Fifth Generation

I found my favorite History Channel documentary, The Barbarians, on You Tube. The entire documentary on the Goths is offered on You Tube guilt free! The History Channel has an account on You Tube. Now I no longer have to wait for Barbarian Week!!

You can also get the Vandals, the Lombards, and the Franks online. I won’t tell you where though! I am afraid that if I tell you they will disappear!

I think that this is one of the best pre-World War II documentary that the History Channel has done. (the Black Plague one is my favorite!) I love the costuming, though the acting is poor. The “sack of Rome” scene is particularly cheesy. There are about 10 “Barbarians” who look like my Dad and my brothers dressed up in Gothic costume filming a pillaging scene in my backyard. There is one Roman looking statue, that they probably bought at Home Depot, that is knocked over to represent the destruction of Rome. Then they break pottery and “stab” a civilian, even though you can tell that the sword went to the side of the man under his arm. I think they should have used more of their budget on the pillage of Rome.

The costuming was amazing. The man who plays King Alaric is the coolest King I have ever seen. I love his armor and his crown. Geiseric is not what I pictured however. Of course, the Romans always look good. You can tell that a historian was behind the costuming and casting. I wish those historians would help out Hollywood movies who never quite get it right. The History Channel’s Anne Boleyn and Leonardo da Vinci were the best I have ever seen. Of course, they didn’t have to act.

The History Channel needs more documentaries like the Barbarians. They are for history nerds like myself who are never satisfied with historical movies. (Britain does a much better job than the USA does though) Gangland, Modern Marvels, and The Universe are getting annoying. I want to see ancient battle scenes! (I will admit that the Modern Marvel episode on cheese was quite interesting. The one on toilets or the one on hamburgers. . . .ummm. . . no. . .) I HATE Wild West week! I love 300 (thought the documentary was better than the movie) and when they do Mysteries of the Bible.

Now I know that when I need my History Channel fix, and they are doing nothing but showing the history of toilets or of alien sightings for 24 hours, I can find the good documentaries online!