"The Men Who Built America" Review So Far

(From L to R) Adam Jonas Segaller as Andrew Carnegie, Tim Getman as John D. Rockefeller,

??? as Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Eric Rolland as J. P. Morgan.

"John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan rose from obscurity and in the process built modern America. Their names hang on street signs, are etched into buildings and are a part of the fabric of history. These men created the American Dream and were the engine of capitalism as they transformed everything they touched in building the oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobile and finance industries. Their paths crossed repeatedly as they elected presidents, set economic policies and influenced major events of the 50 most formative years this country has ever known. From the Civil War to the Great Depression and World War I, they led the way.

"Using state of the art computer generated imagery that incorporates 12 million historical negatives, many made available for the first time by the Library of Congress, this series will bring back to life the world they knew and the one they created. The event series will show how these men took a failed experiment in democracy and created the greatest superpower the world has ever seen. We see how their historic achievements came to create the America of today." (Source below.)

Adam Jonas Sellagar as Andrew Carnegie.

Adam Jonas Sellagar as

Andrew Carnegie.

In this blog entry I would like to talk about my favorite channel, the History Channel's, new television series: "The Men Who Built America".

It is a fascinating account of a few of the richest men in America's history, shaping this country as we now know it. It begins roughly 1865, after the assassination of President Lincoln and weaves its way through the industrial age. The narrator even starts the series by stating, “For the first time in the country’s short existence the man most capable of leading America is not a politician.” First the railroad, then oil, then steel shape this country into a global superpower.

Eric Rolland as J. P. Morgan.

It includes the personal history and business practices of Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Scott, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla. Next week, though not on Tuesday but on Sunday at 8 p.m., they shall be introducing Henry Ford, who revolutionized the moving assembly line to create his famously inexpensive 'horseless carriage'.

The man I am most impressed with so far is Morgan, though he is the most ruthless. Although Rockefeller might have him beat, as he nearly single-handedly started the Great Depression by capsizing the railroad industry. They all strike out against their competitors, usually each other, before buying the smaller companies out and they are absolutely horrible to their workers. Though there is something to admire in their tenacity.

The program also shows how the robber barons of yore have compelling similarities to the businessmen of today. They interview the likes of Donald Trump, Steve Wozniak, Mark Cuban, Alan Greenspan, and Jack Welch, amongst others, discussing business practices and how businessmen think and act. They also interview such historians as H. W. Brands, David Nasaw, and Jill Jones.

??? as Henry Ford.

So far I'm enjoying it immensely. The costumes and music is very well done. What little acting there is, is great; they made nearly all the actors look exactly like the tycoons. I can't wait until next week's episode and marathon where I can re-watch the men at their work. The main thing though is how the government will have to step in when the industrialists treat their workers worse than pack-mules. How I wish that would happen more often today.

Sources: http://www.history.com/shows/men-who-built-america/articles/about-men-who-built-america and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167393/fullcredits#cast.

"Titanic" 2012 TV Mini-Series Review

"Titanic" movie poster.

"Follows the lives of the ship's passengers, from all walks of life, as they travel on the maiden voyage of the ill-fated Titanic. From the wealthy family of the Earl of Manton, the designers of the ship, to the stokers in the engine room - who will make it onto the lifeboats?" Written by Anonymous (Link below.)

Glen Blackhall (L) and
Jenna-Louise Coleman.

Meant to appear on the anniversary of the fateful ship's sinking (it did show, I just didn't see it until now), produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark (Warriors, The Way We Live Now), written by Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, Vanity Fair, The Young Victoria), "it sets out to paint a portrait of a whole society, telling the stories of a wide range of characters, both real and imagined, from every social level. Their narratives are developed and gradually interwoven over the first three episodes, each of which ends in a cliffhanger as the ship begins to founder. The fourth and final episode draws all of the different stories together and reveals to the audience who survives." (Link below.)

Maria Doyle Kennedy (L) and Toby Jones.

The cast was pretty amazing: Linus Roache, Geraldine Somerville, Perdita Weeks, Toby Jones, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Peter McDonald, Steven Waddington, Glen Blackhall, Antonio Magro, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Noah Reid, David Calder, Sophie Winkleman, and Dragos Bucur (who has the coolest name ever and appeared nude in a movie so expect that review soon. ;D)

Perdita Weeks -
look at that beautiful hat!

I thought the pacing was good. Each episode ended with a cliffhanger, so you had to keep watching. It was interesting how they showed certain people's perspective. Even though the cast is quite large, it felt like the ship wasn't really that big. There was so much focus on certain people that you forgot how many people were on it, so it was not as dramatic a catastrophe as I think the tragedy actually was. I did cry a lot though, so maybe it is more of a hindsight thing. They could've added more people and made it a longer series. I would've watched the whole thing, it was beautifully done.

Dragos Bucur.

The clothes were very good. I loved the hats and the dresses Perdita Weeks character, Lady Georgiana Gregs, wore. They were beautiful.

I think the person in charge of the music may have had a harder time than most trying not to sound too dramatic because it would definitely have reminded me of the James Cameron flick. Even still, they probably could've made it a bit more rousing and tense.

I can't compare this to other TV series because I don't watch TV, but I might start watching that Downton Abbey and The Borgias. The only thing I have watched to compare this to is the Cameron movie. It isn't as stirring as that movie and it had a claustrophobic feel to it, but it was still good. 

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1869152/plotsummary, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(2012_TV_miniseries), and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1869152/.

Peter McDonald.