Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kultur Video
• VHS Release Date: October 31, 2000
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B0000520SH
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #569,663 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The life of the first, great British queen, May 3, 2006

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Great Queens of England: Boudicca of the Iceni [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Boudicca was a queen of Celtic tribes who lived in the eastern sections of England. Her reign was in the latter half of the first century A. D. when the Roman Empire was expanding into England. Her land was prosperous, having been cultivated for centuries and possessing many natural resources, so the population level was high. She was born into a royal family and was married to a king, a union that cemented many of the tribes together. She bore him two daughters and when he died, she ascended to his throne.
The Roman legions moved into the land, conquering all before them. Boudicca was captured, tied up and whipped, while her two daughters were repeatedly raped. Their brutal behavior served to unite the Celtic tribes and they joined together to fight the Romans. At first they were successful, overpowering small outposts and killing everyone in them, including the Celtic inhabitants. While her army was huge, over 100,000 strong, it was disorganized, which was a major disadvantage when going against the extremely disciplined Roman legions.
The major battle took place at the time and place of the Roman's choosing. While the Romans were vastly outnumbered, they made their stand in a narrow valley where the Celts could not outflank them. By forcing them to attack on a small front, the Romans forced the Celts to get in each other's way, restricting their ability to move about. This led to a slaughter and utter defeat of the Celtic army. The Romans followed it up by killing or selling into slavery the remaining members of the rebellious tribes. The end result was that Roman power became near absolute in the English section of the main British isle. However, the cost of the battle against the southern Celts did a great deal to prevent the Romans from conquering Scotland.
The historian interviewed on this tape is very knowledgeable about the times of Boudicca, which is very helpful. This tape is a dramatic recreation of those times and battles. While the acting and action is often mediocre, it does serve to give a good visual description of what transpired. The defeat of the Celts in Britain was a major victory for the Roman Empire, and led to the creation of a set of legends about the people who led the Celts to their defeat. I recommend it for viewing in classes on the early history of the British Isles or if you just are interested in the events of that time.