Dead Presidents

Historical facts, thoughts, ramblings and collections on the Presidency and about the Presidents of the United States.

By Anthony Bergen
E-Mail: bergen.anthony@gmail.com

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Posts tagged "Mankind: The Story of Us"

annoyingjohnv Asks:

I've only caught the 1865 - 1945 segments of Ultimate Guide (with the last two on the DVR) but so far it's pretty mixed. It more retells American history using the Presidents and the office as the centerpiece. It's a fine history program, and the title does feel a little unfit at points, as a lot of the emphasis is placed on the office' evolution, versus the men themselves. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it'd be better titled "Ultimate Guide to the Presidency" but I *am* a nitpick

deadpresidents Said:

If they release the series on DVD, I’ll try to check it out and let everyone know what I think.

Is it just my admittedly limited exposure to their programming, or has the History Channel actually been producing more HISTORY programs lately? I’ve picked up some of their recent DVD releases like Stealing Lincoln’s Body (based on a great book by Thomas Craughwell), the re-release of 2006’s Lincoln documentary, Mankind: The Story of All of Us, and, of course, Hatfields & McCoys, which was really well-done and probably the best thing that I have seen from the History Channel. I hope they are directing their focus back towards actual history instead of the reality shows that it seems they relied on.

My problem with the History Channel is that, instead of just telling stories and doing solid documentaries featuring historians and experts and the available source material, they tend to mix it up with their cheesy reenactments and it totally kills the vibe for me. Even Stealing Lincoln’s Body and Mankind: The Story of All of Us, which I enjoyed for the most part, featured reenactments that I felt were totally unnecessary and took me out of the programs every time they went to them.

But, hey, I’d rather watch something about history and deal with the goofy reenactments than see the History Channel’s programming schedule filled with “reality” shows that are basically the same show every single episode.