Statue of Liberty (A&E/History Channel)
Picture: C+ Sound: B- Extras: B Main Program: B
The Statue of Liberty is
one of the most recognized icons of America and of freedom and has also made an
appearance in cinema as well ranging from the infamous ending of Planet of the Apes to Ghostbusters. Most people are aware of the actual
significance of the Statue, but few actually know the full details of its
history as well as how it has survived through history until now.
As presented on The History
Channel, The Statue of Liberty comes
to DVD, running about one-hour and details the beginning stages of The Statue
of Liberty all the way up until the present, which in this case is 1994, the
year this was released for TV. It would
have been nice to see a follow-up or amendment made to this post 9/11, since
much as changed in terms of how we view this symbolic piece of
architecture. Not only that, but there
has been a revamped awareness of Patriotism and respect, which could have been
cashed in on.
The program is very in
depth, which is typical of The History Channel, as it provides interesting and
rare footage of the films restoration over the years as well as the alteration
that had to be done in order to make the Statue what it is today. Essentially the program plays out like a tour
for those that couldn’t make it to the site.
The DVD presents the NTSC
analog videotaped-based footage in its original TV aspect ratio of 1.33 X 1,
which combines various footage of different quality. Some of the material looks great, while some
has seen aging effects. Overall the
quality is pretty consistent and displays well enough for the given
material. Even the basic Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo works fine with decent fidelity and presents the narration-based audio
well.
If you have not been
plugged with enough information concerning the Statue by the time this program
is over than you will want to check out the extra Save Our History: Ellis Island, which goes even further into more
of the historical significance with immigration and the overall importance of Ellis Island. This
program runs about the same length as the main program, so it serves as a
valuable extra. There is also a brief
section about various facts surrounding the Statue of Liberty, which repeats
much of what was in the program to begin with.
This is certainly a
program that will be most suitable for history buffs in general, especially
since it is dated by 10 years at this point and with the events of 9/11, a new
segment should be introduced, which could include other elements of New York
City as well.
- Nate Goss
