In Search of the Trojan War

Rating:
Summary: Our Search is over
Review: At long last, Micheal Wood's definitive Series about the Trojan War is on DVD. I have searched high and low for many years looking for this series on VHS, Disc, anything.
It seemed to have dropped off the planet, and then suddenly it appeared when I searched earlier this month. What a joy it is to see this series again. I had taped it when it originally aired on PBS in 1985 but loaned it to a friend and never saw it again.(groan) This is the documnetary that defines the trojan war and the study of it.
The interview with Micheal Wood was very insightful and I was glad to see that his viewpoint that the war did happen in some form is now accepted. His ideas about the Hittite tablets were also right on and have been accepted as well. It is interesting to see the computer equipment they were using at the time this was done, and while the series does not have any fancy graphics, it more than makes up for that with the facinating and complex trail Wood leads the viewer on. He looks at the Trojan War like a detective story and travels all over Europe and Asia Minor to find clues that will help solve the mystery . I can't recommend this DVD enough.

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Summary: Question on this DVD
Review: Can someone tell me if the soundtrack on the US version is by Terry Oldfield? I know his soundtrack is on the European version, but want to make sure that the music I am looking for is on this DVD.

Thanks.

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Summary: I too have waited years for this.
Review: I saw this back in 1985 when if first came out. It was wonderful. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those historical/tourist shows. But it wasn't. It could have been, though.
Mr. Wood is a very charismatic presenter. But is what's better is that he took the story of the story of the Trojan War from the pages of modern myth to reality. I have read Homer and I knew about Schlieman, but other than that, I was ignorant of the Trojan War.
Mr. Wood started with what a regular person knew about the war and then took it into deeper level. I was fascinated by the connection he made to the Hittite Empire. The thought had never occurred to me that if a Troy did exist, it might have trade relations with empires to the east. He also included experts in the fields of archeology, modern history and history of the period.
I thouroughly enjoyed the dvd and have seen it several times. I also have the Alexander dvd and Shakepeare. "In Search of Shakespeare", was fun. Wood took the story of Shakespeare down to the center of his human story.

I would recommend all the Wood "In Search of..." programs. If you can't find the films, then read the books. The books are just are entertaining.


Rating:
Summary: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Troy...
Review: I'm laughing as I write this because... Well, it's a long, disjointed story.

When my wife and I first got married, money was tight and mobility was low, and one of my favorite ways to while away a Sunday afternoon was to stick in the off-air tape I had made of PBS's first run of 'In Search of the Trojan War.' (The only way it was available back then.) Which used to drive my wife nuts because A) I probably did watch it a bit too frequently, and B) she'd much rather have watched a football game. Or a baseball game. Or golf. (Sports nut.)

Seventeen years have gone by. Money's maybe a little less tight. The TV has grown to 51 inches, and the VCR has been supplanted by a DVD player. And somewhere I saw that 'ISotTW' was now available on DVD! Log onto Amazon... Search... "Hey, hon, did you know 'In Search of the Trojan War' is out on DVD?'

'Do you want it?' she asked.

'Well, _yeah_!'

'Don't order it. You'll end up with two. Happy Father's Day.'

It's good enough that I'm really looking forward to seeing it again, nearly twenty years after it came out, for the [mumble]-teenth time.

It can't compare to my wife, though.

Rating:
Summary: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Troy...
Review: I'm laughing as I write this because... Well, it's a long, disjointed story.

When my wife and I first got married, money was tight and mobility was low, and one of my favorite ways to while away a Sunday afternoon was to stick in the off-air tape I had made of PBS's first run of 'In Search of the Trojan War.' (The only way it was available back then.) Which used to drive my wife nuts because A) I probably did watch it a bit too frequently, and B) she'd much rather have watched a football game. Or a baseball game. Or golf. (Sports nut.)

Seventeen years have gone by. Money's maybe a little less tight. The TV has grown to 51 inches, and the VCR has been supplanted by a DVD player. And somewhere I saw that 'ISotTW' was now available on DVD! Log onto Amazon... Search... "Hey, hon, did you know 'In Search of the Trojan War' is out on DVD?'

'Do you want it?' she asked.

'Well, _yeah_!'

'Don't order it. You'll end up with two. Happy Father's Day.'

It's good enough that I'm really looking forward to seeing it again, nearly twenty years after it came out, for the [mumble]-teenth time.

It can't compare to my wife, though.

Rating:
Summary: At Last Complete
Review: Michael Wood's 1985 documentary "In Serach Of The Trojan War" was one of his first epic forays into a particular areas of history. His subject is not just the Trojan War but all of its aspects in the world around it. How the war possibly came to be and how we know anything about it is also a part of the story. As Wood takes us on his journey he makes it clear that it is not just from Homer that we know the tale

In presenting Homer himself Wood takes us not just to Greece. He takes us to the West Coast of Ireland and rural Turkey where even today, as Homer himself did, story tellers recite epic tales from memory that would fill a large book. The catalogue of ships takes him all over Greece where surprisingly features in the landscape that Homer describes are still there. A trip to the cold desolate landscape of Northern Turkey (far from Troy) even produces clues about the war literally carved in stone. Heinrich Schliemann of course casts his shadow but Wood keeps him in perspective. He was right about where Troy was but it was archaelogists after him who finally nailed things down.

To say the least Wood has an enthusiasm for his subject that he is able to convey to the viewer. The jorney is quite an eyeful taking the viewer to places that would take almost a lifetime to cover. PBS first showed the series relatively intact with a few minor edits. When last seen on the History Chanel it had been severely cut by over an hour (about 10 or more minutes from each of the 6 episodes). Here we have the complete version again and after 20 years and having seen it several times it is still a joy to watch.

Rating:
Summary: In Search of the Trojan War
Review: One of the really better documentaries on the ancient world, it explores the history of the excavations of Troy and some theories as to why the war happened. Michael Wood is a charming and engaging host who really brings it to life. If you've watched any of the recent PBS Empires Series, this is very comparable. If History Channel ran it it would be impressive. If you want to be entertained and learn something in the bargain, go for it.

Rating:
Summary: From the point of view of historians
Review: Seeing this series brought me back to my University of California history classes with Erich Gruen, one of the finest classical scholars in the English-speaking world. If you are an ancient history buff, you probably know who he is. In his classes, we didn't simply learn about names, dates, and the "headlines" of events, but were taught to investigate original source material and do our own analysis of the historical facts. All popular histories are colored by the biases of the writers. As they say, "history is written by the victors." Michael Wood's Trojan War series is approached from the point of view of the professional historian. He uses Homer's Iliad as his first guide. Any historical study of the Trojan War begins with Homer. Then he examines Homer's references to place names, events, etc. The section on the "Catalog of the Ships" is simply brilliant. He even travels to Thisbe and checks to see if there really are a lot of pigeons there! He refers to making over 40 trips to different places in the Aegean to check Homeric references against surviving artifacts and geographical landmarks. And this happens in the first episode. This type of investigative and insightful research is present throughout the series. In all, it is a truly scholarly effort of the highest quality. It presents all that we currently know of what happened at Troy during the 13th Century.

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Summary: Best documentary on Troy and the Trojan War
Review: This 6-hour documentary made a huge splash in the mid-1980s when it first appeared. By the end of the year Penguin had to reprint the Iliad twice, and the companion book became an international best seller. At a time when the academic elite refused to accept there was any truth to the Trojan War stories, and that the mere attempt to find the reality behind the legends was a career-killer, Wood's documentary was a revelation. And for me personally, it opened up a whole world and an undying interest in the Trojan War. But, does it hold up today? Is there any reason to sit down and watch this now?

Absolutley. There is an incredible amount of information in this series. The first two episodes focus on the discovery of Troy and the great archaeological digs there (and elsewhere around the Aegean). The middle two episodes bring to life Homer's world, and more generally the era of the Trojan War. The final two put forth his own ideas about whether or not there is any truth behind the stories, based on Hittite archives, archaeology, and a good deal of ancient detective work. This is hands down the most comprehensive documentary on the Trojan War.

More important, though, is the *feel* of the series. Woods follows in a long line of amateur historians who, unafraid of appearing "undignified" or upsetting their careers, scampers up ruined walls, asks interesting questions, and tells a darn good story. He's just as comfortable interviewing academics, illiterate fishermen, or storytellers in smoke-filled Turkish bars. Woods actually makes the past come alive, much more so than the standard "voice over" style of documentary.

As a final thought, this was a series way ahead of its time. As mentioned, in the 80s the Trojan War was considered a myth pure and simple. Woods went *way* out on a limb to uncover the truth of the Trojan War, and came up with some fascinating ideas. They were promptly shot down by the establishment, but they did spark a new era of investigation of Troy. As it stands now, most of the "radical" ideas are now accepted as fact, and it seems that Woods could have even pushed the envelope a bit further.

All in all this is an incredible series and an absolute must for anyone who has been fascinated with the Trojan War. Sure it's long, but more than worth the time spent!

Rating:
Summary: This is not about the Trojan War
Review: This DVD has almost nothing in it about the Trojan War. It is about the study of the Trojan War not about the history itself. If you are interested in ancient Greek history / mythology you will not find it here. Further, about a third of it is video of the Author walking into museums, up hills, driving his car, reading in bed, and staring off into the distance while a voice over talks about the people that studied the Trojan War. Don't buy this DVD.