Customer Reviews

Modern Marvels - Brooklyn Bridge (History Channel) (A&E DVD Archives)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw this on the history channel- twice! I loved it so much
that I thought about it hours after I had seen it. You cannot
imagine the pain and suffering and hard work that went into
building this bridge at a time that there was no technology
like we have today. This bridge was built on pure mathematics.
and assumptions that "in theory, it should work!"
Worth watching - twice!!

This is a special on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge which I didn't catch until approximately twelve years after it was produced (in 1995). When first I saw it, I was trying not to expect anything, what with my loyalty to the 1981 documentary by Ken Burns (his first ever). However, I did find this one a highly enjoyable documentary, informative and including plenty of common ties with the earlier special, plus some other nuggets of information (such as the role the Brooklyn Bridge played in the merger of the 5 Boroughs).

I only give it four stars out of five, because I do feel the conveyance of historical accounts worked better with the dramatic role-playing of the earlier bridge documentary (Paul Roebling, Arthur Miller, etc). However, the historians' interviews and the one with Kristian Roebling do give the depiction of the saga a great, human element. (Kristian is a descendent of John A. Roebling (the bridge designer) and his son, Washington A. Roebling (the builder).)

This is a very excellent sorce for home schooling . We need to have rewards sometimes and this is a perfect opportunity to have a history lesson in action. Please consider how the effects of the movie will drive home the history of our nation.

There are many engineering marvels in the world and the Brooklyn Bridge is certainly one of them. This hour long DVD focuses on the design and construction of this great bridge, but misses some of the interesting details that I have seen in other DVD historys on the same subject. But for the price I am glad to have it in my collection of engineering marvels.