Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Studio: ABC News
• DVD Release Date: September 18, 2006
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000IMVOYQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,040 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just a portion of Africa's agony unveiled: the Congo(DRC), August 13, 2007

By 

Augustine Invictus (Rochester Hills, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: ABC News Nightline Heart of Darkness: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DVD)

The DVD portrays the suffering of subSaharan Africa, this one being confined to the Congo and some of its neighboring countries such as Rwanda. The Congolese civil war claimed more lives than all other conflicts around the world but little to no attention was paid by the international society.The same callous society that did very little to nothing to the Rwandan genocide of 800,000 people or more in the space of 3 months. Ted Koppel's documentary is worth watching. The effects of war and postwar on the African peoples are portrayed quite vividly with the brutality,devastation and hopelessness these conflicts have caused. Yet it certainly gave rise to some heroes of incredible courage and self sacrifice such as those exemplified by the Italian Catholic priest who despite grave warnings deliberately plunged himself into the heart of the conflict to protect the community of Shabunda from that brutality at the risk of his own life. Not to ignore the unselfish efforts of some Congolese men and women in caring for the needs of starving children many of whom are abandoned. Hopefully,to those who are not aware of the current African scene,this DVD may serve as an introduction to the tragedies engulfing this beautiful continent, not only limited to the Congo but also the multitude of African states below the Sahara desert: Sudan,Sierra Leone,Nothern Uganda,Liberia,Angola,Zimbabwe just to name a few. Perhaps we have been too saturated with the uncontrollable conflicts in the Middle East that we have been ignoring or unaware of the pitiable agony of this gigantic remarkable continent so rich in natural resources but so poor of serious international attention.
(It could have been 5 stars if the DVD provided more coverage of child soldiers in the Congo's civil war. This abominable practice of training, brainwahing and drugging children as young as 8 yrs old to become soldiers is also practiced by other Third World counties, but it appears to be more prevalent in Africa). That put aside,I highly recommend watching this DVD.

4.0 out of 5 stars Years, then another four months late, and not in prime time, January 10, 2009

By 

James Abell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: ABC News Nightline Heart of Darkness: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DVD)

The ABC Nightline episodes were intended to be shown in September 2001. Part 1 aired on Friday, Sept. 7. Parts 2 - 5 were to have been aired Tuesday through Friday of the following week.
However, on Tuesday morning, the September 11, 2001 attacks took place. Naturally, the planned Nightline broadcasts for the remainder of that week were delayed due to the great amount of attention that was given to the aftermath of the attacks.
Ted Koppel begins this series with perhaps the greatest humility I have ever seen in a reporter - effectively apologizing on behalf of ABC for not having reported on the tragedy of "Africa's First World War" years earlier. However, in response to the 9/11 attacks, ABC showed hundreds of hours of news, at most hours of the day, highlighting the loss of about 3 ½ thousand American lives. For four more months they delayed the showing of the remainder of the 2 ½ hours of late night (not even prime time) Nightline episodes, continued the pattern of ignoring the millions of lives lost in Central Africa! I believe the whole series was finally aired January 21 - 25, 2002.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant report from the dark side of the moon, April 19, 2008

By 

Friedrich Hagemeyer (Berlin, German) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: ABC News Nightline Heart of Darkness: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DVD)

Where no light of global public attention is shining, ABC startet an in depth analsis, visited places and people, reported about unimaginable cruelties, systematic destruction of social life and the paradox of hunger and poverty due to unlimited wealth. Congratulations.