Rating: 
Summary: A view of Roman history.
Review: This documentary is a great introduction to Roman history. It is not an indepth course in Roman history, as previous reviewers would of liked. Instead, it provides the average person with an a general look at Romes place in history; With out drowning one in extreme detail.
Rating: 
Summary: Best for the Beginner
Review: This is not a DVD series for someone already familiar with Roman history. It is, however, a decent introduction for a beginner.As other reviewers have said, the series is laid out in six independent chapters. Although the layout is roughly chronological, it does jump forward and loop back at times, which can lead to confusion if watching the entire series at one sitting (wait, didn't we already cover Commodus? Did I start the wrong chapter?). This repetition occurs because the chapters were meant to be shown one at a time, and are thematic, rather than chronological. For example, one chapter might cover the legions, and another the growth of Empire, and both chapters might discuss the second Punic War and the fall of Carthage. The narration is fair. I was a bit off-put at first by the American voice (though American myself, I always expect a British narrator in this sort of film) but quickly grew accustomed to it. Many of the images are of very old (look to the the 1920's or 1930's) films about Rome, with modern images added and similarly made to look dated. It's a decent effect. The more modern images, such as those of a man throwing hay into a wagon with his pitchfork, are repeatedly used throughout the film -- any time the series discusses farming, we see this same film clip. The experts are...fair. I found it disheartening to hear one compare Rome's gladiators to Mike Tyson in the first few minutes of series -- the comparison, while true, felt trite and overly focused on pop culture. It will date the series in a few years when people say, 'Mike Who?'. All-in-all, a reasonable effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: This so-called documentary is a hodge-podge of frequently repeated film clips and excerpts from grade B Hollywood mono-color Roman-spectacle movies interspersed with inane comments by revisionist historians. Also included for your enlighgtenment is an attack on conservatives as wealthy oppressors and a measure of Christian bashing. Don't waste your money on this mess - I wasted mine!
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