This is a cut above the standard 1950s TV drama fare and has an effective mix of mostly suspense with a little comedy. James Stewart gives a convincing performance of man faced with a dilemma concerning both his past and his future. The supporting cast is also solid and the producers seem to have spent more on this than would usually be the case with a short TV drama. Watching this is 30 minutes well spent.
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(II) (2016)
Has its moments but not something I'd want to sit through again
6 May 2020
For a low budget effort, this isn't at all bad. Locations are mostly fine and the props are adequate, as is the camera work. The plot is intriguing at times but eventually dwells too much on the romance, and clumsily at that. The acting is variable - some of the performances are fine, others are poor to the point of seriously undermining the dramatic impact of several scenes. Still, this film deserves credit for squeezing some creativity out of a topic (time travel) which has been so frequently filmed that it is hard to come up with something original.
Entertaining, brings Ancient Egypt to life
12 September 2015
Not being an expert, I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the scenes of Ancient Egypt, but this recreation of a real crime recorded on papyrus (miraculously preserved for thousands of years) is certainly good to look at and well-narrated. Even better is the story which, if it were fiction, one might dismiss as being fanciful.The cast play their part too, helping to bring the whole thing to life (or back to life) so that one really feels for the twins and their plight. Most big budget Hollywood movies do not even come close to providing this much entertainment - I was glued to the screen from start to finish, and it is hard to see how anyone cannot be moved by this very human story of betrayal, greed, love and hatred amidst a flawed judicial system, and with a good Samaritan thrown in for good measure. Highly recommended, even for those with absolutely no interest in history.
The Secret Life of the Sun
(2013 TV Movie)
Keep watching - don't be put off by a mostly poor first half
22 November 2014
There seems to be an increasing trend among documentary makers to let the camera linger on the presenter, especially if he/she is at least relatively well-known and/or attractive. 'The Secret Life of the Sun', despite a fair number of good points, is unfortunately a part of this trend. As I think it's fair to assume that most people are interested in a particular documentary because they want to know more about its subject matter, one wonders why documentary makers point the camera at the presenter when one wants to see the historical site, the animal or (in the case of this documentary) the eclipse of the sun. Sadly, we saw all to much of Kate Humble and all too little of the eclipse. And all this is accompanied by a series of banal comments which tell us nothing about the sun which we can't already see on the screen. No sun secrets here.
Fortunately, we get some real science when Helen Czerski appears. Unlike her co-presenter, she manages to be present without usually intruding on the subject matter. Although some of this science left me (a layman) a little confused at times, there were some insightful interviews with a variety of scientists and some truly excellent visuals. Some of the facts and figures make the mind boggle, and we get a glimpse of what the next few years might have in store for us as the sun enters an interesting phase. Overall, the second half of the documentary may not be quite 'must see' but it is definitely 'should see'.
Fortunately, we get some real science when Helen Czerski appears. Unlike her co-presenter, she manages to be present without usually intruding on the subject matter. Although some of this science left me (a layman) a little confused at times, there were some insightful interviews with a variety of scientists and some truly excellent visuals. Some of the facts and figures make the mind boggle, and we get a glimpse of what the next few years might have in store for us as the sun enters an interesting phase. Overall, the second half of the documentary may not be quite 'must see' but it is definitely 'should see'.
Sins of omission - and distortion
5 July 2014
This series fails for the simple reason that, while it cannot be expected to cover the topic comprehensively, it should at least provide a reasonably balanced and accurate account. It doesn't. This is despite the use of an impressive array of academics; one can only assume they were not involved in the shaping of the final product.
There are some jaw-dropping omissions, especially given that the title mentions 'Greeks' rather than 'Athenians'. In terms of influence on western civilization, there is no doubt that Athens was by far the most important of the Greek city states. However, if this documentary were to be the only source of information on Greece in the classical period, one would be (falsely) led to believe that (1) almost all the great Greeks were Athenians, (2) that practically everything about Sparta was bad, (3) that city states such as Thebes were of little or no significance (there was little or no mention of many important states), and (4) that the Battles of Thermopylae and Plataea never happened.
This last point is particularly unforgivable considering how much Thermopylae continues to be discussed today (though too many people omit the fact that it wasn't just 300 Spartans who died there - the 700 Thespians deserve just as much credit). To say that the Persian threat ended at Salamis in 480 BC is just plain wrong; an army of at least 80,000 Persians remained on Greek soil and was defeated by a Greek army under Spartan leadership in 479 BC, with Sparta providing the largest contingent.
While Athenian democracy is rightly lauded, no mention is made of the fact women were not only excluded but expected to keep quiet too (unlike Sparta where women were not only allowed to express their views but were also taught to read and write). Further, these Athenian male democrats owned lots of slaves and suppressed (sometimes ruthlessly) dozens of previously independent Greek city states to build their empire.
The treatment of The Peloponnesian War is all too brief and uneven. While quite some time is spent on the plague, the Sicillian expedition, and the prosecution of the generals, no mention is made of the heavy involvement of major states such as Corinth and Thebes (as part of the Spartan-led Peloponnesian League opposing the Athenian empire) who wanted to raze Athens to the ground at the end of the war (they were prevented from doing by Sparta), nor the reason for the eventual involvement of the Persians. Also hard to fathom is the failure to have at least a brief look at that most fascinating of characters, the Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades, a key figure during the war (and surely worth a documentary of his own).
Even if the series was re-titled 'The Athenians', it would be hard to excuse the above sins of omission. Without proper context, it is impossible to properly appreciate the influence of the Greeks on western civilization. Sadly, this documentary is more like a series of sometimes distorted reproductions of random scenes from the classical period.
There are some jaw-dropping omissions, especially given that the title mentions 'Greeks' rather than 'Athenians'. In terms of influence on western civilization, there is no doubt that Athens was by far the most important of the Greek city states. However, if this documentary were to be the only source of information on Greece in the classical period, one would be (falsely) led to believe that (1) almost all the great Greeks were Athenians, (2) that practically everything about Sparta was bad, (3) that city states such as Thebes were of little or no significance (there was little or no mention of many important states), and (4) that the Battles of Thermopylae and Plataea never happened.
This last point is particularly unforgivable considering how much Thermopylae continues to be discussed today (though too many people omit the fact that it wasn't just 300 Spartans who died there - the 700 Thespians deserve just as much credit). To say that the Persian threat ended at Salamis in 480 BC is just plain wrong; an army of at least 80,000 Persians remained on Greek soil and was defeated by a Greek army under Spartan leadership in 479 BC, with Sparta providing the largest contingent.
While Athenian democracy is rightly lauded, no mention is made of the fact women were not only excluded but expected to keep quiet too (unlike Sparta where women were not only allowed to express their views but were also taught to read and write). Further, these Athenian male democrats owned lots of slaves and suppressed (sometimes ruthlessly) dozens of previously independent Greek city states to build their empire.
The treatment of The Peloponnesian War is all too brief and uneven. While quite some time is spent on the plague, the Sicillian expedition, and the prosecution of the generals, no mention is made of the heavy involvement of major states such as Corinth and Thebes (as part of the Spartan-led Peloponnesian League opposing the Athenian empire) who wanted to raze Athens to the ground at the end of the war (they were prevented from doing by Sparta), nor the reason for the eventual involvement of the Persians. Also hard to fathom is the failure to have at least a brief look at that most fascinating of characters, the Athenian statesman and general Alcibiades, a key figure during the war (and surely worth a documentary of his own).
Even if the series was re-titled 'The Athenians', it would be hard to excuse the above sins of omission. Without proper context, it is impossible to properly appreciate the influence of the Greeks on western civilization. Sadly, this documentary is more like a series of sometimes distorted reproductions of random scenes from the classical period.
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