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f13.net General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: sinij on July 07, 2008, 05:51:07 PM



Title: Historic TV Series
Post by: sinij on July 07, 2008, 05:51:07 PM
I enjoy watching historical shows/miniseries. I thoroughly enjoyed Band Of Brothers, Rome I recently watched John Adams. Anyone has any more recommendations?


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Trippy on July 07, 2008, 05:53:11 PM
Any from Ken Burns?


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Abagadro on July 07, 2008, 06:44:52 PM
Dunno if this qualifies but Dogfights on the History Channel is a great show recreating actual dogfights.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Big Gulp on July 07, 2008, 06:50:41 PM
Netflix yourself a copy of I, Claudius.  70's BBC miniseries.  The production values weren't great, but the acting (aside form a horribly miscast Brian Blessed as Augustus) was great.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Murgos on July 07, 2008, 07:21:28 PM
Any from Ken Burns?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Civil_War_(documentary)

If you haven't seen it then you're missing out.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Nebu on July 07, 2008, 08:08:08 PM
May not be the type of history that you're after, but I own and enjoy Baseball by Ken Burns. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_(TV_series))


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Engels on July 07, 2008, 08:33:18 PM
I second I, Claudius and I would put in a vote for Horatio Hornblower, a swashbuckling high seas adventure series of the British Navy during the Napoleonic era.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: tar on July 08, 2008, 12:45:25 AM
Not sure how historically accurate you're looking for, but Sharpe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpe_%28TV_series%29) is fun. Napoleonic wars.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: IainC on July 08, 2008, 12:54:20 AM
Not sure how historically accurate you're looking for, but Sharpe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpe_%28TV_series%29) is fun. Napoleonic wars.
Sharpe's Waterloo is great if you can get past the recreation of the Battle of Waterloo with a cast of tens.



Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Oban on July 08, 2008, 03:09:35 AM
I Claudius, Sharpe and Horatio Hornblower are all great examples of British television.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Moaner on July 08, 2008, 03:56:14 AM
I recently watched I, Claudius after a friend at work recommended it.  It's great shit and starts almost directly after Rome ends. 

I'm going to have to watch Horatio Hornblower now.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: angry.bob on July 08, 2008, 06:52:13 AM
As has been pointed out, I, Claudius is good. The 1993 4 hour movie Gettysburg with Jeff Daniels is probably the best Civil War I've seen.

If you liked BoB and Rome, you really have to watch Deadwood. The people who made Deadwood said it was originaaly going to be set in a Roman frontier town, but by the time they pitched it to HBO, Rome was already greenlighted. Frankly I think it worked out for the best. Excellent casting and acting all round, the overall prize going to Ian Mcshane. Be warned though, watch it while you're on vacation or something, by the end of the series every other word out of your mouth will be "fucking" or "cocksucker". It's just contagious.

Shogun is fun, even if it is dated and not really based on anything that really happened. The Masada miniseries was also pretty good if you can find it, I think it's out on DVD now. Peter the great with Maximilian Schell was good. The 1972 series Elizabeth R was excellent.

My very favorite was the Learning Channel's documentary series Mongols: Storm from the East. Unfortunately, I've only been able to find it one place, and that's an educational resource company that sells to schools and they want $360 for it. If anyone knows anyplace else to get it, I'd love to know.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Merusk on July 08, 2008, 08:22:52 AM
Most of what i know of/ enjoy has already been covered, but Bob mentioning the Civil War made me remember Glory.  It was a really good movie, even if I can't envision Matthew Broderick as the best choice for a lead.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Furiously on July 08, 2008, 10:00:45 AM
Most of what i know of/ enjoy has already been covered, but Bob mentioning the Civil War made me remember Glory.  It was a really good movie, even if I can't envision Matthew Broderick as the best choice for a lead.

You beat me. Denzel, Morgan Freeeman, the guy from Homicide, they had some really great actors. Made my wife watch it a few months ago. Hard movie not to cry watching.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: zubey on July 08, 2008, 11:02:34 AM
I second the vote for Deadwood.  Might be my favorite show ever.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: sinij on July 09, 2008, 06:03:43 PM
I second the vote for Deadwood.  Might be my favorite show ever.

Good show, I enjoyed it as well. Insults, pigs and all.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Strazos on July 09, 2008, 06:17:15 PM
Into the West was cool.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: IainC on July 10, 2008, 12:23:56 AM
If you want to spread the net a little wider then I can heartily recommend The Water Margin. Joint Sino/Japanese TV show from the mid '70s about a bunch of 12th century Chinese bandits. It's considered a classic of Chinese literature and the televised series was damn good.


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: Tale on July 10, 2008, 02:13:58 AM
While it's not a drama, I think the absolute best thing you can ever watch, history-wise, is The World At War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War).

Narrated by Laurence Olivier and used to be called the best documentary ever made. No messing around, it was the 1970s, only about 25 years after Hitler died, the key participants were still around and interviewable, and they had all the right film clips. It is the full story of the Second World War.

Some excerpts:
Appeasement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDpFR-SKXRc)
France falls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dt6DVbGxxk)
Britain under bombing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJa-zKikM_o)
Invasion of Russia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l4W29_GcN0)
North Africa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgQ-HXAcMh0)
Pacific war (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5uUMlOETDI)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leqDARCuiPI)


Title: Re: Historic TV Series
Post by: ShenMolo on July 10, 2008, 02:38:10 AM
If by historical series, you mean a show which does a great job of bringing a certain time period to life, you might like:

Mad Men (http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/) - Great show set in the early 60's New York, 1st Season available on DVD / OnDemand

The Tudors (http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do) - Kinda like Rome on HBO...period soap opera with great costumes, lots of sex and politics