America: The Story of Us
release year: 2010
genre: documentary
viewing setting: home DVD, 8/9/14 - 8/17/14
synopsis: This 12-hour documentary chronicles all of the major achievements, innovations, and hurdles in the history of America.
impressions: Like all documentaries from the History Channel (and the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel...) this one was well-made, thorough, and entertaining. There are twelve episodes, each at 45 minutes, and they cover a lot, though not everything. There are plenty of dramatic re-creations and CGI effects, and also a pretty amazing range of commentators from all walks of life. Overall, it's a great and complete look at all of the key events in American history. For a more detailed list of episodes/contents click here.
acting: n/a but there are plenty of dramatic re-creations of historical events, plus interviews with a couple dozen professors, historians, etc. Liev Schreiber does a great job as the narrator.
final word: Just about the best possible job of cramming America's history into a nutshell (albeit a 12-hour nutshell) - well worth seeing.
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