MovieChat Forums > History of the World in 2 Hours (2011) Discussion > Another History Channel failure

Another History Channel failure

posted 12 years ago by hhaayy
5 replies | jump to latest

I thought History Channel couldn't sink any lower but the slide continues. It's not surprising to learn their parent company (A&E) is owned by The Walt Disney Company.

As this show demonstrates, History develops programming for the shortest of attention spans. Narration by Corey Burton is overly dramatic (I intensely dislike that voice) but Douglas Cohen's script is crafted for 9 yr olds - which might underestimate many of them too. Again, not surprising when I see his other writing credits ("Life After People" ugh).

The title, History of the World in 2 Hours, sounds compelling for Big Picture enthusiasts. Perhaps a different production team, on a different network, could have done something interesting with it - BBC Horizon or PBS Nova maybe?

Another sad example of our modern American, Big Mac style documentary failures.

[–] hhaayy 11 years ago

I just happened to read a review of this over at DVD Verdict. Judge Daryl Loomis does a much better job describing this failure than I did. If you're considering whether to spend 2 hrs of your time on this, do yourself a favor and spend 2 minutes reading his review first.

http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/history2hrs3dbluray.php

excerpt:
"...prefers to dazzle viewers with its graphics and trashy storytelling rather than deliver any real substance. In fact, the show is so enthralled with its flashy look, the scenes deliver essentially no more information than a diorama, even with narration and motion.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] mcthearnadian 10 years ago

God forbid we get 9-year-olds and people with short attention spans into science and history. That would be awful

[–] bc_rocker 10 years ago

Not every program is developed specifically for YOU. We live in an era of short attention spans. Children playing with Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and all of these other burst-fire media sources. Something manufactured for people with short attention spans sounds applicable and even preferable to the youth of today.

[–] davemc1 9 years ago

I'll take shows like this over American Pickers and that crap they are showing on HC now.

History Channel used to be great with well made documentaries about historic moments, battles, etc. Now it's just low attention span shows along with all those reality shows. Pathetic.