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Product Description The Crusades: Cresent and Cross" presents the epic battle between two Middle Age superpowers, the Christian Crusaders and the Muslims. Fought over two centuries, the conflict decided the fate of the Holy Lands of the Middle East, a tiny strip of land only a few hundred miles long, but containing the ultimate prize - the city of Jerusalem. This documentary tells the story of the key personalities of the First, Second, and Third Crusades - popes, kings, sultans and knights who, in the name of God, ruthlessly fought for land and power. Experience the murder, treachery and bloodshed of this legendary chapter of history through the eyes of key historical figures such as Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, King Louis VII and Nur al-Din . With breathtaking CGI-enhanced visuals, heart-pounding re-enactments, and stunning footage from rarely seen locations, "The Crusades: Cresent and Cross" brings the first three Crusades alive, offering fresh insight for a new generation in conflict. .com The Christian invaders were regarded as infidels. The Arabs were scorned as lawless pagans. The Westerners saw their quest as literally a sanctified crusade, while the Muslims launched their own holy war, called a jihad, in retaliation. Sound familiar? It should, because although the events depicted in the History Channel's The Crusades - Crescent & The Cross took place nearly a thousand years ago, they are but a distant mirror to what's going on in the Middle East right now. This two-part, three-hour program impressively details all three Crusades, starting in the late 11th Century, when Pope Urban II dispatched a huge force to reclaim Jerusalem, which had been under Muslim control for some 400 years. For the knights and others who made the journey, it was a noble spiritual quest, not to mention an escape from Europe's petty wars and famines; in the end, the fact that many of them were greedy butchers who murdered Muslims, Jews, and even other Christians indiscriminately (sometimes even eating the flesh of the vanquished) detracted not at all from their conviction that they were acting in the name of God. Of course, so were the Muslims, who, after the bloody first crusade succeeded in seizing the holy city, mounted a massive counterattack under leaders like Nur al-din and his son Saladin, who managed to take back Jerusalem (from whence Mohammed was said to have ascended to heaven) and hold on to it through the failed second and third crusades, the latter led by England's Richard the Lionheart.All of this is presented by way of techniques that will be recognizable to History Channel buffs. They include modern-day historians, who re-trace the routes of the crusaders and examine the ancient sites where the action took place, as well as actors who portray characters of the time (chroniclers, knights, and others); numerous re-enactments, aided by excellent cinematography and skillful use of CGI (whereby a few dozen extras could be made to look like many thousands), vividly illustrate the battles and other events that took place during this roughly 200-year period. It's an absorbing, enlightening look at events that prove one thing above all: the more things change, the more they stay the same. --Sam Graham
A**.
First it wouldn't play, then I wish it hadn't
The first time I purchased this, disc 1 couldn't be read by my dvd player. I eventually purchased again and wish I hadn't bothered. Extremely inaccurate and one sided; all Christians are depicted as evil and does not accurately discuss life for non-muslims under muslim rule, and glosses over the context of the muslim conquest 400 years before. After watching about of the first disc I turned it off.
F**R
product content
A more obvious bit of propaganda aimed at the western world by the followers of Islam could not possibly have been conceived. The Moslems are depicted as noble desert men fighting to survive against demonic hordes of flesh-eating monsters, while completing (and conveniently) ignoring the actual history of their people. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that many Moslems are just as offended. This is nothing at all like a fair and balanced report. I wouldn't give it any stars at all, were that permitted.
G**S
Holy war, and strategic failure
This History Channel series brings to life the gripping saga of the first three crusades. As is always the case, the format is a blend of actors playing historical figures and commentary by historians, both European and Arab. In the eleventh century, Europe was overpopulated and racked by warfare. The pope sought to unify Christendom by calling for a crusade. The first crusade (1096-99) produced startling results, culminating in the capture of Jerusalem. This was possible primarily because the Muslim city states of that era were fragmented and unable to cooperate. Inevitably, the Saracens reconciled their differences and launched a counteroffensive. The second crusade (1147-49) was abortive, and led to the Christians turning back after some military setbacks. The Saracens recaptured Jerusalem in 1187, although they still had to fight a defensive war against the third crusade in (1189-92). Both sides viewed the struggle as a holy war. Yet in the end, after a century of intermittent fighting, the crusades proved to be a strategic failure, with Middle East remaining under Muslim control.
P**L
Too much bias
I was disappointed to see what a slanted & biased political viewpoint this program was couched in. There is very clearly an agenda being bowed to here, where Islam is portrayed as benign, peaceful, & enlightened.
C**E
Informative: A decent place to begin your study
I recently saw The Crusades: Crescent & The Cross and I found it to be a good way to begin my study of the 200-year period during the Middle Ages that spawned the first three Crusades, culminating in Richard the Lionheart's failed attempt to take, and keep, Jerusalem from the Muslims. Although the producers presented both Christian and Muslim historians' points of view, I found a slight bias in favor of the Muslims as I watched this History Channel presentation of how and why, after 400 years of Muslim rule, the first Crusade to return Jerusalem to the Christians began. Overall, I enjoyed the presentation and it almost gives one the feeling of watching a narrated movie. The DVD presents the history of the three Crusades in two parts - Part One: The First Crusade and Part Two: The Second and Third Crusades. The audio and video quality of the DVD are very good to excellent, although there are no subtitles or captions and there are no extra features on the DVD. The DVD runs approximately 180 minutes and it contains a wealth of history and facts. For anyone interested in learning about the Crusades I recommend this DVD as a good overview of the historical conflict and battles between Christians and Muslims known these many centuries later as The Crusades. The History Channel Presents: The Crusades - Crescent & the Cross [Blu-ray ]
G**K
The Crusades
Did not know much about the Crusades and instead of a book I thought watching a video would be better. Obviously a video is not as in depth as a book would probably be but did have a better understanding of the Crusades.
H**Y
A Basic Introduction..( only a 3 hour Introduction)..however a Fairly Nice one
Not going to get the whole story..but for those that are not really knowledgeable at all on the Crusades..this gives a general IDEA about The Crusades. Requires further study ..and i dont think there are many film documentaries on the subject...so probably would require reading.A really nice thing about this documentary (Which most will enjoy) is it gives viewers actual film footage of how people would have dressed and weapons carried as well as the views of the actual areas of the world in which it happened and the specific places.
S**M
Great review of such an intriguing part of history
Provides a lot of detail that will likely surprise anyone who has an interest in this part of history. Be nice if it were available in a digital option
R**G
A fairly solid background overview of The Crusades.
A docu/drama/action production commissioned by the The History Channel, narrated by Keith David.2 dvd's presented in a box set, disc 1 is 180 minutes long split into two parts. Part 1 gives us a comprehensive history of the 1st Crusade , with Part 2 compiling the major events of the 2nd & 3rd Crusades. The 2nd disc consists of bonus features.The whole series consists of reenactments of battles and some forthright interviews with esteemed historians, and there are plenty of CGI-enhanced visuals. The location work is pretty good giving the impression that the History Channel didn't skimp with their budget for this production.Region 1 box set , NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES. I took off a star with my rating for that absence. The History Channel is American, they usually know better.
R**Y
History lesson
No subtitles so very disappointed
E**E
Fall all a must
Many people just don't know much about this past and it's connection to the present: and so our future, epecially our children's. This is a first class production and should be seen by all.
R**Y
It only covers the first three crusades.
This dvd set is well narrated. The film and image montage is well done. They even have some nice interviews and historian information to qualify what's being shared. There's a lot of information that's well organized. It's delivered smoothly with maps that have colour and arrows to help keep the direction flowing easily. It only covers the first three crusades. It's a shame they didn't mention the other two. The fourth one is mentioned briefly on the bonus disc which covers the Knights Templar, but it's very brief, so there's still a big hole and info lacking on that end. But even missing the last two crusades, I did learn a lot of things I'd had wrong all this time, which is why I watch these dvd sets.
G**U
Better equilibrium
Excellent movie but concentrates on the errors of the crusades. It would have been better to also mention the actions of Muslims against Chistians
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