Search - The True Story of Troy (History Channel) on DVD

Should Have Been Revised for DVD

ssmithee | Redondo Beach, CA United States | 05/19/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Oh, this had so much going for it: a story that's gripped the imagination of western civilization for three thousand years, archaeological triumphs and chicanery, superb reenactments and computer reconstructions of ancient civilizations. Unfortunately, as presented on this DVD, the end result is practically unwatchable. "But how," you ask, "could the History Channel so thoroughly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?"

Well, it was a two-pronged attack for them. First off, you may have noticed the increasing tendency of documentary television programs to recap, after every commercial, all that has gone before, on the presumption that the viewer has the attention span of a parakeet. This is bad enough when watching a program 'live,' with commercial interruptions, but when the commercials have been removed, and these increasingly-lengthy recapitulations remain in place, the end result is confusing (wait, didn't we already see this part? four or five times so far?) and, worse, drops the fascinating tale back into the stale dustbin from which it was originally rescued: that of dull, rote repetition, until all the excitement is drained away and nothing remains but looking at one's watch and wondering if it isn't nearly over by now.

Judicious pruning of this repetitive deadwood could -- and should -- have cut the viewing time by about 40% and made a truly thrilling program of it, but apparently the folks at the History Channel don't watch their own DVDs before releasing them."