Customer Reviews

The Power of The Past With Bill Moyers: Florence [VHS]

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Bill Moyers' evocation of the power of Donatello's St. Mary Magdalene in the Duomo museum recalls for me my own experience of that piece when I visited her, nearly 20 years ago in Florence. I sat before that statue (it almost seems sacreligious to call the piece a "statue" -- the wood seems alive!) for a long, long time, and I wept at its beauty, its anguish, its serenity, its penitential power.

Bill Moyers "gets" the Italian Renaissance. He talks to the right people; he gives time to those aspects of the culture and art that beg to be treated; and best of all, he asks the right questions and listens quietly for the answers. This man is a treasure, as is his marvelous journey into the heart of the Renaissance in Italy.

Who cares about this period in Western history (and especially what it can and should be showing us about where we are -- or sadly, are NOT -- as a bearer of the seal of Western culture) will benefit from viewing this documentary. It is remarkable and valuable -- a must-see program. Don't wait: Get it now (even if it is old).