympias, who had been set aside by Philip and would not accept it. The murder of Philip was most likely organised by Olympias, with Alexander's connivance.

Segment two, which deals with the conquest of Darius, fails to mention that Darius was an usurper who did not command the allegiance of his nobles and their forces. To be exact, an ambitious eunuch removed the legitimate heir and used Darius, who was of the royal house and of an impressive appearance, as a pawn through whom he could rule the empire. This was not accepted by the nobles, and if Alexander had not come it is likely the empire would have broken up in civil wars unless another Darius the Great had emerged. This explains why the Persian army was so ineffective, with whole divisions not engaging or deserting during combat. Alexander was fighting an already beaten enemy. These two instances lessen Alexander's achievement but make it much more understandable.

Segments three and four, on the circuit of the empire and arrival at India, return and death, are more of a travelogue, recounting surviving folklore in a leisurely way while reflecting on the possible collapse of Alexander's character through excess. It gave me the feeling that Wood was running out of steam, filling up his allotted time with lesser material.

On the positive side Wood illuminates Alexander's deeds and character by experiencing the same terrain as Alexander did, and in some instances sheds light on Alexander's actions. Wood is, as always, scholarly, and engaging, prompting audience involvement.

As a whole the documentary reinforces the myth, while highlighting aspects of it unknown to western audiences. It's a populist, and amazing, travelogue. For some reason Wood refers to Hercules (the Roman god) throughout, not Herakles (the Greek god). Alexander? A spoiled boy with a megalomania fostered by his unscrupulous mother, he was able to steal the achievements of Philip, a military and political genius of the calibre of Julius Caesar, by murdering him. Then, fortuitously, he was able to take the Persian Empire away from an usurper who could not have held it. He is famous because he was a prime example for Christian moralists of the futility of human ambition by having conquered the world and then dying at 32.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent well-researched and well-presented documentary, 28 Aug 2008
We watched this after watching Oliver Stone's Alexander Revisited (the final cut) and I'd recommend doing that as this documentary works brilliantly afterwards going into depth and giving you further insights. Make sure you watch the interview with Michael Wood at the end in which he comments on the film etc - it is all excellent. Michael Wood's understanding of the need for historical context and his commitment to trying to understand Alexander in his own terms as much as from our modern perpective is to be applauded. This really is a brilliant documentary - visually stunning, intriguing and entertaining. I cannot imagine anyone interested in this subject being disappointed with this 2 DVD set.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Alexander in four parts
Michael Wood is one of that recently popularised band - the celebrity historian. I usually find his work just a little too keen on Michael Wood rather than on the subject in hand,... Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2007 by Charles Vasey

5.0 out of 5 stars worthy
In a historical documentary the whole thing is to be historically acurate and to provoke the interest of the audience.This documentary succeed on both two areas. Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars Does not hold a candle to "In Search of the Trojan War"
To be fair, Wood's production never promised to be a sweepingly majestic, 13-episode scholarly feast, as was his "In search of the Trojan War". Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2005 by nlonghu

2.0 out of 5 stars This is not a history; more a character assassination
I have read all the classic sources, and most of the modern historical texts, which for the uninformed include writers such as Fuller, Hammond, and even Robin Fox. Read more
Published on 19 May 2005 by John L.

5.0 out of 5 stars Seen it on video - but where's the region 2 version????
I haven't a clue what the previous review had to do with this production apart from it being about greeks????? Read more
Published on 13 April 2005 by M. A. Shore

5.0 out of 5 stars the very best documantery for alexander
first of all of course alexander was a macedonian as leonidas was a spartian and pericles was athenian.aristoteles was a macedonian too. Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational history.
This is an excellent video for someone like myself who had little prior knowledge of Alexanders exploits.It certainly is not high brow nor is it boring. Read more
Published on 29 Jul 2004 by Simon

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Wood - In the footsteps of Alexander the Great
I’m biased in that I like Michael Wood’s works & this one is no exception. He has a great ability to make history wonderfully available. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2004 by David Lazzari

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Awe-inspiring description of the most enviable conquest in history. Regrettably for the previous commending reviewer M. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2004 by georgiosg

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, except it forgets that Macedonia isn't Greek
The problem was Michael Wood managed not to address one very important issue. Alexander the Great was Macedonian and not Greek. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2003 by Michael Pande

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