Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives (2004/BBC DVD) + Terry Jones’ Barbarians (2006/Koch Vision)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C/D Episodes: B-
Monty
Python alum Terry Jones turns out to be a scholar on history and the deep past
of old Europe and connected countries, which explains why many of the jokes in
the troop’s films and TV shows hold up so well.
However, he has also turned to doing some amusing documentary
mini-series with the BBC and History Channel, two of which are now out in DVD
sets. Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives (2004) is now out directly from BBC Home
Video, while Terry Jones’ Barbarians
(2006) is licensed for whatever reason to Koch Vision.
Both are
throughout, consist of four episodes each and are very informative, while being
ironic, witty and pointed. Lives uses paintings to break down the
many myths of the Middle Age and effectively dissects the true form the untrue,
exposing the facts while showing how the clichés have happened because of
jokes, movies or shortcuts in thinking. Barbarians gives us the side of the
roman Empire missing from so many films, including those (Caligula) that think they were getting it right when they really
could have cared less.
Best of
all, they make learning the history exciting, which is not always easy to do
and make for great companions to any Python collection just the same.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on both originate in digital High
Definition, but have more softness than we would have liked, but are more than
watchable just he same. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo is simple and has no surrounds in both cases, with Jones’ voice
nicely recorded throughout while on or off camera, describing the relevant
history where applicable. Extras only
appear on Lives in the form of a
featurette entitled Gladiators: The
Brutal Truth.
- Nicholas Sheffo
