Others say...

"Amazing"
This pbs film series is very well done and I learned much by watching it. I am a Social Studies teacher and I wish I had the time to show this entire film to my classes.

A must see for all historians, teachers, and history buffs of this time period.



"Docudrama Finally Done Right"
The five stars are the reward for something so simple that it is a wonder it hasn't been done more often. The historical characters in this production actually speak,and for more than just a few sentences! The mix of reenactment, historical sites and 'talking head' narration, has been effectively done in other productions such as "Liberty!","Franklin" and "John Adams", but here, in contrast to those efforts, the major characters, Washington, Braddock, get a chance to speak at greater length, and not just reciting their correspondence. This makes the story more interesting and move along with much greater ease. The pacing is good; it seldom drags the way some history presentations do. The casting is good, the uniforms are adequate (buffs will spot some budget related errors)and the story gets the respect it deserves. Washington's role in starting the first 'world war' and its crucial contribution of experience to his role in the American Revolution, should be more widely known. This edition should help. We can only hope other historical subjects will get a similar treatment


"The Best French and Indian War Documentary Ever Made--And It's in Glorious DVD"
I eagerly anticipated this series, and installed HDTV in part because of it. Considering the limits of public TV (you cannot have battles involving thousands of extras and there are few if any F&I War reenactors, it is superb.
I know something about the production quality, and the producer took extraordinary steps to achieve authenticity, down to the most minor details of the costumes. There will always be quibbles (see other posts) but there is no more accurate depiction. And you simply cannot take your eyes off of the glorious HD picture!

"Fine set on French and Indian War"
This long-awaited DVD on the French and Indian War is very good in some respects, but there are some serious setbacks. I don't think it delivers or lives up to what I expected. It's the first mini-series on the entire French and Indian War. There are other videos/DVDs on parts of the war (see my reviews of _When the Forest Ran Red_ and _George Washington's First War_), but this is the first that attacks the whole war. However, I never felt like the series was tied together very well. It just seemed that I was watching four separate DVDs that were somehow related. I never got a sense of the entire war. In all, I felt like I was watching the above-mentioned DVDs again. Second, it's interesting to watch, as there are very well-done reenactments. It's almost like watching a movie. However, many of the scenes are quite intense and violent. Some scenes (there is even a disclaimer at the beginning of each DVD) are not appropriate for young children. Yes, war is violent, but some of the scenes seemed to be included for shock value.

As far as the content goes, I have many issues. Grant's raid on Fort Duquesne is not mentioned. The fall of Frontenac and Louisbourg are given only cursory treatment, which is surprising after the very detailed treatments of Braddock's defeat, Washington's early battles, and the fall of Fort William Henry. The massacre after William Henry gets a lot of time and the DVD tries to downplay the whole incident by stating that not many people were actually killed with respect to the number reportedly killed. I'm not sure why so much time is devoted to this (certainly because of the Last of the Mohicans movies). But it's really not an important episode to the entire war--it should be a footnote.

The role and portrayal of the Indians is almost unbelievable. It starts off with the 'happy Indian' idea, "Dozens of Indian nations coexist in Eastern North America." There is no mention of the discord among the various tribes. Many tribes suffered greatly at the hands of the Iroquois and wanted to throw off their yoke of oppression. Tribes sometimes aligned themselves with one side based on whom their enemies sided with. Another claim is almost stupid, "Captives often had less to fear than they thought." One captive is shown running a gauntlet; but the gauntlet is shown as being a very kind thing. Would that the hazing I got in highschool would have been so tame! The claim is made that the Indians sided with the French because the French were less likely to take the land from them (It's the old "French traders vs. English settlers" idea). This claim is later contradicted, "Without gifts, the Indians will abandon the French." This statement really makes the Indians look like mercenaries who sell their souls for a few trinkets. Unlikely. The Indians were not so stupid--they jumped ship because the English started winning and they wanted to be on the winning side. The final claim about the Indians is just too much, "The support of the Indian nations is necessary for ultimate victory." This is simply not true. In the early stages of the war, every betting man would have put his money on the French. The English were so inept it stupifies the imagination. However, by 1759, the English had shipped the largest army North America had ever seen and turned this into a European-style war. The 'little war' with small bands guided by Indian scouts and allies was a thing of the past. The frontier was simply a sideshow for the big battles of the North. Quebec, the real nail in the coffin for the French, was a classic European-style battle. The Indians by this time had become nearly irrelevant (consider their treatment by the English after the war which led to Pontiac's Rebellion). The West was nearly forgotten by this time. Unfortunately, the set gives much more time to the early West and treats the later battles in the North only as a nuisance that must be given some coverage.

My final criticism: this set really is the story of George Washington, not about the war itself. It seems like a retelling of the other two DVDs I mentioned--that's not bad, but not much is new.

Well, is there anything that really stands out in this set? Yes, the section on the after war years leading up to the Revolution is fantastic. I can't say enough good about it. It really underscores the differences in goals between the British and Americans. The Americans wanted land and the British, well, I don't think they really knew what they wanted. The Break seems almost inevitalbe. This part is very well done.

Is this set worth watching? Yes, but just keep in mind that it's a bit unbalanced and has some problems.

" Good Work Showing the Period"
I saw this delightful series when it was on PBS. It basicly explains the conflict prior to the American revolution which pretty much set the stage for it both political and militery.

Extremely well done. Well narrated.

Admittedly it has flaws.

It makes the Actions against the Akadians look like Ethnic cleansing. Ommitting the reasons that though the Akadians were refusing to do business with the British they were supplying the French at Louisbourg and some were found under French arms. If you were there you too might side with the British. It also ommitts the actions of Robert Rogers. Just as it leaves out the awful dungeons of Quebec where many english and colonial captives suffered and died. It also has a number of Trival points, Mary Jemison was in her teens not thirty something as one critic pointed out to me.

But overall it does good coverage. It certainly isn't PC in that it shows the attrocities perpetrated upon the colonials by the French native allies and that the French paid money for english scalps and that their reason for purchasing live captives was not humanitarian but necitated by their need for labor.

Definately a must for anyone interested in studying the period.