The Story of Wales (2012)

The Story of Wales – a miniseries in six parts – is a documentary film about the history of Wales from pre-historical times until the present day; from the Ice Age to the Information Age. It was shown on British television (BBC) and released on DVD in 2012. Here is some basic information about it:

** Presented by Huw Edwards (born 1961)
** Directed by John Geraint, Sophie Elwin-Harris & Jeff Morgan
** Run time: 6 x ca. 58 minutes = approximately 348 minutes

As stated above, there are six episodes. Here are the headlines:

# 1. The Making of Wales
# 2. Power Struggles
# 3. England and Wales
# 4. Furnace of Change
# 5. A New Beginning
# 6. Wales and Britain

The six episodes follow a chronological line from pre-historical times until the present day. Here is the chronology:

# 1 = 30,000 BC-AD 600
# 2 = 0700-1415
# 3 = 1485-1740
# 4 = 1750-1839
# 5 = 1847-1939
# 6 = 1939-2011

Huw Edwards does most of the talking, while vising numerous locations all over Wales. Sometimes he meets and interviews a local expert. His account is supported by two additional elements:

# 1. Reconstructions – several scenes are re-enacted by modern actors
# 2. Computer generated images (CGI) of old ruins and monuments

Edwards tells us about positive developments as well as negative elements. We hear about people who are rich and powerful as well as people who are poor and hope for a better life. The cinematography deserves to be mentioned, because it is excellent. As far as I can tell, this film is an ABC-product: accurate, balanced and comprehensive.

What do reviewers say about this film? On IMDb it has a rating of 72 per cent, which corresponds to 3.5 stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.

On Amazon UK there are more than thirty reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.6 stars. If you ask me, this average rating is much more appropriate. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

If you are interested in history – in particular the history of Europe – then this film is definitely something for you.

*****

 

Huw Edwards (born 1961)

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