Making History Hip
Television's most inspired historical dramas
By Robert Isenberg
Special to MSN TV
Set aside the dry books, the boring lectures, and the color-coded maps. Never
mind the dates or the Teapot Dome scandal or the genealogies of kings. Because
history can be fun - as long as it's got great actors and breathtaking plot
twists. Don't know much about history? Just turn on the tube. Making history
shows isn't cheap, of course. It's expensive to make a lot of anachronistic
costumes and build period-accurate sets. Plus there's consulting with experts,
hiring sword smiths and stuntmen, and booking flights to exotic locations (the
following series were shot in Italy, England, Japan and Crimea, among other
far-reaching places). But when these series finally premiere, they boast some of
the finest quality on television. Sure, writers and producers take liberties
with their material - but so does the encyclopedia. Here is a smattering of
television's most inspired historical dramas. They may not help you pass your
term paper, but they'll offer a vision of lives once lived. And, really, isn't
that what history is all about?
"Rome" (49
B.C.)
Everybody knows about the rise and fall of Rome. We've read
about it in history books, slogged through Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," and
seen the documentaries on the History Channel while waiting for popcorn to
microwave. So what is it about "Rome" that makes it so optimus? Is it the
beautiful cinematography? The masterful acting? Or could it be the timeless
stories themselves - of slaves, centurions, senators and even a future emperor?
Somehow, "Rome" has re-excited our interest in classical politics, beyond the
limits of "Gladiator" and "Alexander." Will a third season conquer cable? Roma
vivat!
Shop: Buy the DVD
"The Tudors"
(1500s)
When we think of Henry VIII, we usually picture a bulky,
bearded psychopath with a knack for beheading his wives. But Showtime is more
interested in the younger, sexier Henry, the athletic seducer played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. "The Tudors" has its regal
elements - religious turmoil, wars with enemy kingdoms - but, really, it's all
about the feisty philandering. Not to mention puffy sleeves.
Watch the Premiere of Season 2: Episode 1
"Shogun" (1600)
John
Blackthorne would rue the day he washed up on the shores of Japan. Thrown into a
pit, forced to take a bath, surrounded by feudal intrigue and beautiful women -
how does a brawny English navigator cope? By today's standards, the "Shogun"
miniseries, adapted from the ridiculously popular novel by James Clavell, is a
little hokey. But, at the time, "Shogun" was a radical television event, with
nasty language, naughty bedroom scenes and plenty of katana-based head-chopping.
This was also America's first glimpse at Japanese history, focusing on the
honor-bound medieval warriors of the Tokugawa period.
Shop: Buy the DVD
"John Adams" (1770s)
By Thomas Jefferson standards, John
Quincy Adams wasn't a handsome man. By George Washington standards, his life
wasn't all that exciting. But Adams was a Founding Father, a daring statesman,
and a fascinating president - the perfect personality for a character actor like
Paul Giamatti. No less intriguing was Abigail Adams,
who was one of the earliest women's-rights advocates in American history - an
equally perfect role for Laura Linney. If you haven't had a chance to flip
through David McCullough's 752-page biography, you can cheat and watch HBO's
ambitious adaptation.
Video: Clip from miniseries
"Roots" (1700s-1800s)
Few characters have been more tragic or
powerful than Kunta Kinte, the real-life ancestor of author Alex Haley. Kunta
Kinte had everything - a wife, a house, training as a warrior - until a pack of
pasty slave-traders captured him in the bush and dragged him to America. No
series, before or after, has so perfectly captured slavery's savagery. More
provocative still: "Roots" showed the origins of Jim Crow laws and the Ku Klux
Klan during the grimmest days of the Civil Rights Movement. Granted, Kunta Kinte
died in bondage, but his progeny found a tenuous freedom.
Shop: Buy the DVD
"Sharpe" (Early
1800s)
Life wasn't easy in the British army, especially if your name
and rank were Lieutenant Richard Sharpe. Crass, cocky and Cockney, Sharpe
managed to personally execute about a zillion French soldiers throughout the
Napoleonic wars, and always with flair and cunning. When Bernard Cornwell
started writing his "Sharpe" novels in the early '80s, did he imagine they would
become a beloved mainstay of BBC America? Did Sean Bean, donning his ruddy
buttoned coat as the titular Sharpe, ever imagine becoming a world famous actor?
History does not relate.
Shop: Buy the DVD
"Deadwood"
(1880s)
Fans waited patiently for the "tele-films" of "Deadwood" -
the HBO movies that would finally put a capper on the Wild West saga. Thanks to
awkward contracting and lackluster studio execs, we may never know what happened
to Timothy Olyphant, Tolliver, Hearst, Al, Wu and the rest of Deadwood's
ruffians. If the "Deadwood" vision had remained intact, we could've expected
gun-battling, hiding of bodies, exposed corruption and copious cussin'. The
least we wanted was to watch the survivors ride into the sunset.
Shop: Buy the DVD
"The Young Indiana Jones
Chronicles" (1908-1920)
In his younger years, Dr. Jones seemed
to have met everybody and done everything: He played jazz with Louis Armstrong,
rode through Mexico with Pancho Villa, fought for the Belgian army, captained a
boat down the Congo River, spied in Russia, and went on safari with Teddy
Roosevelt. As a vehicle for educational television, "Young Indiana Jones" was a
brilliant concept, both educating young viewers and providing enough action to
keep them tuned in: daring escapes, trench warfare and shameless affairs with
flapper-girls.
Shop: Buy the DVD
"Band of Brothers" (1940s)
There is no shortage of World War II
movies, but when Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks decided to make "Saving Private Ryan," they upped the ante: heavy on the blood,
overcast skies, confusing battle scenes and untimely deaths. In many ways, "Band
of Brothers" was a superior production - we got to see real stories, based on
real soldiers and their real interviews, culminating in 10 of the most intense
episodes ever aired. Experts will point out the numerous inaccuracies, but
"Brothers" makes up for it in style and sophistication. Using the trademark
handheld photography and muted colors of "Private Ryan," "Brothers" offers a
murky vision of the European front. We can only imagine how the sequel series,
"The Pacific," will take on Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. It, too, will likely make
history.
Shop: Buy the DVD
Robert Isenberg is a writer and playwriting professor.
He is co-author of The Pittsburgh Monologue Project.
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