Product Details

• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: A & E Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 7, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000006QF9
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,084 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

He was the most popular actor of his day famed as "the handsomest man in America." With a single shot he transformed the course of American history. John Wilkes Booth earned a place in infamy as the man who killed President Lincoln. But he was much more than just a desperate adherent to a losing cause. BIOGRAPHY; journeys back to 19th century America for a compelling look at the complete story of this unusual assassin. Trace his life from his pastoral childhood to his rise to fame as an actor and discover how he became steadily more devoted to the Confederate cause as the Civil War went on. Leading historians reveal how Lee's surrender left Booth feeling like "a man without a country" and prompted his fatal visit to Ford's Theatre. From the history of insanity in his family to "Black Easter" this is the riveting tale of the actor who went down in history as an assassin.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/HISTORY Rating: NR UPC: 733961140637 Manufacturer No: AAAE14063

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a history lover? This is probably not for you, May 10, 2005

By 

DCS (Tucson AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biography - John Wilkes Booth [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I love history and the Lincoln Assassination is a particular favorite of mine. I like to read bios and watch documentaries about all of the conspirators. I am also always on the lookout for videos to show in my high school social studies class so I wanted to check out Biography's look at JWB. Although it was easy for me to follow, I was disappointed overall. The pace of the video is too slow and the background music is overemphasized. If you like history, you might like this video, but will come away with an empty feeling. I am hoping the the good people at Biography will redo the Bio of JWB. He is an important figure in American History and worth knowing about.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth getting..., May 7, 2010

By 

CW Carter (Gettysburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biography: John Wilkes Booth (A&E Archives) (DVD)

My opinion's a bit different than other viewers. No question that avid history buffs who have done much reading, viewing, etc, are going to feel as though much of the information in the DVD is just well-known, and it is. But not everyone in the world knows everything, and if they're interested in who Booth is, what the story was beyond just the actual assassination minutes, it's very good. The experts speaking on the issue are also well-known & respected, & explain things well. There were also some details in the beginning, which though being someone who's done a lot of reading, viewing & visiting myself, still had never heard before. Some things regarding Booth's parents & siblings, and his youth. Not every second he was alive (so not too much & boring), but interesting to see a bit regarding how things started in his life. I'm such a Lincoln person that I hate this guy's guts, but it's interesting to hear some things of which I was unaware. Is good to watch the overall summary for folks not into too much detail or not knowing much other than he killed Lincoln, contains at least a few bits of info you may not have heard (and even some less famous pictures), and actually would be a good general teaching tool used with other means. I'm keeping mine, and would watch it again...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars so-so production, September 25, 2008

By 

margot "margot" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biography: John Wilkes Booth (A&E Archives) (DVD)

very lackluster production that closed with the line that booth was killed in maryland. duh! booth was killed in virginia.........anyway
the same photographs are shown over and over and over, although some of the photographs were ones i had not seen. i will watch it again, and i will keep it as part of my collection, but i wouldnt recommend it to the serious student.