History of Britain (eps1&2) - dvd

The complete 15-part epic series on six DVD digipack presented in a special-edition gift pack. Bringing Britain’s rich history to life, Scharma’s unique storytelling describes the triumphs and trials of the monarch, the effects of warring religions, the expansion of the empire and the decline of Britain as a world power. The story begins around 3100 BC and concludes 1965. A History of Britain is a brilliant portrait of the British people – an epic series examining the growth of British civilization from the Neolithic days of Stonehenge to the dazzling era of Elizabeth I, through the turbulent civil wars of the seventeenth century to the rise of Imperialist England and its consequences in Britain of the twentieth century. Written and presented by Professor of History at Columbia University, New York, Simon Schama, A History of Britain, is a lively and, at times, bloody tale of the birth of a nation told over 15 one-hour episodes. From the unimaginable horror of the ‘Black Death’, a pestilence so deadly that it killed half of Britain’s population, to the political manipulation of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wolsey that brought about England’s break with Roman Catholicism. The fascinating final episode examines twentieth-century Britain, revealing a nation overwhelmed by the presence of history. Here Schama illuminates Britain’s struggle with an imperial past through the lives of two contrasting public figures – Winston Churchill and George Orwell – and their efforts to create a new national future. Assisted by the glorious art and architecture of early England and vivid re-enactments of pivotal moments in the nation’s development, Simon Schama brings us history at its most engaging and entertaining. Presented in a superb six-disc DVD Digipack, with a bonus set of unique picture cards featuring stunning images from the series, A History of Britain on DVD also includes a fascinating range of Special Features including the inaugural BBC History Magazine lecture “Television and the Trouble with History’, Simon Schama interviews and biography, and bonus music options from the original score of the series and.