I've fallen in love with yet another British television program (or "programme"). This one is called "Battlefield Britain". The show was hosted by the father-son duo of Peter & Dan Snow. Since the elder Snow is a television presenter & the younger Snow is a military historian, they are a formidable team when it comes to presenting major battles in British history via the telly. Plus, the younger Snow (below) isn't hard on the eyes. ;)
They use some innovative & fun tricks, like having actors speak from the perspective of the soldiers in the various battles. This poor bloke is a Saxon who helped defeat the Vikings at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, then had to march 250 miles south to be defeated by the Normans just 5 days later in the Battle of Hastings:
They also use some old-fashioned tricks, like dioramas. Yup, those table-top models of famous battles, usually made of clay & felt. Here, of course, they have fancier versions & all of the troop movement is done with sophisticated computer animation. I particularly like how they make Peter Snow look like a curious giant:
Thus far, I've seen the Battle of the Boyne and the Battle of Hastings. I've been catching re-runs on WGBH at around 9:00 p.m., if anyone wants to try to find it. Or, you can get guaranteed gratification by buying the full set on DVD here. It's a jolly good time!P.S. In answer to your imminent question, yes, I did take pictures of my television last night. Quirky in the cute way, no? No? (sigh) I know. ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment