Historical Documentaries

[Murky]

Like many other civfanantics, I'm a big fan of the History channel and documentary films. What are some of your favorites?

My favorite history shows.

Lost Worlds.
Engineering an Empire
Digging for the Truth
What the Ancients Knew

Documentary series.

The Civil War
The American Revolution
The Fall of Rome
Lincoln (series)
Washington (series)
The Cresent and the Cross (The story of the crusades)

Fictional films/shows based on History.

Braveheart
Troy
Saving Private Ryan
Pearl Harbor
Rome: The Series

 

[Plotinus]

I want to like the History Channel. But whenever I look at what's on, it seems to be almost exclusively about war in general and WWII in particular. I'm not interested in these things...

 

[Murky]

I want to like the History Channel. But whenever I look at what's on, it seems to be almost exclusively about war in general and WWII in particular. I'm not interested in these things...

The do seem to be on a Nazi kick lately. I haven't watched much of it in the past few weeks. The shows are still on at their regular times. They seem to shift to different themes each month and sometimes will go to a WWII theme when a popular WWII movie is released. Unfortunately, much of world history does involve warfare. I don't enjoy hearing about the carnage but it is still interesting to learn how historical battles unfolded. I think medieval warfare is more interesting than modern warfare.

 

[Plotinus]

I have to say it's always seemed to be about "boys' toys" for as long as I've had access to it! And I'd dispute that much of world history involves warfare. It certainly does if you define history in a narrow way as the history of politics, in 1066 and all that sort of way, but there is so much more to history than that.

I'd agree that medieval warfare is more interesting than modern warfare, but then medieval history is more interesting than modern history in general!

 

[Dachs]

I'd agree that medieval warfare is more interesting than modern warfare, but then medieval history is more interesting than modern history in general!

Warfare - yeah, probably. History - not in Europe!

 

[Murky]

I have to say it's always seemed to be about "boys' toys" for as long as I've had access to it! And I'd dispute that much of world history involves warfare. It certainly does if you define history in a narrow way as the history of politics, in 1066 and all that sort of way, but there is so much more to history than that.

I'd agree that medieval warfare is more interesting than modern warfare, but then medieval history is more interesting than modern history in general!

Maybe I should restate that. Most of what is tought and documented about history involves conflicts. I think it's a kind of bias towards what most people find interesting enough to watch. One of the key things writters learn is that most of the successful novels involve a conflict of some sort.

 

[AxiomUk]

Not entirely true...

History's big turning points usually involve a battle of some kind. Europe in the 21st Century is very different to Europe in the 14th Century, for example. Pretty much every century has seen a war, and it is hard to avoid them while discussing anything in history because they have such a radical effect on individual's lives.

It is granted that history is a wide subject and you probably COULD bypass the impact of war if you focus on a small specific period. For example, you could look at the culture of Roman Britain around the time just before the end of Roman rule specifically. You would avoid war whilst still be discussing culture and everyday life. But then a comparison to England 200 years later and comparison of cultures is of course going to come up with some obvious changes, as England had only just been 'created' under the Anglo-Saxons which involved a war with the Britons to take over the country.

There is significantly more to history than just politics, but it is a bad idea to avoid the impact of politics on everything else in history.

 

[1889]

History channel is cool, "Engineering an Empire" is currently the best they have but I could watch WWII footage all day especially "WWII in Color." More and more they seem to be doing lame stuff and I just have to change the channel when I hear "Now back to Modern Marvels and the history of the toaster" or "Angels: good or evil?"

 

[Kartik]

I have no favourites, I just watch what I deem exciting. However, there are certain shows on there (Modern Marbles,and other stupid shows which contain nothing about true history). Also, I cannot stand all the WW2 garbage that appears frequently, though im growing a little intrest in the pacific side of the war now.

 

[BaneBlade]

Fictional films/shows based on History.

Braveheart
Troy
Saving Private Ryan
Pearl Harbor
Rome: The Series

While i agree with you about beeing interested history, and immensly enjoying historical documentaries and films, i hope you knew the films you mentioned are overall somewhat like 90% fiction and ten percent history!?

 

[Murky]

While i agree with you about beeing interested history, and immensly enjoying historical documentaries and films, i hope you knew the films you mentioned are overall somewhat like 90% fiction and ten percent history!?

I know but they are still interesting to watch.

I'm looking forward to the new documentary "Battle for Rome" which should be coming out soon.

 

[Head Serf]

I enjoy a lot of the shows on the History Channel, but it's become very annoying the huge number that focus on UFO's (which are 100% unimportant to history!) and Nazis. I mean, how many shows do they need on the life of Hitler?

 

[Bugfatty300]

History Channel:

35% Nazi documentries
30% UFO documentries
30% Nazi+UFO documentries
5% Other.

Edit: But its better than History International which should just be called the British-accent 100% War Channel

 

[Murky]

Turned on the History channel at lunch today. They had a show on about the Marines invading Tarawa during WWII.

I guess with December 7th so close they are focusing on the WWII stuff. They had a bunch of stupid halloween stuff on prior to the 31st. Be nice when they get the good stuff back on. I've had my fill of Nazis and UFOs.

 

[1889]

Before I moved I also had a Military History Channel. A nice change, it was all 1st Gulf War.

 

[BaneBlade]

Before I moved I also had a Military History Channel. A nice change, it was all 1st Gulf War.

That's hard. Either 95% redundant WW2 stuff or 100% the most one-sided war in recorded history.
Between a rock....

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

History sometimes has good stuff, but week in and week out I find Discovery Civilization to be better.

 

[The Yankee]

I enjoy some shows on the History Channel and History International, but I haven't watched lately as many of the shows have been too Euro-American centric. I remember seeing a show on Confucius a few years back on History International that also touched on the Spring and Autumn Period in China. Bring me more of that!