Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion
Media Watch
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Documentaries (History related)
https://rts.org.uk/article/what-does-... interesting reading. how does this stand in other countries do your broadcasters make enough history programs?
Mark wrote: "https://rts.org.uk/article/what-does-... interesting reading. how does this stand in other countries do your broadcasters make enough history programs?"
In Australia, we seem to prefer British history programmes. Time Team was extremely popular here. And Simon Schama's History of Britain was huge.
Series hosted by Neil Oliver, Bettany Hughes, Mary Beard, and others are regularly screened on two of our channels: ABC and SBS.
They do make quite a few history docos here in Australia, but they always seem to be about war and military! WWI, WWII, Vietnam. The SAS. Docos of remembrance. That is good, of course, but maybe it leaves little in the budgets for funding non war history docos.We're watching a new history doco series at the moment on the History channel on Bushrangers.
Not a fan of the narrator (Mike Munro is too over dramatic) or the lead archaeologist and his intense drama, but it is refreshing to see an Australian history doco that is not war or military related.
https://www.historychannel.com.au/sho...
On that doco, it was interesting to learn in the bushranger Captain Moonlight episode this week, that he was gay and was madly in love with one of his gang members. Wore a lock of his hair in a ring around his finger. Wrote letters about their love from goal to the Prime Minister of the day asking to be buried with his love after they hanged him.
Beautiful love story with a tragic end.
He was not buried with his love, Nesbitt. Not until modern times when the letters to the Prime Minister were discovered and Moonlight's body was moved to the cemetary at Gundagai and put with Nesbitt's.
http://www.history.co.uk/shows/empire...Watched the Greek Empire the other night which tied in nicely with my current reading, looks a good series & covers all our favourite bloodthirsty empires
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/late...Another let’s live as they did in the past, BBC series.
Set in the north of England in the 1920/30s.
Just started tonight.
Another of those ones, eh. I watched the one that had the family living as they did through multiple eras.
It was ok, but it felt kind of rushed, would preferred that they took longer in the years after the WW1 and the 1920s.
A new one about Hannibal and his elephants on channel 4 as I type this, it’s very good full of interesting things.http://www.channel4.com/info/press/pr...
That looks good. I do like me a doco that includes archaeology.
The Smithsonian Channel is running the Dan Snow 3 episode series"The Last of the Warrior Kings" about the Battle of Hastings this month.
https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sh...
The series on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLIdO...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rf-A...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izoUc...
Those of you who have closer Crown ties than us rebels have probably already seen it.
Marc Morris and Giles Kristian are among the experts they use
I haven't seen it! But geez I'd like to. How does Giles Kristian fit into this period? Is he commenting on Harald Hardrada and the Vikings invading the north the week before Hastings?Is the whole series in those you tube links? Thanks if they are, happy. You're the best. I'll watch them as soon as I have time.
Yeah ive seen that series Happy, fairly good tbh & worth a watch - A docu-drama style with a few known Brit actors & then 3 historians discuss the rhetoric/tactics from their view point in a castle hall setting, one Saxon, one Norman, one Norwegian
Huh. Sounds great.I usually hate re-enactment style doco, but this sounds that it is done a little differently.
Aye some decent/known actors in it, the historians were perhaps a little OTT (passionate about their roles) as they press their claims to the crown of England with their rhetoric/studio clips where they use battle maps & the alike
Very cool, Happy! Thank you! I’ll have to watch those :)
Andy wrote: "Aye some decent/known actors in it, the historians were perhaps a little OTT (passionate about their roles) as they press their claims to the crown of England with their rhetoric/studio clips where..."Cripes, now you're making it sound weird. Lol. 😮
Ha ha Im trying to cover all the bases so I can say yeah it was brill or No told yous it was shyte :D
Watching it now on YouTube. Love this stuff.
Andy wrote: "Ha ha Im trying to cover all the bases so I can say yeah it was brill or No told yous it was shyte :D"ya clever minx.
Marilyn wrote: "Watching it now on YouTube. Love this stuff."Envious. I don't think I'll get a chance for about three days.
I couldn't watch that Norman doco. The Dan Snow one. I thought it was so bad. What's with the actors (the very bad actors)?Usually the re-enactment type docos are for the American audience. As that is a style that suits the US market better.
It is shame. I enjoyed Dan Snow's historic walks docos.
Watch a fascinating doco last night called Secrets of the Shining Knight.Fantastic documentary. American but surprisingly not heavy on the re-enactment.
Seeing them change the colour of the armour they made was awesome.
This is the preview of the show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9cWl...
You sure do make a lot of backhanded comments about America and Americans.
What a nasty and hostile thing to say over nothing, Erica.How on earth is saying the re-enactment style is for an American market offensive to you? Or a show heavy in re-enactment is more for the American market?
Do you not like that you have a different culture to other countries? Should we all be the same then?
The way your Wheel of Fortune is done is different to ours. All your game shows are different to ours. They are heavy in crowd interactions. Oh crap, look there I go again. Somehow making a backhanded comment towards Americans!
I just searched my name and the word Americans in my comments and I have gone back years in my comments and can't see where my "lot of backhanded comments about America and Americans" are.If you have a problem with someone else, don't come and be nasty to me over it.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/comme...
As a mod, I guess I should mention this. It still applies even when it is me on the receiving end.Our group rules are;
***
*NO Trolling, NO Sock Puppets, NO Bullying or Harassment, NO Unnecessary Aggression towards others.
If anybody has a problem with me, or a fellow member, bring it to me/them in private so that we may address it and make changes to the way we are posting; if it is needed.
Terri wrote: "As a mod, I guess I should mention this. It still applies even when it is me on the receiving end.Our group rules are;
***
*NO Trolling, NO Sock Puppets, NO Bullying or Harassment, NO Unnecessary..."
Frankly, I saw nothing wrong with your comment; you were stating your opinion. And I'm from the U.S.
Thank goodness. Thank you so much, Jane. I have actually been quite hurt that none of our US members had stepped forward to say they don't feel I am being anti-American. After all the lovely things I say about Americans and all the work I put into the group.Bit upset about it. So thankyou. That meant a lot to me.
I don't comment here very much, I am mostly a lurker I guess, but I also didn't think that there was anything wrong with your comment at all, Terri. Cheers from America!
Thanks Reeda. I am going to make sure to take more care when I bring up differences in other countries tastes. I don't want to come across as anti-any-country.
So, something positive out of a negative. :)
Terri wrote: "Thank goodness. Thank you so much, Jane. I have actually been quite hurt that none of our US members had stepped forward to say they don't feel I am being anti-American. After all the lovely things..."Just seeing all this now, Terri, but I’m sorry you feel this way!! You (and Margaret!) work so hard on this group and are here every day, making sure you have commented on everything everyone brings up so no one is left out. I’m an American and have never felt judged or criticized by anyone here, least of all by the Mods.
(And frankly, most of the time, I feel America deserves it LOL).
Cheers to my Aussie mates!
lol. Cheers to you ,Allie!! I did make one political joke about Trump and Russians the other day in Random Thoughts. lol It was a one off though, I promise. I know politics in America right now is too hot button to joke about. I just couldn't help myself. hehe. Gretchen set me up for the joke without realising. :]
Now, where was I with docos... Normans! Yes.That Dan Snow that hosted the above 1066 doco that I didn't like because there were too many re-enactments for my taste, he does a great doco on his 'historic walks'.
This is one I watched the other day andf I cannot recommend it enough. The English countryside, I mean, it is so beautiful it hurts!
Dan Snow's Historic Walk - Norman Conquest
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t...
For the American audience, it appears PBS has the rights to it. Here is episode one (Sussex) on You Tube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPVSN...
For the Commonwealth it is BBC.
To think that our cultures, nationalities, and backgrounds don’t flavor our tastes and obviously in this case documentary output and consumption by our various broad cast and cable networks is somewhat naive. Terri is hardly bashing my Nation when she comments on cultural tastes and comparative video production. Our nations are culturally different. So what? That’s part of what makes our exchanges here interesting. I personally totally agree with Terri’s point and I’m American. It’s an opinion, folks. Breathe.
What are we doing here if we can’t freely express our opinions and remark on popular culture and literature without it being taken as a personal or national attack? Please let this remain an international site of intelligent people. Seriously.
I think sometimes, people from around the world that share so much similarity in culture (let's say English speakers) don't actually realise how different we actually are. It is amazing really, when you start to interact in a space like this and begin to notice it. If it weren't for Goodreads, I am not sure I would have ever noticed how my tastes in things as an Australian differ to Americans, Irish, Scottish, English, etc etc..
It's cool.
Jane wrote: "Terri wrote: "As a mod, I guess I should mention this. It still applies even when it is me on the receiving end.Our group rules are;
***
*NO Trolling, NO Sock Puppets, NO Bullying or Harassment, ..."
Ditto!
Hail our fearless leader! Please feel free to make jokes about we Italians any time (probably we deserve them). I love jokes 😘.
Terri, I am just now catching up on this thread. I was surprised by the reaction in @74 to your comment about cultural differences in documentaries. But it shows how sensitive you were to the accusation that you doubted yourself and went back to review your comments to see if you had, indeed, slighted America/Americans in any way. In my opinion, your action was admirable but unnecessary. Terri, if you went about insulting America and/or any other country for that matter, you would never achieve the success you have achieved in moderating this group. Neither would you have been able to garner the support of such a loyal following.
Your comment was an expression of an opinion on the cultural differences in the production of documentaries. That’s all it was. Don’t doubt yourself. You are doing just fine.
Now, back to our usual programming :)
I am American and the only comment that set me back was the one that said you make backhanded comments about America and Americans. I appreciate the hard work you put in holding this thread together. I used to belong to another group that had four or five moderates. It held together nicely for 4 or 5 Year’s and all of a sudden it simply fell apart. No explanation, nothing. It’s hard being a moderator. It takes a lot of time, work, patience, diplomacy. Thank you. 😊
So you can express your opinion but I get bashed when I express mine??? Remember the rules...no bullying or harassment, no unnecessary aggression towards others!!!
Seems like a fearless leader would have simply said, I’m sorry you feel that way, it was never my intention. And just left it at that instead of letting it carry on this way.
Yours was not an opinion. Yours was a personal attack against my character. Insults are not opinions. They are just insults.Not one person has attacked you personally or insulted your character.
Other American members have stepped forward to give character references. Not insult you. Maybe some even saw that you even made a negative remark about me on your profile?
You made a very mean-hearted insult towards me. Why would anybody stand back and let that happen?
Maybe you should have been the one to say sorry and left it at that.
Thanks happy, Simona, Tamara and Marilyn. :)I thought maybe one or two people may have stepped forward to say that their experience with me was that I am not prejudice against any other cultures.
(Cough... except early Romans... cough) edit: and people in the Victorian era.
But to have this many reassure me that I don't come off as prejudiced against Americans in A&M is just such a relief.
I'll still learn my lesson. Even when somebody is being negative towards me, I try and learn something positive out of it. The positive out of this is that I don't come off as anti-American most of the time, but I should still be a little careful when posting about a country other than mine.
Docos: I come bearing more docos.
We've been going through the History Channel and downloading some docos lately. We watched a couple interesting ones last night.
An Egypt one
The Sunken City of Heraclion (spelling?)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CfQfkWX...#
Beware though. They don't start telling you why the city sunk until halfway through. So you spend the first half wondering why it sank...
The other doco was one on the people of the Jaguar is South America. Olmec? Or something like that? Pre-dating the Aztec. We only made it halfway through before hubby syarted falling asleep. :) So we went to bed, but we were enjoying it up until Mr Terri ruined our evening.
I'll get back to you all on this one. Memory is failing me.
But the Egyptian one. Definitely worth your time if you don't mind a bit of under the sea archaeology. :)
Terri wrote: "Thanks happy, Simona, Tamara and Marilyn. :)I thought maybe one or two people may have stepped forward to say that their experience with me was that I am not prejudice against any other cultures...."
Well, at least none of the early Romans nor Victorians are around anymore, so I'm sure they don't care. :) And I do concede had I lived back then as a subject person, I probably wouldn't have thought all too much of either of them. :)
The Romans would have thrown me to the leopards for my criticism of the Empire. :]
Marilyn wrote: "I am American and the only comment that set me back was the one that said you make backhanded comments about America and Americans. I appreciate the hard work you put in holding this thread togethe..."Especially as poor Terri has been handling everything alone for almost 8 weeks, given I went on holiday for 2 weeks, then was ill for 6!
SBS in Australia has a documentary series about Lady Jane Grey starting tonight at 7.30pm.
Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction
Authors mentioned in this topic
Marc Morris (other topics)Giles Kristian (other topics)
Ken Follett (other topics)
Dan Jones (other topics)
Ken Follett (other topics)
More...
https://www.ancient.eu/Boudicca/
Of the two Roman retellings by Roman historians, Publius Cornelius Tacitus (56-117 CE) and Cassius Dio (150..."
Tacitus is more likely to be accurate than Dio. Firstly his father-in-law was Agricola, the man who subdued Britain. He had to deal with the fallout.
Secondly, Cassius Dio is considered to unreliable by a lot of historians. If something happened in history that relected badly on the Romans, he left it out! Not the world's most reliable narrator.