The Ascent Of Man : Complete BBC Series [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Dr. Jacob Bronowski: DVD

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DVD Description
The Ascent of Man is regarded as one of television's greatest achievements. Dr Jacob Bronowski traces the steps of scientific imagination through history as they happened, where they happened. This lavish and thought-provoking series tells the story of the ideas that have transformed our lives.

More than three years in the making, with location filming in over 20 countries, this award-winning series remains compelling viewing.

Synopsis
This feature traces the phenomenal cultural development of mankind from primitive times up to the modern day.

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A triumph of civilisation and television landmark, 8 Oct 2005

By A Customer

An epic investigation into human civilisation and one of the jewels in the BBC's crown, Jacob Bronowski's 'The Ascent of Man' was one of the most gripping and absorbing television experiences I have ever witnessed. At an age when I should have been going off down the pub and making a nuisance of myself, I stayed in, week after week to watch this production.

Bronowski, by the 1970's, was a well-known figure on British television - an intellectual and a scientist who could communicate the complex without sounding simplistic or making the viewer feel stupid. But 'The Ascent of Man' seemed a programme too far. The BBC charter, and the BBC's experience, might emphasise the need to educate and inform, as well as entertain, but surely an exploration of this nature was too vast and too cerebral for prime-time viewing? There were many who felt that it was pretentious of the BBC and that it would be played to a distinctly minority audience.

The result was not simply that Bronowski produced groundbreaking television and set the tone for the future, his exploration of human civilisation crossed the bridge of irony - the British public was not merely ready to watch this programme, they wanted exploration and enquiry, and they wanted the sort of production Bronowski could deliver. Here we had intelligent, intellectual analysis which was sustained by human values, not cold science! Bronowski conveyed passion and excitement and made knowledge and learning warm with emotion and anticipation!

Bronowski could inject passion into a fossil! He comes across as such a lover of life. This is not just a quick history of the world ... this is excitement captured on television, and now on DVD. The great quality of 'The Ascent of Man' is that Bronowski does not set out to deliver fact, incontrovertible statements set in stone - rather he sets out to question and to sow in the minds of the viewer the seeds of doubt, the questions which will stimulate them to enquire, to enquire, and enquire again and never to take for granted. The scientific method is not the cold pursuit of certainties ... it is the human dynamic of uncertainty and the artistry of explanation. Science and history are alive.

And Bronowski never makes this point more clearly than when he kneels in a concentration camp and plucks up a handful of earth. It is a scene of such humility and compassion, it never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Evil lies in blind acceptance and obedience. The essence of civilisation is in questioning, doubting, thinking outside the box. And, in 'The Ascent of Man', the BBC brought the box into the living room and delivered out of it one of the epic pieces of television history and one of the most civilising productions any media has yet carried. Magnificent. Five stars is just for starters!

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76 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They really don't make them like this any more (and never will again), 4 Jan 2007

By	Dr. George L. Sik (Epsom, Surrey) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

There's a notice that hangs on the wall of many a BBC documentary producer which says something like: 'Remember - every programme should tell a story'. To say that The Ascent of Man achieves this apparently simple aim so successfully seems almost unnecessary, such is its reputation, but it's worth asking ourselves why it works so well.

In the end, it is the charisma of Dr Jacob Bronowski that is perhaps the key. He can talk straight to camera for minutes on end with no cross cutting, no punchy music and no heavy-handed visual metaphors filling the screen. Even in the best of today's documentaries, there is an almost desperate desire not to lose the MTV generation with, in the words of Bart Simpson, 'a four second attention-span'. Have we really lost the power to concentrate? The success this year of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' which, aside from the odd bell and whistle, was essentially a filmed lecture, suggests not. We don't need television to talk down to us or assume we can't think for ourselves. Bronowski knew this instinctively.

His style is quiet but never shy, rich in the texture of his language and highly seductive. His views, even the highly personal ones, ring with a real honesty and integrity. His overall vision for mankind is, in spite of everything, an optimistic one.

No documentary presenter has ever, in my view, matched this. David Attenborough (who incidentally commissioned this series when he ran BBC2)comes close, as did Carl Sagan with his Cosmos series, and there is no doubting the enthusiasm of presenters like Patrick Moore. But the rot set in early and the meretricious posturing of the likes of James Burke led quickly to today's David Starkeys, the 'I'm cleverer than you are' school of presenters, as arrogant as they are unwatchable.

It would be a pity if young people today find Bronowski's approach boring or slow, but I doubt many of them would. A little unfamiliar by today's standards, certainly, but, for anyone with a scintilla of patience, pure gold. There will never be a documentary as good as this ever made again.

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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intellectually stimulating TV, 10 Oct 2005

By A Customer

The ability to sit down and watch all 13 episodes of the Ascent of Man in quick succession highlights just what an impressive achievement the series is. I remember watching the series when it was first shown in the 70s. I've no doubt that some of the scientific theories discussed have moved on since 1973 and the computers now look positively prehistoric but Bronowski is an engaging and stimulating presenter with an obvious deep knowledge of science but with historical and artistic knowledge too. A great shame that he wasn't spared to produce more work like this. Unfortunately I just can't see any TV company tackling such a "difficult" topic today so if you have not seen the series before, treat yourself and see that it is possible to produce more than reality TV and game shows and to entertain and educate at the same time.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all been said but....
I am proud and grateful to have grown up having avidly watched this programme, plus Civilisation by Clarke, plus Cosmos by Carl Sagan, The World at War, and Life on Earth by... Read more

Published 1 month ago by A. Nelson

4.0 out of 5 stars Still a good series
The pace of this series is a little slow compared to modern documentaries but still well worth watching. My kids were fascinated and I know that we will watch this many times.

Published 2 months ago by Skiwi

5.0 out of 5 stars More Poem than Lecture
A work of beautiful perfection. Wonderfully delivered and written, charming and poetic. I cannot say enough good stuff about this series other than to bang on about how they don't... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Mr. Edward J. Forsyth

4.0 out of 5 stars Spanish subtitles needed
Excellent for teaching Theory or Knowledge. But in many countries we need spanish subtitles. Thank you.

Published 5 months ago by Mayochi Marcelo Jose

5.0 out of 5 stars Idiosyncratic and unusual TV
In the extra programme at the end of this DVD, David Attenborough says that Bruno (Dr Bronowski) was a great actor. Read more

Published 8 months ago by William Cohen

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great
In his autobiography, Solly Zuckerman described Bronowski as "a great talker and a great waster of time. He never did anything original... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Gilbert Hall

5.0 out of 5 stars Humbling Experience
If you're reading this and see the reviews the choice is clear. I can't actually think of a series I've ever watched as profoundly memorable as this (Cosmos perhaps). Read more

Published 16 months ago by D. Bennison

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I have often felt a lump in my throat when moved by powerful music or noble sentiments but never before by science and history. A must-watch for every enquiring mind. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Paul

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Wonderful
In this astonishing series Jacob Bronowski delivers a spellbinding sequence of lectures that are as full of passion and humanity as they are of knowledge and science. Read more

Published 18 months ago by GeeJayBee

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and timeless experience
This is an absolutely stunning account of the story of man. The charismatic Bronowski takes us back in time and around the world to fascinating places. Read more

Published 23 months ago by bekin

› See all 27 customer reviews...

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	73% buy the item featured on this page: The Ascent Of Man : Complete BBC Series [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (27) �37.98
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