Customer Reviews

Day of the Dead

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If your students are anything like mine they will be bored through at least 80% of this documentary. It could have been a lot better. Although, it does have a lot of good information, the way it is presented is lacking.Many people are talking about what this celebration means to them but it is just talk and by far not enough examples. Examples that could be presented better only get a few seconds in the spot light then it switches to someone talking infront of a wall or simple back ground. They should have had the people talking present their altar, art work, dance and more of the meaning behind it. Teachers look for something better.

I liked the video and used it in Spanish I level. Most of my students are non-native speakers so they got the whole version in English. They also got to see that this holiday is not just celebrated in Mexico, but here in Southern CA as well. However, I found the video too repetitive. The interviewees kept on saying the same thing over and over about the holiday. Therefore, if you use it in the classroom, I would either skip certain parts or just have them watch only about 20 to 30 minutes of it.

I bought this DVD to show to my Spanish classes during our fiesta del Dia de los Muertos. However, the video was not as informative as I would have liked. There are a lot of traditions that could have been shown and explained in more detail to make this video better instead of focusing on individual testimonials. Also, they could have taken this video into the heart of Mexico to gather more footage instead of Southern California, but instead they created a film that in some way lacks true authenticity and depth. In addition, there were times when I thought they put way too much emphasis on the performance of a certain band. Watching them on stage seemed to be a major filler for dead time in this video in lieu of thoroughly exploring the history, traditions, and celebration of this Spanish holiday. I would NOT recommend this video if you want a well-rounded explanation for students.

I guess my opinion is different. I ordered this video for educational purposed, I teach Day of the Dead every year to my art students. I thought the video was really good...images and nice music. My students and I enjoyed it and they learned from the video. I would recommend it to any educator to show to elementary and above students.

I was looking for materials to help teach my young children about Day of the Dead. Skimming the reviews about bored students, I was hoping that this was the same video that I had to watch in High School. IT IS NOT! It is mostly about the new (filmed 2003-05) emerging movement to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Southern California. All of it is contemporary...mostly following modern artists, a folk dance group, and a contemporary band called Quetzal. This was not the desciption of traditional practices that I was looking for. I gave it an extra star because my kids thought the costumes the dancers wore and the different instruments the band used were cool. Otherwise, I suggest you read the other reviews more carefully than I did and pass on this video if you are looking for a serious educational video on Dia de los Muertos.

The most I got out of this video for my kids was easy project ideas when they showcased a California library that was trying to increase awareness of Mexican culture.

PS. If you ARE a fan of the band Quetzal, then this IS the video for you. Their music was pretty cool. If the video was named "Quetzal" and described as a following of them, I would have given a higher review. However, I obviously got the wrong impression of what I was buying.

I am a high school Spanish teacher and bought this video to show on the Day of the Dead, but honestly, it is quite boring and does not do a very good job of making this fantastic holiday come to life.

This movie contains some nice photos/images, but it's dull, repetitive, and amateurishly made. The voiceover is pretty bad. There is not much actual information here, just the same phrases and cliches repeated over and over again.

I love el Dia de los Muertos, but this documentary looks cheaply made and it's not very engaging or informative.

This video was interesting but not one that I would show in a classroom setting. I tried to show it to my high school Spanish 1 class but the students were not interested. If you are interested in Day of the Dead and how it is celebrated here in CA then it is useful but I don't recommend this for classroom education.

The images and music are wonderful, but the DVD as a whole made my high school students want to fall asleep. Poorly edited, slow, and a bit monotonous.