The History Channel Presents The Crusades - Crescent & The Cross
starring: Artist Not Provided
List Price: $19.95
Prices subject to change.
Price: $14.99
You Save: $4.96 (25%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Description:
This unfurls two centuries of war two cultures impassioned by belief & one land to stage it all - an epic drama cast in the name of the holy. Countless battles amazing feats & unforgettable characters forged legends & legacies but clear victory remained elusive.Studio: A&e Home VideoRelease Date: 12/16/2008Run time: 180 minutes
Amazon.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, released here on two discs (the second includes over an hour of bonus material), 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. Add to that a bonus documentary about the Knights Templar (the soldier-monks in charge of protecting the Kingdom of Jerusalem) and a decent "making of" documentary, and you have an absorbing, enlightening look at events that prove one thing above all: the more things change, the more they stay the same. --Sam Graham
This unfurls two centuries of war two cultures impassioned by belief & one land to stage it all - an epic drama cast in the name of the holy. Countless battles amazing feats & unforgettable characters forged legends & legacies but clear victory remained elusive.Studio: A&e Home VideoRelease Date: 12/16/2008Run time: 180 minutes
Amazon.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, released here on two discs (the second includes over an hour of bonus material), 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. Add to that a bonus documentary about the Knights Templar (the soldier-monks in charge of protecting the Kingdom of Jerusalem) and a decent "making of" documentary, and you have an absorbing, enlightening look at events that prove one thing above all: the more things change, the more they stay the same. --Sam Graham
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category:
- VHS » DVD » Genres » Documentary » General
- VHS » DVD » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » A&E Home Video » All A&E Titles
- VHS » DVD » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » History Channel » The History Channel Presents
- VHS » DVD » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » History Channel » General AAS
- VHS » DVD » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Holidays & Seasonal » Father's Day
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Definitely one-sided
I agree with others here that have said that it was pro-Islam.
It leaves out whole chapters in the history of why they were fighting.
They made the muslims look like the good guys & the Christians were taking over their land -excuse me -who was there first? Mind you I'm an atheist but I love the truth & not some political correct bs.
Rating: 
- Muslim PC Crap
Although most of the facts were correct (legalistically), the spirit of the documentary was framed in PC terms, and hijacked by a pompous, final "authority" on the crusades, a muslim scholar from the UK.
In particular, the muslim scholar (I forgot his name) was a narrow-minded, intolerant, and prejudiced individual. I especially detested the callous disregard of the meaningful contributions that the Catholic Church made to protect innocent Christians from persecution. Many of these persecuted ... Read More
Rating: - Very weak historical documentary - read Wikipedia instead
I read all these reviews before ordering this product; and I can't believe it has been so highly rated. Even the people who rate it poorly have really second-rate criticisms.
First; this is a 2 DVD set, and it only covers 3 of the 9 crusades- at which point is simply ends.For my tastes, it has too much British cheekiness, and is a little too much like a made-for-TV docudrama.
Everything relating to the Crusades is on the first DVD. The 2nd DVD has a whimsical 'Making of' feature;and a feature ... Read More
Rating: 
- Half the Crusades .
It's just half the Crsuades , till the showdown between Saladin andLionheart . It would've been a better documentary if it was about all the Crusades .
They've wasted their budget on re-enactments , re-enactments are a bore . I enjoyed the mini documentary about the Knights Templar in the bonus material more than this documentary .
Documentaries are not about big buget fanfares , its's about informing , educating and smart movie making ,with as few as possible cast behind the camera and ... Read More
Rating: 
- Excellent Introduction"The Crusades"
From a military history standpoint this is an excellent introduction to "The Crusades".As a Religious history "no one" Jewish, Muslim or Christian is going to agree, there is just to much tradition, interpretation and dogma over the centuries separating all. Frankly all religions contrary to popular beliefs have blood on there hands.
The other issue, is most modern viewers or readers are not going to understand the true nature of civilizations (East or West) in this remote time period. All military ... Read More
- Definitely one-sidedI agree with others here that have said that it was pro-Islam.
It leaves out whole chapters in the history of why they were fighting.
They made the muslims look like the good guys & the Christians were taking over their land -excuse me -who was there first? Mind you I'm an atheist but I love the truth & not some political correct bs.
- Muslim PC CrapAlthough most of the facts were correct (legalistically), the spirit of the documentary was framed in PC terms, and hijacked by a pompous, final "authority" on the crusades, a muslim scholar from the UK.
In particular, the muslim scholar (I forgot his name) was a narrow-minded, intolerant, and prejudiced individual. I especially detested the callous disregard of the meaningful contributions that the Catholic Church made to protect innocent Christians from persecution. Many of these persecuted ... Read More
- Very weak historical documentary - read Wikipedia insteadI read all these reviews before ordering this product; and I can't believe it has been so highly rated. Even the people who rate it poorly have really second-rate criticisms.
First; this is a 2 DVD set, and it only covers 3 of the 9 crusades- at which point is simply ends.For my tastes, it has too much British cheekiness, and is a little too much like a made-for-TV docudrama.
Everything relating to the Crusades is on the first DVD. The 2nd DVD has a whimsical 'Making of' feature;and a feature ... Read More
- Half the Crusades .It's just half the Crsuades , till the showdown between Saladin andLionheart . It would've been a better documentary if it was about all the Crusades .
They've wasted their budget on re-enactments , re-enactments are a bore . I enjoyed the mini documentary about the Knights Templar in the bonus material more than this documentary .
Documentaries are not about big buget fanfares , its's about informing , educating and smart movie making ,with as few as possible cast behind the camera and ... Read More
- Excellent Introduction"The Crusades"From a military history standpoint this is an excellent introduction to "The Crusades".As a Religious history "no one" Jewish, Muslim or Christian is going to agree, there is just to much tradition, interpretation and dogma over the centuries separating all. Frankly all religions contrary to popular beliefs have blood on there hands.
The other issue, is most modern viewers or readers are not going to understand the true nature of civilizations (East or West) in this remote time period. All military ... Read More
