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Crusades

DVD | Box Set

Terry Jones (Actor, Writer), Marcello Walton (Actor), Alan Ereira (Director, Producer, Writer), Rated:

79 customer reviews

Crusades

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Editorial Reviews

Of all the wars waged in the name of God, none has ever matched the arrogance and conceit of the Christian Crusades. For nearly two centuries (1095-1291), this medieval "holy war" variously raged, sometimes so spiritually misshapen by rapaciousness, murder, and political greed that to think it all had to do with Christian faith is absurd. And really, there is no one better to dramatize such a theater of holy war than Wales-born Terry Jones, host of The Discovery Channel's Ancient Inventions and an accomplished medievalist. Best known for his absurdist contributions to all things Monty Python--he was a founding member of Monty Python's Flying Circus and cowriter of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, among others--Jones wields an uncanny ability to explain the methodologies and madness of the Crusades while not failing us his sense of humor. Jones wrote the scripts for each 50-minute presentation in the four volumes of The Crusades, which originally aired on The History Channel. His narration is not without an occasional sardonic air, almost of the roll-your-eyes type, which not only lends a skeptical perspective to a frequently misunderstood era in Western Europe, but also quite frequently editorializes the events that occurred between Pope Urban II's call for liberation of Jerusalem from the "infidels" of Islam and the embarrassing moment when officers of the fourth Crusade are conned out of its divine calling by the Venetians. While Jones's reconnaissance is sometimes oversimplified by casually not mentioning several Crusade sorties after the fourth (there were several, but by the 13th century they had become redolent of ennui and misguided commercial adventure), the technical ingenuity of the production and Jones's use of anecdote backed by academicians and preserved eyewitness accounts cinches a viewer's interest. Medieval "siege machines" are re-created to test their mettle against legends of famou

Special features

Historic timeline
Terry Jones biography/filmography

Product details

Actors: Terry Jones, Marcello Walton, Kammy Darweish, Sean Barrett, Hash Chamchoun
Directors: Alan Ereira, David Wallace
Writers: Terry Jones, Alan Ereira
Producers: Alan Ereira, David Wallace, Laurence Rees
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 1
Rated:
NR
Not Rated
Studio: A&E Home Video
DVD Release Date: November 27, 2001
Run Time: 200 minutes
Average Customer Review: 79 customer reviews
ASIN: B00005U8F3
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,803 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1670 in Movies & TV > DVD > Military & War
- #3587 in Movies & TV > DVD > Documentary
- #16429 in Movies & TV > DVD > Drama

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Learn more about "Crusades" on IMDb

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars

5 star		39%
4 star		27%
3 star		11%
2 star		10%
1 star		13%

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Top customer reviews

Very educational

ByRetiredNSmilin308on July 14, 2017

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

I had been looking for this DVD for a long time. Terry jones is very good in explaining and recreating what happened at that time. The western world is still, to this day, reaping the whirlwind we sewed back then. Why do humans on either side feel the need to slaughter those of whom pray differently?

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Clever and funny... but History-lite

ByCKETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon December 12, 2005

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

This is a hard documentary to review, because while I found most of the material funny - I can see how many wouldn't see the humour. Second, for the sake of "True History" it does fall short of the mark - mainly because it impossible to have an accurate descripition of the Crusades in under four hours.

So my question is what kind of documentary does it attempt to be? I think it is an attempt to be a humour informative primer on the history of the first great world war... an event that still shapes our lives. In this account "Crusades; With Terry Joens" succeeds.

True, I would have liked to seen a greater history of the Templars, and Richard the Lionheart's epic struggles with Saladin - but there really wasn't time for all of that. It covers the basics and does a good job of showing us how demanding the life of crusader must have been.

One thing that is disappointing is that this movie could have been ideal for use in High School as a brief (but entertaining) view of the Crusades. However, there are a couple of scenes that make it inappropriate - one is a scene of men sitting a round a table smoking what appears to be bongs and in disc 4 there is an extended scene of a topless women. Without these scenes it could have been a nice tool for education.

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Not bad, but too "superficial".

ByLudwig von Kaston September 20, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Not bad, but I preferred the book version to the Video one.

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Five Stars

ByJoanne Marinon August 18, 2016

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

Great DVD. After all, it's Terry Jones, actor, author and all around funny guy

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I thoroughly enjoyed it. Terry Jones makes it enjoyable

Bywilliam brennanon August 18, 2015

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Terry Jones makes it enjoyable. I learned a lot as well.

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Fun version of the Crusades story

ByRazoron December 3, 2015

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

I watched this when I was a kid. It's a well done story. And I it might be true. Glad it's available on DVD.

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Too narrow and loses your interest in the minutia of storytelling

ByEmanuel Perdison December 18, 2013

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

Lacks a comprehensive perspective and is way too long. You don't leave the show feeling you quite understand what happened at a big picture level.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Wish we had more of these

Bycomptonon April 22, 2013

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

My wife who is from England turned me on to these and they are fantastic, very informative, educational and entertaining. Buy them all we did and couldn't be happier....