Search - Russian Revolution in Color on DVD

Excellent Overview of the Russian Revolution & Civil War

midwestguy | Peoria, IL United States | 11/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The "in color" part of the title refers to colorized original newsreal footage used in the documentary. In addition, the DVD features interview with experts on the period (both English and Russian)and historical re-enactments played out under the narration. All of these elemenents, along with the natural drama of the story, make this a very compelling documentary.

The documentary tells the story of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and ensuing Civil War by focusing on the story of the sailors of the Kronstadt naval base near St. Petersburg (at the time, Petrograd). This works extremely well as a framing device since these sailors played key roles at several points in the historical events. The documentary does not follow the sailors exclusively, but moves on to other people and places for extended periods when these become central to the story. Still, by always returning to the sailor's the documentary retains an immediacy and a coherency it might not otherwise have.

All in all an excellent introduction to and overview of this important historical event.

"

Outstanding if used wisely

A. Russell | LA, CA | 06/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is an engaging documentary that tells an under reported story about an important event. Most Americans do not know that there werre two revolutions in Russia in 1917--even if they were aware there was one revolution that year. The original footage, colorized for modern consumption, brings the events to life. However, if using it in the classroom, care must be taken to teach the students to spot the differences between the actual footage and the reenactments, because they are so skilfully edited together that an uneducated eye will have difficulty discriminating between them."

Great Production, Nice and Concise

Geoffrey Greer | 02/13/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to documentaries, I am primarily concerned with their applicability to a classroom (high school). In terms of time, this one is very nice, as it breaks cleanly into 2 parts, each of about 45 minutes; perfect for two class periods. I wouldn't want to spend any more time on it than that. The narrative is clear and understandable, and the producers are not so impressed with themselves that they belabor the point or ruin the film with gimmicks. The production quality is good. The colorization of the old film footage is actually quite appealing, especially to our generation of students who are immediately turned off by black-and-white footage. This footage is also interspersed with modern reenactments, which have been doctored to appear as though they are part of the old footage. It's fairly convincing and looks very clean. Overall an appealing account of this historical event."

Russian Revolution

Flying Eyeball Guy | Gunnison, CO | 11/07/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this Item to aid me in a Russian history class I am taking. It has a somewhat limited perspective of the Russian Revolution, but it was helpful."