Product Description

Prepare for a riveting portrayal of some of the most exciting battles of ancient history as well as the tales of betrayal, lust, conquest and brutality that often accompanied them. Battles BC, the exciting series from HISTORYTM, uses computer graphics and live-action stunts to bring to life the battle strategies, tactics, and weapons of past military leaders, from Hannibal and the Romans to Moses, the Athenians, and David.

Using a graphic style similar to 300, the contemporary novel that became a Hollywood blockbuster, Battles BC shows how leaders from the ancient world fared in some of the greatest conflicts in history, exposing the truths and myths behind the legendary feats of the epic heroes and villains who didn t just wage war, but invented it

BATTLES BC features 8 historic battles on 2-DVDs including:

Moses: Death Chase
Joshua: Epic Slaughter
David: Giant Slayer
Hannibal: The Annihilator
Alexander: Lord of War
Judgment Day at Marathon
Ramses: Raging Chariots
Caesar: Super Siege

Stills from Dragon Ball Z: Season Nine (Click for larger image)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9947 in DVD
• Brand: A&E HOME ENT.
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 376 minutes

Features

• Prepare for a riveting portrayal of some ofthe most exciting battles of ancient history--as well as the tales ofbetrayal, lust, conquest and brutality that often accompanied them.BATTLES BC: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE, the exciting series from HISTORY,uses computer graphics and live-action stunts to bring to life thebattle strategies, tactics, and weapons of past military leaders, fromHannibal and th

Amazon.com
The episode titles offer a clue as to how Battles B.C.: The Complete Season One, a two-disc, eight-part offering from the History Channel, approaches its subject matter. "Hannibal: The Annihilator," "Joshua: Epic Slaughter," "Caesar: Super Siege": this is definitely not the Classics Illustrated version of the exploits of these and other ancient warriors and biblical figures. In fact, the series is loud and kinetic, flashy and unsubtle, bloody and violent, with macho voiceover narration making liberal use of words like "slaughter," "brutal," "butcher," and "exterminate" while hordes of swarthy, bearded men run each other through with swords and arrows, pillage towns and fortresses, and generally wreak havoc. This testosterone-fueled tone permeates most of the episodes. In "David: Giant Slayer," King David of Israel is portrayed as "a bloodthirsty opportunist" and compared to a Mafia don, whose tale is one of "relentless ambition, violent murder, conquests on the battlefield… and in the bedroom" (the duel with Goliath, which took place about 1015 B.C., is depicted only briefly at the beginning). In the risibly-titled "Moses: Death Chase," the Old Testament prophet revered by Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike is viewed as a great general, a master tactician, and one baaad man; the exodus from Egypt to Canaan is referred to as a "campaign" and explained in practical military terms (the parting of the Red Sea was apparently not quite the miracle described in the Good Book).

Battles B.C. also provides a good amount of history (some of which has been disparaged as inaccurate by various viewers) and information about ancient weaponry and strategy; for instance, in his campaign against the Gauls and their leader Vercingetorix, Julius Caesar pioneered a technique called “vallation,” erecting a wall around an entire Gallic town. Re-enactments combine real actors with computer-enhanced animation, but since the events in question took place thousands of years ago, the filmmakers largely eschew the use of flashy computer data screens and graphics seen in History Channel shows like Battle 360 and The Universe; the re-enactments are given a stylized, painterly treatment somewhat akin to that of the feature film 300, with on-camera experts weighing in frequently to set the scene. There are no bonus features. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Worst recreations of ancient battles I have ever seen!
The attempt to make the recreations appear like the movie "300" was idiotic at best (the 300 was about as accurate in portraying the battle of Thermopylae as Zena the warrior Princess was an accurate portrayal of ancient times). None of the recreations for these episodes had much character (they all seemed strangely alike) and most were ridiculously inaccurate. For example, why didn't the Romans have the scutum shields in the Caesar episode; why was Caesar portrayed so young; why did Hannibal have to look so much like the Scorpion King that he even lacked adequate clothing while crossing the alps: why did every commander in the series need to behave like Conan the barbarian; why didn't the Romans actually fight like Romans; and what's with the fights with two swords (one in each hand) as the soldiers pirouette about looking more like ballet dancers than the way these ancient armies actually fought.

Please History Channel, stop trying to recreate ancient military history based upon hideously inaccurate films such as The 300!

Bittersweet Show
This show has good graphics, but is a little too violent for educational purposes. Furthermore, it is not completely historically correct. For example, the appearances of many of those featured were incorrect. Hannibal was not some gargantuan bald muscle-head. Still, it does have great entertainment value and decent commentary from experts. I like it, but just wish that they had paid more attention to details and historical accuracy. One last comment, the narrator kept using the word 'calvary' instead of 'cavalry' to describe the horse riding units of the armies depicted. That, to me, is inexcusable...

Content is fine, DVD format is terrible!
Just received this 2 DVD Battles B.C. set from Amazon, VERY disappointed in the actual video DVD format. This has been produced in the absolutely awful 4:3 fullscreen format with the artificial black bars added at top and bottom, NOT true 16 x 9 widescreen format!

This is unacceptable and really makes me angry, especially when the computer-generated 16 x 9 source material is readily available for the DVD transfer. This represents extremely CHEAP PRODUCTION VALUES on the part of the History Channel, and along with LACK of basic DVD extras like Closed Captioning/Subtitles, just appalls me to no end! DVD seems like it was just rushed out at minimal cost and effort by the producers to make a few extra bucks! Would give more stars if DVD was true 16 x 9 widescreen, same as source material, and if it had Closed Caption/Subtitles like almost every other current DVD available.

How cheap can History Channel BE?! Will definitely NOT be purchasing any future seasons of this series again!