In the Footsteps of Alexander the Gre

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Summary: What a Journey!
Review: Alexander the Great is known as one of the greatest conquerors of all time. His lifetime achievements are even more extraordinary when one considers that he conquered the greater part of southern Europe, northern Africa,the Middle East and Central Asia all by the time of his premature death at 33. To recreate this amazing feat, historian Michael Wood retraces the steps of Alexander, along the way meeting with locals who keep the legacy of Alexander alive through generations-old folk tales. The importance of the documentary is two-fold: retracing the conquests of Alexander and a contemporary glimpse at modern life in these areas. Besides the wealth of knowledge provided by Wood, his sheer exuberance throughout the rough journey adds interest to the film. Watching him describe Alexander's exploits, I wanted to be right along side of Woods. As a high school history teacher, as much as i enjoyed the documentary, I wouldn't reccommend showing it in the classroom. I think students (especially freshmen) might be a bit bored with Woods' wealth of knowledge and the lack of "action" scenes. In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great is definitely for the seasoned history buff, or for the person who enjoys a little history lesson to go along with travelling to exotic locations.

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Summary: ULTIMATE ARMCHAIR ADVENTURE
Review: Around 300 BC, Alexander The Great had conquered the known world. He was only 32. It is said that he got a fever and died when he realized there were no worlds left to conquer.

At this writing, Oliver Stone's soon to open epic "Alexander" is getting a lot of attention, so it's inevitable that similar themed digital editions will ride the publicity wave.

The four hour armchair adventure IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALEXANDER (Paramount) is among the very best of all TV documentaries.

Enthusiastic, knowledgable and affable Oxford scholar Michael Wood retraces -- for the first time -- the 16 country war path of Alexander from Macedonia to India. Citing excerpts from ancient Greek and Roman historians, Woods literally treks, rides, swims and sails in Alexander's footsteps. Passing through at least four war zones, Wood observes that these regions remain "on the fault lines of history." No kidding. Along the way, Wood encounters local story tellers who perform ancient recitations that keep Alexander's story alive and current. For instance, in Iran there's still resentment of Alexander as conqueror of the Persian empire.

This exciting, engrossing documentary is loaded with numerous incidents rich in irony that puts in clearer perspective not only the world of Alexander (300 BC) but our modern, fractured world. Highest recommendation.




Rating:
Summary: Doesn't hold a candle to the Trojan War
Review: Despite the breathtaking scenery that he walks through--the Afghan wilderness, the Hindu Kush, the dry deserts of Southern Persia-- Wood's documentary doesn't come close to what he accomplished in 1979 with _In Search of the Trojan War_, his magnus opus.

Even his breathless excitement as he re-enacts for us Alexander's dilemnas doesn't make up for what I consider a distinctly lacklustre documentary. For instance, in Trojan War, viewers are treated to delightfully nuanced scholarly commentaries which made for a certain complexity and richness--all sorely missed in this more recent production. I would have liked to hear what the experts had to say about Alexander and his times. And what happened to the music? The sometimes stirring and sometimes incredibly haunting music that graced Wood's earlier masterpiece is utterly lacking here--in fact often there is disturbingly little to create any mood. Well-chosen music to accompany the text is essential to an excellent historical reconstruction. And if that is not all, there is an unbelievable lack of visual and mental variety to this documentary: the imaginative impetus that art and illustration can provide and which the best historical documenataries use to great effect, was again, missing here. We are afforded little else than being guided around some admittedly breathtaking scenery by Michael Wood, but little else to help us try to reconstruct hints of a bygone era. And this I think is necessary for even simply decent historical documentaries--the sensation that we are grasping something of another time.

Although it is undeniable that Alexander's personality, ego, and brilliance all contributed to what took place in history, I dislike the Great-man kind of history that leads to obvious historical distortions and an unnecessary concentration on one man. The temptation to romanticize can be too much. As Wood admits himself, almost as an aside, without his army (actually, Phillips) , Alexander could not have accomplished anything...so why do we know next to nothing of his men? What did they wear? How did they fight? What did they see in Alexander, if anything? Many of these veterans were over 60 years old by the time they resisted Alexander's drive East, and stopped him at the Indus...Sixty! Now how do you expect anyone to fight at that age? Who were these incredible people? And as for that, who were the women that followed the army to what were then the remotest parts of the earth? What happened to the retired soldier-colonists who settled (left? abandoned?) in far-flung places like Bactria? How can anyone call such places "home"? What did it take for these people to be who they were?

Wood's documentary is frustratingly light, especially when we know he could do so much better! Stick to Trojan War for the kind of attention and scholarly detail that makes for truly great documentary work ... Or, if you can dispense with the complexities and details that delight me, then go for his more recent Conquistadors--at least the music creates a haunting nostalgia..

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Summary: If Only More Film makers could tell stories like this!
Review: I ordered this DVD, along with two books, because I wished to learn more about Alexander the Great as a historical figure. This was after having endured the recently released film disaster of the same name by Oliver Stone. Having earlier watched another of Michael Wood's documentaries, the delightful "The Conquistadores", I was willing to gamble on Mr. Wood's skills as a storyteller a second time. My gamble paid off.

As a trained historian and history teacher, I was again impressed by Mr. Wood's attention to detail and accuracy. Not once in four hours of viewing, could I jump out of my seat, play the pedant, and shout "Ah Ha!, he is wrong on this point!"

And the cinematography! I was as riveted by the beauty of the landscapes as I was the engaging and often humorous commentary of the host. "In the Footsteps.." deserves kudos for presenting the often desolate parts of the world its subject experienced as haunting and beautiful in their own right.

Wood's supreme gift, however, is his ability to tell a riveting story. And to tell it in such a warm and affable way as to convey the impression he was sharing it with me personally. It was together we traveled the Hindu Kush, tramped through the snow capped mountains of Macedonia, and sat huddled with tea drinking Iranians, listening to the tales of "Sikandur", the horned one. Mr. Wood's intention is not to persuade, but instead to educate and stimulate debate. My only regret is that the series was not longer. Whatever happened to the fruits of Alexander's labors and the labors of his men? Sadly, Mr. Wood leaves this tale for another to tell.






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Summary: Librarian on the Back of a Giant
Review: If your mind and feet are moved by historical travel writing, there is a wealth of "in the steps of..." literature from the 1990's to consider. Most seminal of this genre is William Darymple's "From the Holy Mountain", a bold and literate historical travelogue retracing 6th century Byzantine Monk John of Moschos' journey through what today is the remnants of Christian communities of the Levent and Northern Africa. It was this text that stirred in me a wunderlust a few years back that had me searching for other historical figures whose journeys might also be retraced and documented in a similarly insightful, witty, and engaging manner. Marco Polo? Done. By Darymple, fresh out of university, no less. Alexander? Hmm. Now that would be an oddessy! This lead me to discover Michael Wood's "In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great."

Within such a genre, Wood's feat is high in terms of physical and logistical achievement, and, I would say, mid-range in terms of telling. First of all, as other reviewers have noted, the retracing of Alexander's campaigns is singular and unprecedented. (Even Julius Caesar had failed to match it.) To meet the challenge, the dangers through which Wood was willing to put himself and his crew were real and omnipresent: What sane Westerner would dare edge their way through 20,000 miles, 16 countries, and four war zones armed with little more than a few a basic rations, a camera and lights and a certain idiosyncratic proclivity toward historical inquisitiveness? Yet, that is precisely what Wood and his coterie achieved, unflinchingly, and with all the story-telling gusto of a good scout outing.

In terms of production, other reviewers have bemoaned this video's lengthiness and slow pace. However, if 2500 years and 20,000 miles of historical pathos can be condensed into something less than four hours (as it appears Hollywood intends set to do in 2005) I can't help but feel something of the greatness has been omitted.

Technically, the camerawork, lighting, and soundtrack are compelling, but this is PBS, folks. A Hollywood buckbluster it ain't. Nor, let it be said, is our narrator guide endowed with the epic cinematographic grandeur of a Charleton Heston or James Earl Jones. Wood has the voice and physical stature of, dare I say, a book-bred sissy. His self-stirred emotion in some scenes may strike some viewers as comical. (See the glib anthropolgist in Turkey laugh AT his monologue on the Gorgon knot, for example.) Indeed, one gets the impression early one that Wood would be more home among the librarians than he is the rugged ragtags he and his ensemble encounter and inquisite.

However, it is just such a contrast that makes his journey intriguing, if not, at times, entertaining. Ultimately, Wood's dual challenge of reconciling the historical claims of Arrian's "the Campaign of Alexander the Great" with contradicting physical and geographic realities, and all the while surviving the arduous journey itself through such conquered lands of bounty, blight, bard and brigand illustrates what any freshman Humanities 101 student must confront: the great chasm in our "Western history" between endless wispy academic and literary heroicizing, and the real world grit in which we mortals must all move. Worth four hours of your existence and contemplation? I'd say.

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Summary: Spectacular, original, informative, wonderfully narrated.
Review: In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great is a superbly presented travelogue adventure exploring the life and conquests of Alexander of Macedonia and his troops. Michael Wood hosts this extraordinary series that perfectly captures the drama and trauma of those ancient times as he takes a modern-day, 20,000 mile odyssey retracing Alexander's route from Macedonia, through Persia, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, India and Iran. In doing so Wood and his crew traveled through sixteen countries and four war zones. No matter how well you think you know Alexander's story and legacy, In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great will provide new and startling information, and give you the feeling of "being there" and a new appreciation for the accomplishments of his troops against all manner of hostile forces, elements, terrains, and internal frictions. The photography is spectacular, the interviews diverse and informative, Wood's narration perfectly attuned to the subject. In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great is a "must" for personal, school, and community library antiquarian history video collections.

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Summary: Adventure, history, legend,travel, what more do you want?
Review: Michael Wood follows the footsteps of Alexander from his home country to his death in the Indian sub-continent. The journey examines not only the military achievements but gives insights into the man himself, as Mr Wood points out, retracing the actual journey reveals much of Alexander's character and what went towards making him such a fearful enemy and friend. Still revered in the West and hated in the East, Alexander's achievements are still staggering by twenty-first century standards.The series is well presented and is still as captivating after several viewings. I simply cannot recommend this title too highly, not only for history buffs but for travellers and lovers of a good story alike.

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Summary: Fantastic with Robin Lane Fox or Partha Bose on Alexander
Review: This is a terrific film shot in the deserts of Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Wood does a phenomenal job of capturing the experiences of Alexander, and there are times one feels as if one is traveling with the world conqueror himself. Watch it, while reading a book on Alexander the Great either by Robin Lane Fox or Partha Bose. The entire experience will come real.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining at the very least
Review: This is by no means a thoroughly objective view of Alexander and his life but it does do what it claims-to retrace the footsteps of Alexander as he continued exploring for the ends of the earth while seeking revenge. This documentary is not meant to dissect Alexander's persona through exhaustive historical accounting or through scholarly discussions. It simply tries to impart a small part of Alexander's character by showing what tremendous hardships he and his army endured and overcame, on their way from Macedonia to India. It retraces his footsteps not his being.

Though it does not necessarily explore the man, it does impart some insights. It shows a man of deep passions, perseverance, endurance, hardiness, foolhardiness, intelligence, a military genius with luck on his side and the possessor of a will of iron. In short, he definitely was a man of mettle and one who changed the course of the world and shaped the thoughts of men for generations to come.

His journeys are re-traced step-by-step through the various territories he conquered. The battle strategies are not discussed in depth. Some are outlined in passing but they do paint a picture of a man who would not be denied and who could lead men by his willpower alone. In short, this is a terrific documentary though it is somewhat one dimmentional. But it is meant to be that way as the title suggests. It is of extreme interest to see how Alexander "Zul-Quarnain's" story has remained vividly alive in the various conquered regions of old and how the man and the myth continue to survive to this day. For a more thorough historical framework and objective discussion, try several well written texts especially the one by Peter Green. The books and the movie will paint a much more complete view of the most distinguished military man in history. Thoughout, one must remember to judge him as a man of his time and not ours.

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Summary: Now *that's* a documentary!
Review: While in grad school studying history (not ancient history, by the way) I got this and watched it with one of my fellow historians and his wife. We started off thinking: "Hm, this is quite a good documentary." We ended up thinking: "Dang! This is the best documentary ever!" Three things tip the scales on this one. First, the subject is inherently interesting. Whether you lean to the right or left, whether you are a tradtionalist or a revisionist at heart, you will find Alexander a fascinating character, and his bid to conquer the world harrowing, gripping, terrible, and awe-inspiring at same time. Second, the film is a good one, good pacing, wonderful footage, and all kinds of interesting people telling their stories. But what really makes this one special is Wood's incredible, insanely idiotic mania to reconstruct Alexander's journey. My God! Surveying battle sites from AWACS flying combat missions over Iraq? Fleeing Kabul ahead of the Taliban? Schmoozing with random warlords in Afganistan? Bandit raids in the Hindu Kush? It just keeps getting more and more bizarre! You will be swept along with this one... and the current troubles in this part of the world make it particularly interesting.