Product Details

• Directors: Michael Chin
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Pbs (Direct)
• VHS Release Date: February 4, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000086K3F
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,279 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets on this subject, December 23, 2006

By 

mpsparty1 "mpsparty1" (Berkley, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: American Experience - Transcontinental Railroad (DVD)

You will end up with full knowledge of the story of the Transcontinental Railroad after viewing this. It leaves nothing out...covers everything completely and fairly as far as I can tell. Chock full of primary source pictures and quotes, it's an interesting and educational production that may be the standard of comparison for future endeavors on this important achievement in American history.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great slice of American History, February 21, 2008

By 

Busy mom (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Experience - Transcontinental Railroad (DVD)

This DVD is amazing. From the visionaries and engineers, to the politicians and RR companies - mostly in it for the money, to the workers - ex-soldiers and Chinese, this DVD covers the building of the Transcontinental Railroad very thoroughly and doesn't sugar coat the greed and self-seeking of some. It includes the bittersweet dialogue via letters of one RR supervisor and his wife back in Ohio. I think it is ideal for high school and above. Maybe more info than middle schoolers want. I loved the maps that showed the RR as it was being built. It includes a Teacher's Guide in Adobe PDF format.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-done, but not good for classroom use, January 16, 2009

By 

Stephen Spear (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Experience - Transcontinental Railroad (DVD)

"American Experience - Transcontinental Railroad" is a meticulously researched and informative documentary, but it is not well-suited for use in high schools. The film provides a very slow and detailed narrative of events, and no single episode concisely captures the main themes that most teachers are looking to convey to their students. It would be very difficult to use this film as part of a 50-minute lesson without repeated use of the fast-forward button.

The film also does not cover certain facts commonly emphasized in high school classrooms. The Pacific Railway Act is discussed in some detail for example, but the narrator fails to mention the law by name. Railroad workers for the Union Pacific company are correctly described as Civil War veterans, but the fact that they were also disproportionately Irish is left out. The same is not true for the film's treatment of the Central Pacific Company where the fact that the company's workers were Chinese is emphasized at great length.

A strong documentary - but teachers should watch this one at home.