History's Mysteries - The True Story of Gladiators (History Channel)

Gladiator
This DVD is rich in history. Not only does it cover the duration of gladiator games, but the history, weaponry, and some of the most famous. It covers the emperors behind the games, and the evolution of the arenas. I see lots of the film Galdiator taken from the history of the games. Sorry, no mention of Maximus. Sparticus was interesting though.

Good but not great
The highlights of the gladiators were given but nothing of real depth.
The History Channel could have put out something better especially knowing there were gladiator games for nearly a thousand years.

Good overview
Good but short history. It could have been expanded perhaps with the personal histories of some of the more famous gladiators or events.

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Alexander Graham Bell & the Telephone (History Channel)

An Informative Episode from the History Channel TV Series
This is not a true independent documentary, rather, it is another episode from the "Man, Moment, Machine" television series starring ex-fighter pilot Hunter Ellis. On the positive side, the episode does a very good job in explaining the technology of the day, including the telegraph and the efforts being made in order to increase its ability to send multiple messages over one wire. The show also capably demonstrated how the telephone was invented and the various stages of experiments that led up to its invention. On the other hand, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, the narrators voice is, for me at least, somewhat grating, and overall, the production value (the look of the film, including the sets, the make-up, hair, costumes, etc.) is clearly low budget. While a competent work, one hoped for better.

the man behind the phone
Everybody benefits when we learn about the things that have changed humankind and the geniuses behind them. Remember when Homer Simpson was infatuated with Thomas Edison? Many people may become that way with Alex G. Bell.
I really appreciate it when scientific works break things down for those of us that don't care for the field. Science types may love this the most, but we poets won't find this work off-putting.
The documentary tries hard to grasp the attention of modern viewers. It describes the creation of the telephone as a race. The narrator reminds me of Ryan Seacrest: young, personable, and casually dressed. For younger viewers, the work stresses that we wouldn't have fax machines or the Internet without Bell's invention.
The work even has a love interest and a court case in it. Unlike many movies that tack on romantic plots to thrillers or action, the facts state that the parents of Bell's fiancee wouldn't let them marry until he made the phone.
I...



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