Product Details

• Actors: Alexander Graham Bell
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: A&E HOME VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: January 15, 2008
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000WOSB28
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,603 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL & THE ASTONISHI - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Informative Episode from the History Channel TV Series, September 22, 2010

By 

Blair "blair52" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alexander Graham Bell & the Telephone (History Channel) (DVD)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the man behind the phone, March 7, 2008

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alexander Graham Bell & the Telephone (History Channel) (DVD)

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 hate cheesy reenactments in documentaries. However, this was different because the actors actually spoke, rather than just ape actions. You may laugh at all the obviously fake mutton chop sideburns and Moses-like beards worn here.
The interviewees are pretty homogenous. Like many documentaries, they interview a descendant of the subject. This work says Bell "helped deaf children, but a documentary called "Through Deaf Eyes" criticized Bell's actions toward that group.
Everything I learned about acid comes from Sigourney Weaver's "Alien" series. Thus, when the narrator says Bell got better results by using acid, I was surprised that item wasn't thought of as too dangerous. Later, they explain that something besides acid was eventually used.