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When European explorers first set foot in Central America, they dreamed of building a waterway to join the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. That dream would take nearly four centuries to materialize. The French began digging in 1880, but abandoned the task 10 years and thousands of lives later, having completed only a third of the job. The Americans picked up where the French left off, and as they worked, film crews and journalists recorded the feat for posterity. Today, these images are compiled in this comprehensive video, and as one watches it, one can't help but be amazed that building such a canal was even attempted. Workmen's diaries and sepia-toned photos tell stories of tropical disease, snakes, sharp saw grass, and smothering heat. Modern-day computer diagrams illustrate just how immense a construction feat the American and French had taken on, endeavoring to dig a 50-mile crossing through jungles, mountainsides, and lakes. This documentary is likely to appeal to both geography buffs and those only casually acquainted with the engineering marvel known as the Panama Canal.
--Demian McLean
Product Description
Thirty years of dreaming. Fifty miles of shortcuts. Thousands of dollars spent. Thousands of lives lost. The construction of the Panama Canal was simply mind-boggling. Now you can obtain an unprecedented look at the inside operations of the 30-year construction of this magnificent water works. Meet the pioneers one on one and hear firsthand what obstacles they faced. Learn why France jumped ship after 10 years and 20,000 lives later. Step-by-step follow the men who braved the building and turned a dream into reality by carving into the earth with their jaws of steel. Narrated by David McCullough.
