Product Details

• Actors: Narrated by Julian Bond
• Directors: Henry Hampton
• Format: Box set, Color, 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: PBS
• DVD Release Date: April 6, 2010
• Run Time: 360 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0031WNYHK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,225 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

One of the essential documentary series from 20th-century television, Eyes on the Prize is an extraordinary, grassroots history of the civil rights movement in 1950s and '60s America. Leaving punditry and debate to others, this six-hour program concerns itself with the individuals who were there, who participated on the front lines, who witnessed and survived to tell about the crusade's tragedies and victories. Starting with a pair of mid-'50s heroic actions in the South that helped galvanize black and white activism against institutional racism (actions that included Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama), the series winds its way through the exponential growth of the movement to the passage of the Voting Rights Act and beyond. The epochal battle between states-rights advocates and federal authorities is well-covered, as are the many sacrifices made and enormous risks taken by Mississippi Freedom Riders and advocates of black voter registration. Also in this boxed set is the series' sequel, Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads 1965-mid 1980s. An equally stirring, eight-hour history of the post-civil-rights years, in which hard-won political power manifested itself both inside and outside elected government offices, this follow-up traces the fracturing of a unified civil rights community into numerous missions and agendas. Driven by interviews and archival footage, the series takes a clear look at such historical chapters as the rise of black separatism, the election of Carl Stokes to Cleveland's Office of the Mayor, and the turmoil of school desegregation. Both the original series and sequel are an absolute must for a contemporary understanding of racism in America. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Winner of numerous awards, Eyes on the Prize is the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America.

See all Editorial Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Civil Rights Film Ever Made January 29, 2010

By TexasTeacher

Format:DVD

Eyes on the Prize is the best and most definitive film ever created about the civil rights movement in America. It goes from the 50s, post WWII all the way through until the end of the technical Civil Rights movement. There is another 7 hours of footage beyond what is included in this set, and I look forward to owning that half of the series as well. I am a teacher, and I am proud to be able to show parts of this film to my students during my study of black literature. I fell in love with this series in college when my history professor showed us the first episode, and I have been a devoted fan ever since. The interviews, taken years after the events, are so perfectly blended with real footage from the protests and speeches, along with beautiful recordings of freedom songs in the background, I really don't think there is any way this documentary could be improved on in any way. The DVD should be in anyone's collection who values learning about the rich, and often disturbing, history of civil rights in America. I still tear up when I watch this, it is truly amazing.

74 of 78 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Where is the rest of the documentary? August 15, 2010

By Helen E. T. Smith

Format:DVD

I have owned the VHS edition for thirteen years. My brother ordered the DVD from Amazon. We watched the whole documentary and I noticed that the dvd version only covers history up to 1965. The rest of the documentary is missing, I know because I play this every year for my students for Black History Month. My VHS set covers everything up to the 1980's!!! I rather spend the $100.00+ for the complete series instead of this cut version. Please issue the COMPLETE documentary on dvd. Meanwhile, I will just hold on to my VHS set.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have finaly at a price you can have. January 31, 2010

By H. Robertson

Format:DVD

I grew up during the time of this film. But to be honest, as an White American I didn't understand until I watched this series all the issues that were going on. What I saw was heartbreaking and can't wait to own this just so I can help my child understand also. So many kids(and adults) don't understand how bad it was to be black in America. They got a raw deal and many are still trying to catch up to the American dream today. I believe this is the most important program PBS has ever done. I'm just glad that we can now buy this program at an affordable price. I also hope there is a blu ray edition coming out. I may even buy a copy for my child's Junior High so even more can benefit from what is being taught here. PBS, please release Part 2 soon.