Search - Great Queens of England: Boudicca of the Iceni on DVD

Young, Fierce, Highly Intelligent ~ Folk Heroine And Celtic

Brian E. Erland | Brea, CA - USA | 12/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'Boudicca of the Iceni' is a informative yet somewhat lackluster documentary on the historial Celtic warrior queen Boudicca. The films approach to the topic takes the usual avenues of presentation; staged re-enactments, interspersed with illustrations, artwork and artifacts of the period and interviews with recognized scholars.

This is not something should approach with the thought of entertainment in mind. This is a presentation first and foremost to educate, covering such matters as societal divisions within Celtic tribes, attire, means of livilhood, weaponry and the historical context of Boudicca's achievements against the impending might of the Roman Empire. Makes you want to grab the popcorn and begin watching doesn't it?

If you want to learn more about the life and times of Boudicca this is definitely a good place to start. I would recommend this DVD as an excellent resource tool for a school project and maybe even a viewing to a classroom of history students."

Queen and Warrior Woman

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 07/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On "Behind the Music," Boy George pronounced her name BOW-de-see and not BOO-dik-ah. The only scholar seen in this work tells of the proper pronunciation and how the other pronunciations came about. After learning of her life, I really wonder if she was the influence for the fictional character Red Sonja.

This work speaks as much about the Roman Empire as it does of those living in Britain. Though a woman is the subject, battles are a big part and thus hawkish men would enjoy this work. In the same way that we African Americans like wearing kinte and some Native Americans might like indigenous beadwork, you can tell that the actors portraying ancient British were having fun imitating their ancestors. This work said Boudicca's hair was probably reddish-brown, rather than red. I wonder if they say that because supposedly red hair came about when the Vikings mixed with the Celts 900 years later.

I've heard of Anglos, Saxons, and Jutes, but I never knew of the Iceni and other British tribes. It's hard to believe that Brits once wore face paint like the indigenous people they would meet centuries later. It's shocking to see that the people who had a huge empire upon which "the sun never set" were once colonized peoples themselves.

It sounds like Boudicca took power after her king-husband was killed. That happens to this day: Congresswomen Bono and Matsui took over their deceased husbands' positions. Still, I wish the work could have said whether Celtic women were powerful or was Boudicca a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. There's so much focus on Joan of Arc and Cleopatra in the US, I wonder why people in my country don't know about this female ruler. I'm surprised that more Anglophone females aren't named Boudicca if she was so important to English-speakers' ancestors."