Product Details

• Actors: James Burke
• Directors: Mike Slee, Richard Sattin
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 5
• Studio: Ambrose Video Publishing
• VHS Release Date: April 1, 1994
• Run Time: 600 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000035Z1C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,204 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

This humorous and upbeat series shows that history is filled with seemingly unrelated discoveries that are actually connected in the most surprising ways. Host James Burke, the "scientific detective," continues to delight viewers as he explores the effects and origins of inventions and events that shape the modern world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not excellent., July 20, 2002

By 

Frank Angel (Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Connections 2: 5 Pack [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Connections 2 is good but not excellent. It pales in comparison to the first series. How I wish the original BBC productions of "Connections" and "The Day the Universe Changed", another great program by the same author which aired on TV a few years ago, were available for purchase.

Connections 2 lacks the originality and entertainment value of Connections 1 which used actors to show how events occured. The original Connections entertained while it taught at the same time showing the viewer how great moments in history lead to the accidental discovery of many useful things which in turn led to other inventions. Somehow that joy of discovery that I got from the original is missing in Connections 2.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A huge letdown compared to the first series..., January 25, 2002

By 

"Big Band" John "bigbandjohn" (NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Connections 2: 5 Pack [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Of all the science and history programs I ever watched, Connections has to be the best program ever. So, when TLC announced a second series, I was excited. This series, however, falls far short of the original.

First, each episode is a half an hour instead of an hour. This rushes the stories a bit.

Second, there was a flow to the whole first series. It was one thread. This was very choppy, and the "connections" felt a lot more forced.

I never got a sense of flow from this edition of the series. I get the feeling James Burke was approached 10 years after the first series, and "couldn't refuse the money". The series, as a whole, didn't seem as well thought out as the first where EVERYTHING seemed to connect. This felt much more scattered.

Mind you, this is still a good series for those interested in science and history. It just isn't "your father's connections". I don't want to be a discouragement. I just want to be clear that if you saw the first series, the second is not the same.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, as always, August 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Connections 2: 5 Pack [VHS] (VHS Tape)

James Burke is an incredibly talented, intelligent, gifted individual with an exceptionally clever, dry wit. He presents his facts in a clearly entertaining way. The world-wide production values are astounding.

Watch all "Connections" in the series and "The Day the Universe Changed" as many times as you can. You will be smarter, funnier, and a much better person for it.