Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb biography of an extraordinary man, May 23, 2001
In my opinion an additional two hundred years of history has not changed the fact that Benjamin Franklin is the most talented American that has ever lived. His inventions, which include the lightning rod, Franklin stove and bifocals, were some of the most practical of the eighteenth century. He was also the most read author in the American colonies, with his Poor Richard’s Almanac being a source of humor and wisdom that can be read and reread without a loss of interest. Finally, his role as a public servant is extraordinary and where he made his greatest mark on the world. He was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the professional police and fire departments in Philadelphia as well as the founding of a lending library. Considered essential today, they were unusual in his time.
When a full scale war broke out between the American colonies and Britain, the prospects for a colonial victory were not good. Although there was the advantage of distance, Britain possessed much greater military power and the colonists were not completely united. While George Washington commanded enormous respect as a general, his army was chronically under-equipped. Under these circumstances, the aged Franklin was dispatched to France in an attempt to woo aid from the French imperial court. His abilities to sway the aristocratic and cautious French leaders most likely made the difference in the success of the war. The difficulty of this task should not be underestimated. To the French aristocracy, the Americans were uncouth barbarians trying to establish a style of government they viewed with suspicion. Once French aid was given, the psychology of the situation dramatically changed. Franklin was clearly the only person who could have accomplished that delicate task. This is the most complex point of his life and the description in this tape explains it very well.
While Thomas Jefferson is credited with authorship of the Declaration of Independence, Franklin had substantial input, with some of the most memorable lines being his ideas. This is another key point, often ignored, that is explained in this story.
Given his long and productive life, it is very difficult to adequately describe him in fifty minutes of tape. In this case, the best possible job is done. You learn his extraordinary story of rising from poor circumstances to being a leading citizen of a new country. Franklin’s life was one from which legends can be made, although in this case the life itself is better than a legend could be. He also was apparently quite a lady killer as many women of the French court threw themselves at him. When one asked him to spend the night with her, he parried the offer with a beautiful response, “Let us wait until winter when the nights are longer so that we may spend as much time as possible together.” Now there is a line to use with the ladies!
Benjamin Franklin may be the most talented person who lived in the eighteenth century and Americans should be proud to have him as part of their heritage. I cannot imagine anyone viewing this biography and not being amazed at what he accomplished.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good overview of an extraordinary life, January 14, 2005
It seems that the more you know about Benjamin Franklin, the less you know about him. He was a brilliant man who somehow managed to be both simple and very complicated all at the same time. If I tried to list all of his accomplishments here, I would surpass the maximum word limit before I could even get my review started. At the birth of the new Republic, his was the face of America to Europe. I must admit, though, that I have never been all that enraptured with Franklin, despite all of his brilliance. He broke with the British Empire only after being excoriated by the Privy Council for his role in the "Hutchinson affair," he was not what you would call a humble man, he went years without seeing his wife (his first "short" trip to England lasted seven years, and he could have come home much sooner had he wanted to), he has always struck me as something of a dandy and a skirt-chaser, and it is hard for me to embrace anyone who was more at home with the French than with his American compatriots (the French simply adored Benjamin Franklin).
Still, the genius of the man cannot be denied, and this A&E Biography presentation does as good a job as possible given its allotted time of some 45 minutes. By necessity, it could only hit the high points without delving deeply into the man's character, but you can't help but be amazed by the wide range of knowledge and talent the man possessed, the inventions and innovations he bequeathed to his fellow man, the great spirit which animated him in all things for all of his 84 years, and his service to the new nation of America. It should be remembered that Franklin won international acclaim as a scientist years before he served as America's original elder statesman. Those with just a cursory knowledge of Franklin's life might be surprised to learn how little time he spent in America during the crucial years of rebellion and independence. How many know that he also produced an illegitimate son in his youthful, most arduous days (although he did adopt the child rather than shun him)? This video really does not go into detail about Franklin and women except to say that women in France fawned upon him and he had two particularly important lady friends there in his later years. Franklin's bold flirtation with the women of France scandalized the staid and proper John Adams, and some of Franklin's contemporaries considered him a hypocrite who preached morality while he indulged in his own lustful pleasures.
A short video such as this cannot begin to penetrate the depths of Franklin's being and character; it can, though, give the viewer an appreciation for his remarkable, wide-ranging accomplishments and his important role in shaping the young American republic. If the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the name Benjamin Franklin is the image of an old man flying a kite during a thunderstorm, you would do very well indeed to take a look at this A&E biography production and acquaint yourself with a set of accomplishments it seems impossible for one man to have achieved over the course of one lifetime. Men of Franklin's caliber and brilliance only come along about once a century.
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