Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Stamats Communicatio
• VHS Release Date: January 29, 1997
• Run Time: 65 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304388128
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,980 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Nominated for 3 Emmy Awards

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovingly-made Iowa documentary, ala Ken Burns, December 24, 1999

By 

Alex Johnston (Bradenton, Florida.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iowa: An American Portrait [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Didn't much care about Iowa and sure didn't know a thing about it -- until viewing this very well-made documentary. It draws you in and makes you care, emotionally appealing on many levels, a sensory treat. Very similar to Ken Burns' style, except shot on video, not film. Excellent cinematography & editing. Many of the same voices that Burns often uses. Very effective music, and wonderful editing transitions between past & present. Would love to see this sort of treatment for other states as well. Truly a fine job!

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointingly slow pace and lack of in-depth content, May 24, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: Iowa: An American Portrait [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As a lifelong resident of Iowa, I was excited at the prospect of watching this tape and I recognized most of the names of the towns and some of the scenes. However, the pace of the tape is so slow that it could be a partial cure for insomnia. The music track is sedate to the point of being acceptable background music in an elevator and there are significant gaps in the narration. Furthermore, some of the images are maintained longer than is really necessary. I found it so boring that I had to watch it in segment approximately 20 minutes in length. With so much material to work with, it was disappointing that the producers chose to go slow when they could have sped up the pace and covered so much more information about a state with so much to offer.