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I'd much rather watch 'Mankind, Vikings, Hatfields and McCoys' etc. than whatever lame CSI/cop show is being pushed on NBC/CBS/ABC. Or the even more lame dysfunctional family sitcoms.
Even 'The Bible' is on my must watch list, and those exact stories are what made me a non believer from a young age.
I think I kind of like some of the stuff they do with this. I'm intrigued. I miss the old history stuff though when documentaries about aliens and other things felt like they had a little more clout and they weren't just speculating to get ratings.
You can understand the choice of programming is influenced by the fact that the History Channel is owned by FOX. I made a recording of Vikings and will watch it tonight.
The regular networks seem to be missing the point here.
Downton Abbey, period drama, wipes out all the competition on Sunday nights when its shown even if you can buy the dvd's and its been shown in England.
Hatfields and McCoys, historical fiction, wiped out the competition.
The Bible, mythological fiction, wiped out the competiion.
The Vikings, historical fiction, wiped out the competition.
And the networks? reality shows and nice cheap formula cop/doctor/lawyer shows.
I wonder if there is a message here.
For a little while to watch Falling skies I upped the Dish subscription and the only things I watched on the new channels were Falling Skies, stuff on Science and the two history channels. Sadly not enoug to double the bill. I love the military channel since they show stuff which isn't flashy enough for the usual. Thank ALL the gods for PBS...
Indeed, not all is lost, I wonder if at least the History channel would notice the demand for history shows?
I don't think there are many better options on TV. Personally I cannot watch anything else other then history or documentaries, or some talks on CSPAN, so I was happy to see it.
It's a step in the right direction, and it's good to see history shows seep into the mainstream culture.
I hope the other shows that are so common right now will some day be history.
I watched the show last week and think they did a decent job with the social aspects of a tribal culture. I approve of the way the local chieftain is a corrupt greedy coward not worth to air he breaths. The brothers still are looking for a better deal and get it even if they have to defy the bozo in charge. The latitude device and the polarizing crystal were accurate pieces of Viking era technology.
I loved the "You gotta’ be s**tting me" look on the wife's face when confronted by the idiot would be rapists. The rest of that scene was predictable. I also kind of liked the old man with the spear, cape and two ravens.
.... I find it very sad that today we have to have that visual component to make it real for so many, but if using it opens doors they might not have then its a good idea.
I agree. I am a librarian, and I have found time and time again that many people who will not sit and listen to a traditional lecture with say, a powerpoint and a handout, will come in if they see artifacts, props, etc. and someone dressed in garb. I do this as much as my managers will allow. (Incredibly, there seems to be some resistance to this because it is 'non traditional'.) I use the props as a starting point for a discussion type format with anecdotes and "interesting facts", which may be less history-heavy, but tends to get much more attendance. I figure that if anything I say gets one person to go read a book afterwards, it was a successful event.
I am not too particular when it comes to historical TV dramas. In an age of awful "reality" TV shows, just seeing a show based on history is usually good enough for me, unless it's too badly produced.
As for The Vikings, nice boat. Lagertha is hot. And she's not bad with an ax, either.
I agree. I am a librarian, and I have found time and time again that many people who will not sit and listen to a traditional lecture with say, a powerpoint and a handout, will come in if they see artifacts, props, etc. and someone dressed in garb. I do this as much as my managers will allow. (Incredibly, there seems to be some resistance to this because it is 'non traditional'.) I use the props as a starting point for a discussion type format with anecdotes and "interesting facts", which may be less history-heavy, but tends to get much more attendance. I figure that if anything I say gets one person to go read a book afterwards, it was a successful event.
I am not too particular when it comes to historical TV dramas. In an age of awful "reality" TV shows, just seeing a show based on history is usually good enough for me, unless it's too badly produced.
As for The Vikings, nice boat. Lagertha is hot. And she's not bad with an ax, either.
I think part of this comes from the primary way people used to get information and how they do now. Gradually *reading* about a time has diminished. When children were taught to make their own pictures, they were able easily to crawl into the ones painted with words. Today's kids, and for the last few, increasinly its been a visual world. The people who produced the miniseires 'the Bible' got one bit of advise from their grandkids. Good fx. The old movies are 'boring'.
The people who go to a presentation and see the garb and get to see artifacts, then read a book may be those who had strayed, or those who never completely learned. But even as adults you can start.
I could swear there was a cut scene in the movie from Dr.Zhivago, and found a full cut and it wasn't there. But it was in the book. It was on a train with people heading off to a mystery and it was so beautifully written I could run it like a movie in my head. I am of the first tv generation, and embrased the computer/net world early, but read voratiously. I write stories. I see my scenes as little video's in my head before I write them. I wonder if before the prevalance of tv and moviies I would have.
One example of how a prespective can be gained with tv period drama was in Downton Abbey. The Houskeeper buys herself a toaster. Experiments to see how the new gaget works lead to smoke, but she's delighted. The rest of the staff are very leery. This is less than a hundred years ago. In a world filled with gagets, things we simply expect, the idea of all of those not existing can seem just as foreign as the age of the Vikings. But this was the time of your own grandparents and great grandparents.
Ah, yes, I'm enjoying the Vikings. I can't watch ep 5 until they reshow 4 since it didn't record, but I can make it a marathon. I do like the fierce and unsubmissive Viking women.
One example of how a prespective can be gained with tv period drama was in Downton Abbey. The Houskeeper buys herself a toaster. Experiments to see how the new gaget works lead to smoke, but she's delighted. The rest of the staff are very leery. This is less than a hundred years ago. In a world filled with gagets, things we simply expect, the idea of all of those not existing can seem just as foreign as the age of the Vikings. But this was the time of your own grandparents and great grandparents.
I think that's an excellent example of how these types of shows can draw people in and inform them of reality at the time. In an age of rapid technological change, it's hard for many people, especially younger people, to imagine a time when "gadgets" weren't everywhere and did everything. It's hard for many people to imagine that day-to-day life even 100 years ago wasn't all that different from day-to-day life 500+ years ago.
The period dramas also really focus in on things that many people find "boring" when they read about them in a textbook, yet are incredibly fascinating parts of history when presented correctly as a drama. Everyone knows who Henry VIII was, but the Tudors brought him and his time to life. Most people had never heard of Rodrigo Borgia, but the Borgias show brings him and that time period to life and makes it interesting. Just reading about how Lucretia Borgia married and poisoned isn't very interesting, but when the characters are brought to life, it becomes fascinating.
I think that's an excellent example of how these types of shows can draw people in and inform them of reality at the time. In an age of rapid technological change, it's hard for many people, especially younger people, to imagine a time when "gadgets" weren't everywhere and did everything. It's hard for many people to imagine that day-to-day life even 100 years ago wasn't all that different from day-to-day life 500+ years ago.
The period dramas also really focus in on things that many people find "boring" when they read about them in a textbook, yet are incredibly fascinating parts of history when presented correctly as a drama. Everyone knows who Henry VIII was, but the Tudors brought him and his time to life. Most people had never heard of Rodrigo Borgia, but the Borgias show brings him and that time period to life and makes it interesting. Just reading about how Lucretia Borgia married and poisoned isn't very interesting, but when the characters are brought to life, it becomes fascinating.
I grew up reading historical fiction, and tended to be picky about the authors. Those like Anya Seton had an afterword of sources and occasionally cited references and when you were reading the book it took you there. I also in sixth grade read every single biorgaphy in the school library. I think it altered my point of view, and I learned how to see a time as its own. The toaster just really caught me off guard somehow. I remember my son complaining that I couldn't microwave some things and they took twenty whole minutes to cook, but just can't imagine a world without alll our gagets.
We seem to be able to make period drama about the British and far off places, but please, give me something about the colonies, maybe N. Carolina, in 1650 and portray it correctly. Show the stuff we like to pretend didn't exist and how our first settlers were not idelisitc pioneers but out for profit. But would this be acceptable since its not our myth?
Another show which really is stunning is Call the Midwife. This is set in the fifties. But the way these people live seems like something from another time. Awesome show and gives you a sense of history as it was changing.
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The Vikings
