Search - History of the 80's on DVD

A bit amateurish, but a worthwhile watch

John Corbett | Summerland, California United States | 06/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like all MPI videos, History of the '80s has a certain amateurish feel to it. The music is somewhat melodramatic and repetitive, and if you close your eyes you can imagine the narrator's voice over a high school driving safety video. The picture quality is on occasion mediocre, but it is unclear whether this is due to the quality of the original source videotape (this WAS the decade of video, after all) or whether MPI was simply too cheap to comb through the archives for the originals.

A major appeal of the series is the broad sweep of the project -- some ten hours devoted to reviewing the entire decade, with approximately an hour devoted to each year. That is certainly far more ambitious than any other available documentary on the '80s.

Another draw is the use of footage drawn from the ABC News archives. During the 1980s, ABC News had some of the finest journalists and news operations in the business, especially in the area of foreign affairs. That international orientation is readily apparent, as much time is devoted to Lebanon, the Soviet Union, Libya, etc. Most of the rest of the series focuses on domestic news events. For those who are primarily interested in the cultural phenomenons of the 1980s, like breakdancing, the Rubik's Cube, Pac-Man, or Boy George, this documentary will be a disappointment.

In the end, despite the somewhat amateur trappings of this series, if you're interested in a good introduction to the domestic and international events of the 1980s, you will be pleasantly surprised. This is one of MPI's more solid offerings."

Carter got the hostages released..... not Reagan.

DVD Junkie | Chicago Ridge, IL | 12/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being all of 38 years old, as a child I was always led to believe that the Iran hostages release was due to Reagan. Not the case at all. Jimmy Carter with just hours left in his administration was the one to negotiate the release. Iran waited until Reagan was inaugurated to set them free as a jab at Carter. This is just one story of many that will have you saying, "oh yeah, I remember that." Well done DVD. I have really enjoyed it so far."