The Rose Parade: A Pageant for the Ages

Rating:
Summary: I Was Never A Fan Of The Rose Parade Until Now...
Review: Living in Southern California and being dragged by my parents in the cold to see the Rose Parade every New Year's Day as a child, I was not particularly looking forward to seeing a documentary on the preparation of the parade. But boy was I wrong! This isn't one of those standard behind-the-scenes shows where you watch people glue flowers on floats. This is really an entertaining program that shows the overall history of the parade as it changed through the years.


It's hosted by Stephanie Edwards and former Grand Marshall William Shatner (who just doesn't work enough for my taste ;), and both prove knowlegable and engaging in explaining the intricacies of mounting this annual procession.

The video touches on all parts of the parade, marching bands, equestrians and Rose Queens getting their own sections as well as famous grand marshals. You get to see some amazing floats with lots of animation and even stunt riders like motorcyclists, bungee jumpers and snow skiers doing flips. Since the parade is more than a hundred years old, there are also some great archive photos showing the first decorated buggies and some very early automobiles. The most interesting part of the history section is some footage shot by Thomas Edison in 1898. Anyway, great historical stuff that is very entertaining, not just educational.

I bought a copy for my mom and maybe this New Year's she'll let me sleep in!