Customer Reviews

Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants

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As a High School Physics Teacher I really recomend this video for the introduction of the scientific method. It details the importance of experimentation before making conclussions. It is also a unique resource to help teachers develop in students etics and moral values in science. I whish I can get a copy of this video in Spanish since that is the language most of my students understand better.

At the dawn of the 17th century, everybody takes the explanations of the great thinkers such as Aristotle for granted. The astronomer and the mathematician Galileo Galilei is about to discover the biggest mysteries of the universe. The lack of money, a brother who lives in his depend and a rival can't stop him from continuing its researches. He finds support in his pupil prince Cosimo (who was spoiled by the monarchy at the beginning of the movie). The education of Galileo is going to change the vision of the prince. He's going to help its teacher to invent the telescope. This film (almost a documentary) is striking as for its attention to details. It's easy to understand why they won two Emmy Awards (as being nominated for five). Michael Moriarty (actor from the series "Law and Order") is excellent in the title role. As good as Kenny Vadas who plays the role of his student. It is very cool at the end of the film when an astronaut finally proves Galileo's theory of falling objects speed.

Well, if you're an anti-Catholic bigot, just LOVE empty-headed after-school specials, and know absolutely nothing about the truth of the Galileo case, I'm sure you'll love this badly-acted bit of foolishness. I had my students watch it. The bad acting pained them. One asked: "What did we do to you that made you so angry that you forced us to watch that idiotic thing?" The problem was, I had assigned them to read the actual historical documents on the Galileo case BEFORE they watched the movie. So they saw all the historical absurdities at once. Bottom line: childish pratfalls, intellectually dishonest anti-religious bigotry, along with remarkably stupid historical inaccuracies. As an example of propaganda and bigotry, it's great. As history, well, put it this way: the Scottish accents in the movie "The 300" is closer to the truth of the Spartans than this boring drivel is to Galileo.