Customer Reviews

Castle: Tours of the World's Most Magnificent Structures (PBS Home Video) [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

CASTLE is a great way to learn about medieval life. It not only informs the viewer of castle life, but the lives of townspeople as well. I enjoy the Mr. Macaulay's method of documentary and animation. I viewed this video for the first time as a graduate student. I use CASTLE as a classroom tool whenever my students study the Middle Ages. The video always keeps their attention, and serves as a virtual fieldtrip. I would recommend this video to anyone looking for an accurate depiction of the history, architectural development, construction, and lifestyle of castle residents.

"Castle" is a video treat for both children and adults. Animation mixed with scenes of existing castles bring to life a time long past. David Macaulay creates a fictional castle and town based on historical events to explain the life and times surrounding the greatest weapon of years ago. Through the eyes of the King and Queen as well as townspeople like the Blacksmith we can relive the past as if we were there ourselves. "Castle" takes you on a history lesson you will never forget.

I was lucky enough to see this series as a boy and can unequivocally say that I remember it as a seminal experience in my love of history. One of the few works I have seen that combines true documentary with an engaging and well produced (fictional) story. This series is not "for children" since the lessons in it are not simplified or irrelevant for adults, but I think it *is* especially effective for children because of its uniquely interesting take on a historical subject. Highly recommended for anyone.

David Macaulay's video series has to be one of the best introductions to some of the major architectural achievements in the ancient world. Combining animation with live-action shots of historic sites is a stroke of brilliance as both work hand-in-hand to enhance the viewer's comprehension of the architectural, social, and historical importance of the subjects Macaulay describes. David Macaulay, himself, is a wonderful host on this guide through the ancient world. There are four videos in this series: Pyramid, Roman City, Cathedral, and Castle, and I highly recommend them all.

Castle takes me back, and I have to say this program is as good today (after at least twenty viewings) as it was when I was little and used to watch the copy my dad taped off our local PBS station back in the `80's. This is the animated version of Macaulay's excellent book of the same name, and as with on-screen adaptations of Cathedral, Pyramid, and the difficult to find Roman City, the film rotates between Macaulay's real life visits to a number of existing sites, in this case Edward I's castles in Wales, and the animated story of the construction of the featured structure from the book. Not only is it fun to see this masterful writer and illustrator actually walking through and explaining how these mega-structures were erected using hand tools and pack animals, but the plotline of the building of the impregnable fortress of Aberwyvern, and its testing in a violent siege during a Welsh "revolt" (I like to think of it as an act of liberation, since the English were in these Celts' country, after all) should still engross those with even the most flighty of attention spans. Personally I love Medieval castles and the gritty if much-maligned era that produced them, and this video brings back a flood of personal memories of this book and video, but even those with no past connection to Macaulay's classic works should find a lot here on this DVD that's plainly and simply great.

This may be an older historical program than many others out there today, but it's still relevant and a product of superior quality. Rather than being a boring regurgitation of facts and dates, Castle tells the story of the creation of a medieval castle while highlighting construction techniques and the quality of life of those who lived in its shadow. I bought this for my son who is already a fan of Tolkien, dragons and such, and absolutlely devoured this.

This is a great video for anyone interested in life in the Middle Ages. Not only does it provide excellent information concerning warfare in the middle ages but it also is and excellent source of information regarding everyday life in a medieval town.

A little old fashioned, (it was made in 1983) but very informative and my children (7 and 10 ) enjoyed it.

My 13 year old and I read the book "Castle" together. He absolutely loved reading about the history and building of the castle. He has another larger DK book on Castles and as we read told me about his previous knowledge on the topic we were reading about and expanded our discussion. The images (drawings) being b/w are a perfect match so that details of the castle stand out. After reading this story, we watched the accompanying PBS special Castle by the same author. The movie is s a perfect tag-a-long going into further details and highlighting real castles and showing the details that were discussed in the book. To follow up on the book/movie, my son is now building his own brick castle. We ordered a kit and it includes everything to make little bricks from molds and then directions on exactly how to build the castle. I highly recommend purchasing the book, movie and castle building kit together if you or your child is interested in castles and/or medieval studies. All three provide great discussion, for both visual and auditory learners as well as a hands-on experience.

I first saw this film around the time it came out, back in school our teacher showed it to us and had we had a roundtable discussion of sorts afterwards. I clearly remember being truly enamored by the story of the castle and the characters living in and around it. The way the story is told is quite educational and at the same time very exciting and enthralling for younger viewers. The story is so easy to fall into that you forget that you're learning along the way!

Anyway, there's my humble review and the reason I decided to purchase this DVD 20 years after I first saw the film. It's just a great piece of work that is a lot of fun as well.