Canada: A People's History, Series 1

Originally broadcast over two years on CBC and Radio Canada, Canada: A People's History was the most ambitious documentary production in Canadian history. It employed 15 directors, 7 cameramen, dozens of historians and more than 240 actors (not including extras) and chronicled Canada's history from the earliest peopling of the New World in 15,000 BC right up to the end of the 20th century. Much like American Ken Burns' noted Civil War documentary, made for the Public Broadcasting Service, this remarkable series blends authentic dialogue (taken from actual historic documents and speeches), well-costumed re-enactments and an evocative soundtrack. It has been crafted by the writers and directors into a collection of truly engaging stories that are filled with memorable characters and rife with tension and, frequently, tragedy. The expansive time period covered in Series 1 spans from 15,000 BC to 1815 AD. While a good portion of the first episode deals mostly with the history of the Native People (pre-European contact), the next four episodes recount one bloody battle after another as France, England and, eventually, the United States, do battle with each other (and Natives) over control of Canada. While the descriptions and re-enactments are enthralling, the real story is told more by the people -- villagers, both Native and European, and their families -- who are directly affected by the constant fighting, rather than the soldiers who just as frequently succumb to the elements as they do bullets or bayonets. The detailed descriptions of the war strategies -- the successes and failures--also add to the fascination of this battle-heavy series. By the time Series 1 gets into the late 1700s in episode 5, you may need a scorecard to keep track of all the ever-shifting alliances. The American Declaration of Independence in 1776 eventually draws (somewhat of) a line in the sand, dividing the British loyalists from those who wished to self-govern, but Canada's fate would not be decided without much more blood being shed. In addition to collecting the first five episodes of this brilliant maxi-series on three disks, Series 1 contains two bonus disks crammed with contemporary documentary footage, Canadian history trivia quizzes, and an hour-long feature that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Canada: A People's History. --Adem Tepedelen