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69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent series., November 4, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Silk Road DVD Collection (DVD)
The DVDs faithfully reproduce the videotapes; I see complaints about the quality of the transfer as unjustified. One would think from reading the other reviews that the DVDs are somehow technically defective; this isn't the case. They don't improve on the original footage, but who reasonably expects them to do that? This is a fascinating documentary series, covering a retracement of the Silk Road from east to west, as recorded by NHK over the course of several years, beginning in 1979. This set contains the first dozen episodes, part I of the series (Boxed Set 1 and Boxed Set 2, which is not to be confused with Silk Road II, the final 18 episodes). It begins in Chang-An and ends in the Pamirs. Part II, alas, doesn't seem to have made it to DVD; that covers the journey from Central Asia to Rome. Titles of the episodes in this set are:
The Glories of Ancient Chang-An
A Thousand Kilometers Beyond the Yellow River
The Art Gallery in the Desert
The Dark Castle
In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-Lan
Across the Taklamakan Desert
Khotan -- Oasis of Silk and Jade
A Heat Wave Called Turfan
Through the Tian Shan Mountains by Rail
Journey into Music -- South Through the Tian Shan Mountains
Where Horses Fly Like the Wind
Two Roads to the Pamirs
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67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More than a travel video, August 15, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Silk Road DVD Collection (DVD)
5 stars for the program, 2 stars for the video quality and DVD transfer. 3.5 stars Average. This is the best and most detailed research documentary on "Silk Road" from historic and geographic viewpionts. There are total 12 episodes and last more than 600 minutes. A joint venture work between NHK and China Central TV which took 10 years and 50 millions to compete. The video was shot 10-20 years ago and certainly show its age. Central Park Media did not spend any more effort to improve its quality from the previous LD. There is no chapter selection in each episode. Once start, you have to sit through the entire episode which is about 50-55 minutes long. The sound is mono and passable. Kitaro's music score is nice but tend to get a little annoying after repeated listening at the the beginning of each episode.
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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Content 5 stars--video 3 stars, November 3, 2002
This review is from: The Silk Road DVD Collection (DVD)
Having watched this entire set, I can say that the quality of the content outweighs any qualms about sound or video quality. Yes, the picture looks more like an old VHS tape than a new DVD, but it's not THAT bad. I found it it didn't get in the way of enjoying one of the best documentaries ever made. Bottom line: if you're picky--make that super picky--about video quality, avoid this. If, however, you are really interested in an excellent documentary on the Silk Road, then take the plunge. You won't be disappointed.
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