NOVA - The Vikings

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Starring: Liev Schreiber
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Mikael Agaton
Studio: WGBH Boston
Release Date: 2006-06-06
Running Time: 120 minutes
The Vikings have had a one-sided image for too long. Since their first violent raids in the late 8th century, Norsemen have been considered nothing more than brutal barbarians and marauding savages who thoughtlessly murdered and pillaged the defenseless. Revolutionary new research is about to change their uncivilized reputation. Travel the globe with NOVA for a riveting two-hour special that proves the Vikings were much more accomplished than their vicious stereotype suggests.

True, the Vikings were ruthless in their quest for riches and power. But recently unearthed facts about of the Viking legacy reveal they were canny merchants, expert shipbuilders, superb artisans, and bold colonizers of far-off lands. Watch as modern shipbuilders recreate their marvels of nautical engineering. Search for clues that prove Vikings landed in North America 500 years before Columbus. Rebuild ancient villages, retrace a Viking trading expedition through Russia, and see spectacular Scandinavian artifacts that help introduce a surprising new definition of the Vikings.

One of the best history documentaries I've seen
I'm a history professor, and use documentaries in my lecture classes to break up what would otherwise be an unrelenting diet of me talking. I look for documentaries that are historically accurate; up-to-date, drawing on current scholarship and avoiding out-dated interpretations; and fun to watch, with great visuals, an exciting pace, and above all, lots of footage filmed on location and showing the sites and landscapes relevant to the topic. This one is probably the best I've seen so far on any early medieval topic. Some (all?) of the professors who talk at the camera from time to time are pretty goofy, but their role is minimized. Instead, there are on-site interviews with archaeologists, lots of amateur re-enactors (great Viking ship re-creations!), and some live re-enactments by actors as well as an actually cool CGI sequence. The film is beautiful, interesting, and informative. I am not an expert on the Vikings specifically, but based on what I've read in developing the course in which I'm using this video, the content seems very up-to-date and pretty accurate. There may be a minor point here or there that an expert might differ with--I noticed, for example, that the account of Ibn Khurdadbih's description of a Rus trader's funeral glossed over a lot of the gorier details--but the interpretive approach is right on. If you want to know who and what the Vikings were and what people are thinking about them these days, and see a lot of their artifacts and sites and the land- (and sea-) scapes in which they lived and voyaged, there could not be a more painless way to do so than by watching this video.

The tip of the iceberg...whets the appetite for more!
Right from the beginning I must tell you that I am from Ireland and have studied the history of the Vikings for over 30 years - so naturally I have a slight bias on this subject. This programme is really an overview and introduction of the subject rather than any attempt at intrepreting the influence of the Vikings in the modern world. The evidence stressed is on the material culture and doesn't trace the vestiges of the influence of the Vikings in Europe in any detail - Although Iceland is well represented as being the last home of the Vikings. For instance the latest genetic studies showing present decendants of the Vikings were not even considered - there are such studies. The people of the Orkney and Shetland Islands were notintroduced although they have their own unique Norse language - Norn. The exploration of the Rus is well done and the route of the Vikings to Bagdad was eye-opening. I especially liked the modern attempt to trace the journey by serious historians and archaeologists using boats constructed in the fashion of the age depicted. The Viking influence in France and their transition to Normans is cosidered but again not well developed. From this documentary one would hardly realise that the Vikings had quite an influence on the Mediterranean...Sardinia, Sicily and North Africa are not mentioned. Northwest Scotland was profoundly impacted by the Vikings but again we hear little mention of this...Danelaw in England while mentioned is not accorded its colonial status. One gets the impression that Dublin was the only town in Ireland founded by the Vikings and that aside from the bare mention of discovery of the largest Viking ship found thus far having been built in Ireland of native timber...the largest and possibly the most important Viking settlement in the world - Wood Quay in Dublin is not covered. The documentary does not cover very significant recent finds in Ireland of Woodstown caves and in Cumbria (Northwest England) of possibly Britain's most important Viking burial site...in addition to which another find in the same county close to Cumwhitton village.
History, out of necessity, needs to be interpreted with the most recent evidence available. I understand that a programme like Nova needs quite a lot of editing but seriously...hopefully Nova will revisit the subject of the Vikings again and this time address it from a more regional context. The reenactments are sparce and we see some scenes repeated...This programme could have used more reenactments to bring the subject to life. This show is still worth the money! I thoroughly enjoyed the production!

Strives to reveal the complete story of who the Vikings were and how they lived
As previously broadcast on public television, The Vikings is an episode of the educational series "NOVA" (offered community and school libraries in a DVD format which also offers access to the "NOVA" website, scene selection and closed captions features), about the historical impact and cultural legacy of the Vikings. Though scorned as marauding northern savages, and well-documented for their ruthless and brutal raids for riches and power, the Vikings were also expert shipbuilders, cunning merchants, skilled artisans, and daring colonizers of distant lands. Tracing clues that Vikings landed in North America 500 years before Columbus, ancient trading expeditions that led Vikings through Russia, and stunning Scandinavian artifacts, The Vikings strives to reveal the complete story of who the Vikings were and how they lived. 120 minutes, color.

Great documentary
This is a great documentary. It hasn't been released on DVD yet - I have seen the VHS version - there are more reviews there, have a look at them.