we shall remain

[kentlangreder]

the pbs series begins tonight this should be a great series of productions on the native american story !!!!

kent langreder

[kentlangreder]

did any of you folks watch the first episode (after the mayflower ) i thought it was an outstanding production and look forward to the rest of the series !!! the show that was on before about the appalachian Mt's. was a good one also had some interesting l stuff and showed numerous artifacts from the area i really liked the two banner stones and gorget out of steatite !!

kent

No Kent I missed it, there is also another show coming up on the history channel but I cant remember the name of it.

[Shannon Graham]

Kent,

I saw the first 10 minutes and had to record it. I'll get back to it. Glad to hear it was worth it. These are the kind of events I want to get on the calendar so everyone will know about them. If you stumble upon others in advance, put them on the calendar or let me know so they'll show up at the bottom of the forums in daily events.

Good stuff!

Shannon

[Metacom]

The first two-thirds of the film did a fairly good job explaining the social dynamic that transpired after 1620. The Plymouth settlers were the only group to establish a lasting friendship with the natives. Other Europeans who came here conducted a campaign of violence and brutality against them.
The history of America began with genocide.

There were a number of important omissions in the last portion that muted the depiction of the war considerably. By 1676, both sides were devastated to the breaking point. Philip's fatal error was to attack the Mohawks rather than form an alliance. Had this happened, it would have meant the end for the Colonists.

Obviously the budget would not allow for more than 20 or so actors. Not enough to convey the scope of events. The director relied on low-end production cliches which seriously diminished the power of the film.

Technically, it was one of the worst productions I have seen on PBS. The flailing camera technique and jump cut editing was better served in the D Day sequence of "Saving Private Ryan". It was not appropriate here. One should not have to take Dramamine to watch television and it did not fit the story at all. Buy a tripod!
The color was horrible. The DP needs to go back to school.

The acting was flat throughout. Philip's character was younger an far less imposing than I would like to have seen. Philip was the Bin Laden of his time. He was like a ghost, everywhere and nowhere. The Wampanoag actor, Annawon Weeden would have been much better in the role of his namesake, Annawon, Philip's lieutenant, who as never mentioned. The English characters all phoned in their parts and missed the point completely. This was the first race riot in America and we saw none of the raw emotional fear and hatred that permeates the writings of the time.

To their credit, the costumes were outstanding. A fine and convincing job considering the limited information available.

Eighteen months of brutal terror was glossed over by setting fire to a cheesy set for a few seconds. This demonstrates a lack of experience and imagination but more importantly a lack of passion for the project. They really needed to show how unwilling farmers were conscripted to march a hundred miles in a driving blizzard to massacre 1,000 women, children and elderly in the middle of a fortified swamp. They burned all the food stores in the process and nearly starved themselves on the way home.

This is one of the most important untold chapters in American history.
It may impossible to do it justice in 90 minutes, but it's unfortunate that that they made it so much smaller than it actually was.

Still... DON'T MISS IT!

[Blacksheep1]

They did a fairly good job with this, looking forward to the rest.

EDIT: For those who missed it, you can view it here. Enjoy!
(This is the full episode, not just the trailer)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshall...sode_1_trailer

[Blacksheep1]

Originally Posted by Blacksheep1

They did a fairly good job with this, looking forward to the rest.

EDIT: For those who missed it, you can view it here. Enjoy!
(This is the full episode, not just the trailer)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshall...sode_1_trailer

Episode 2 is now available for viewing at PBS website. Enjoy!

[axeman]

It is a really good series! I enjoyed the ones that I have seen so far. Thank god for Tivo so I dont get to miss them when I am working.

I hope they take these and make a movie out of them

Mike

[henry english]

no one mentions the toll taken by the disease the spanish , french and english brought with them , this is what decimated the native americans , no tolerance to them , jmho .

henry

[Big Ed]

Originally Posted by henry english

no one mentions the toll taken by the disease the spanish , french and english brought with them , this is what decimated the native americans , no tolerance to them , jmho .

henry

I get that argument to a point... BUTTTTT... why not the reverse?

Why didn't Indian strains wipe out those colonizing bastards?

No, I believe it was less about germs and more about arrowheads vs. muskets (and the increasing number of muskets/people from the "old" world)