Product Details

• Actors: Peter Snow, Dan Snow, Tony Dolan
• Directors: Mary Cranitch
• Producers: Mary Cranitch, Zoe Heron
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, 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: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Warner
• DVD Release Date: August 23, 2005
• Run Time: 466 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009IW89O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,360 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Battlefield Britain" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Father and son team Peter and Dan Snow make a charismatic pair of presenters in Battlefield Britain, an excellent documentary series from the BBC examining key battles on British soil throughout that kingdom’s turbulent history. These eight episodes on three discs cover two thousand years of British history, starting with Boudicca’s Revolt against the Romans in A.D. 61, up to the Battle of Britain in 1940. They take a tag-team approach, with Peter as the knowledgeable professor-type guide who presents an overview, and Dan as the reenactor who experiences the events firsthand at the level of the individual soldier (for example, making a forced march through the night with a pike in episode 5, to see what it was like for the soldiers at the battle of Naseby). The Snows’ engaging presentation style is key to the success of this fascinating series, and their enthusiasm for the subject of history is easily conveyed. They serve as virtual tour guides, filming on location and giving detailed descriptions of exactly who was where, how they moved, and what happened. This may sound obvious but it’s surprising how many other documentaries neglect to do this. As a result, this approach, combined with a clever use of computer graphics for the re-enactments, succeeds in bringing the events to life in an engaging and easily-understandable way. Interviews filmed with actors playing the parts of those involved in the battles actually do little to help and come off as an idea that doesn’t really work. But that aside, Battlefield Britain emerges as a fresh and innovative series that carves out its own unique niche among the catalog of military documentaries. Here’s hoping this model of presentation gets carried on to other battlefields. --Daniel Vancini

Product Description

BATTLEFIELD BRITAIN - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good presentation of history, November 30, 2005

By 

D. O. Becker (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battlefield Britain (DVD)

Battlefield Britain presents 8 famous British battles in an exciting and engaging way. Each episode jumps quickly among several presentation styles:
1) Narration - father and son Peter and Dan Snow narrate while walking or flying over the battle field. Their writing is interesting and they speak in an engaging manner.
2) Computer battle simulation - Much like the "Decisive Battle" series which used the "Rome: Total War" computer game engine to simulate many fighters, "Battlefield Britain" uses computer simulation to recreate the battle formations, movements, and tactical decisions. The simulations are great at giving a general's eye view of the battle and the carnage.
3) Historical reenactment - Live reenactors provide the up close shots with good views of weapons, equipment, and the "you are there" perspectives.
4) Technical reenactment - Many scenes show the firing of real bows, guns, or cannons or sailing of real ships in an effort to show tactics or advantages of one side or the other.
5) Dramatic reenactment - Actors in period costumes and makeup say why their side won or lost.
6) Technical illustration - using computer maps or computer renderings of the leaders, the show provides these models for further historical explanations.

Of all these techniques, I enjoy the writing and speaking of Peter and Dan Snow the best. They make good professors and are passionate about their subject matter (although not quite as interesting and artistic as Simon Schama in "A History of Britain". Simon Schama has a theatric way of rendering history.) The computer battles are interesting to watch, and they really lay out the battles quite well. Peter's "magic map board" is a great technique for overlaying computer map scenes while he points and talks to various sections of the battle. Most of the other presentation styles serve as good interesting backdrops to these history lectures. Finally, the battle selection is great. I'm sure most people know Boudicca, Hastings, or the Spanish Armada, but the Llywelyn the Great and the Boyne are less well known battles, but every bit as interesting.

On the other hand, some of the computer generated sequences are used over-repetatively. And the dramatic reenactors seem to be saying the same things while adding little to the story: "Well we really crushed those losers," or "We were slaughtered. They just kept coming." The computer generated heads of the generals looks somewhat hokey - I'm sure they will look quite dated in 10 years.

So, despite some shortcomings, overall a very good program that bears repeated viewing.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dan and Peter's Big Adventure, January 31, 2006

By 

Sickly Child "The Sickly Child" (Fort Thomas, KY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Battlefield Britain (DVD)

This is an unapologetic rave review. Father and son Peter and Daniel Snow take the viewer on a high-tech and fast paced tour of UK battlefields, from Roman times to the Blitz. The battles covered are known to most casual historians and well known to military historians. They demonstrate what happened at pivotal moments of British history using reenactments, computer generated graphics of the battles and most entertaining, modern day reenactments of some of the hardships endured by the participants, such as carrying a pike (Naseby)or slogging through the heather at night with and without a compass, (Culloden). Live reenactments are interspersed with the graphics to give a feel of the flow of each battle. The slick 'battle board' technique of opening a folio to reveal the half-mile high view of the battlefield, zooming in to see details of movement of the tiny, accurately uniformed and equipped combatants, will give all wargamers an envy of the future. Least effective are the computer generated recreations of the faces of the commanders. Good portraits or even reenactors would have been better. The palpable excitement of the Snows for their subject should transmit enthusiasm to even a casual viewer. I find myself re-watching the battles and enjoying them as much each time. A great way to present history. We can hope for sequels from this team.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Rate, April 28, 2005

By 

ereinion (CA. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battlefield Britain (DVD)

Saw this on PBS. An excellent way to portray historical battles. Great combination of computer graphics and reenactments. I highly recommend it.