Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #104699 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-10
• Formats: HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

About the Director
In the words of director R.J. Adams,, " this very special project was a labor of love beginning with Mission San Diego in the Southern part of the state and ending 2 and 1/2 years later in the magnificent wine country of Northern California. We're very proud of the fact that this film marks the first time that cameras have captured the remarkable beauty and history of all 21 Missions both inside and out!"

Customer Reviews

A Video Worth Watching
"The Missions of California" is an outstanding documentary. My fourth grade class really enjoyed watching this video. For the first time, while teaching about the missions, I used a film. I've always felt that the videos my school had available were outdated and boring. So, if I found them boring how could I expect the children in my class to like them and more importantly learn from watching them? The answer is I couldn't. However, over the holidays I had gotten into a discussion about teaching the Missions and that the school didn't have any useful materials. So my aunt, who lives in San Juan Capistrano, recommended "The Missions of California" to me and suggested I watch it. And I'm glad I did. I used it this year and received a positive response from the kids in my class. The DVD moved quickly through the timeline of all 21 missions, mapping out the location of each one. This was definitely helpful for some of the kids, allowing them to picture how far the Padres traveled, since a handful of them haven't had a chance to travel to Northern California themselves. The accuracy of the facts also stood out to me in this video. While the footage taken of each mission gave an inside look of how the missions are being used today. With a running time of just under an hour, I conveniently played the entire video during Friday's class. I had no problem purchasing his video myself as a matter a fact looking back on the results I was happy too. I loved it.

INFORMATIVE/INTERESTING FOR ALL!!
This piece is an intriguing look into the history of all 21 of the Missions of California! The story is told using beautiful shots of the structures along with narration that depicts the impacts of the missions. In addition to the religious influences, the audience is informed of the effects the missions had on the architecture of the times and the increases in population that occurred throughout the state due to these settlements. This is a documentary that everyone can truly enjoy. It would be ideal for the 4th graders required to study this subject matter. Even for those like me who are not history buffs, R.J. Adams keeps it interesting by relating unique truths (such as the fact that Mission Santa Clara was the location of California's very first college). Enlightening accounts of the heroes and saints involved with the missions are also included. These stories are brought alive using a combination of old and new shots of both the interiors and exteriors of the missions. The viewer is left with a clear understanding of this crucial component of California's history. If you don't have time to make the trek across the state to all 21 missions, I would HIGHLY recommend taking the exciting journey by seeing this video!

Spectacular!!
Spectacular combination of the history and beauty of all 21 missions! The footage is breathtaking and the shots of the missions are visionary.This is a historical video of California that everyone, anywhere in the world must see! I highly recommend owning The Missions of California, it truly is a masterpiece!!!