Search - The Civil War: Blood and Honor on DVD

An amateurish effort

Nom de plume | saginaw, michigan | 07/07/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I was prepared for a good show when I started the DVD. Soon I saw a portrait on the screen with the name under it "Jubil Early". Then, in two different ways and at two different times I saw "All Quite on the Potomac" spelled out across the screen. I wonder if this was prepared in China or some other non-English-speaking country. To misspell Jubal Early's name, and to misspell "All Quiet on the Potomac" twice was too much in a mere half hour of viewing. I took the DVD out and that's the end of it. Perhaps it was an attempt to cash in on the Burns series with a cheap knockoff."

This DVD Made Me A Civil War Fan!

K. J. Bryant | 04/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If it wasn't for this DVD, I would have never gained an interest in the Civil War. This package is divided into 6 chapters and 3 DVDs. The chapters are not long, but the pace gives you a general perspective of the war.

What I really love about this is the fact that the DVD deals with events of the War (both the West and the East) equally. This is surprising, since most DVD deals only with the East (Virginia and R.E. Lee) and not the West. This allows us the opportunity to see General Grant rise from a nobody to the greatest general of the war. The downfall of that is you only get a GENERAL view of what happened. Forr example, Gettysburg were glossed over and treated as any other battle of the war.

The DVD uses reenactment and photos to tell the story of the war, including inner conflicts and colorful characters of the War. The DVD also talks alot about Braxton Braggs (his blunders lost Kentucky), George McClellan (and his infamous ego), John Bell Hood (his blunders helped Sherman to destory the South) and one of the unsung heros of the War, General George Thomas (the Southern Man who stayed faithful to the Union and won Tennessee).

The music and the voice overs are great and wonderful additions (complete with accents and all). I highly recommend this DVD for beginning students of the War because it may be too basic and general for advanced students. Its not perfect, but it does its job.

One interesting note: this DVD was produced by a company in Canada."