Educational Media Reviews Online

This video is an interesting examination of the early 15th century, through detailed accounts and manuscripts, related to the travels of European and Asian travelers to the town of Calicut, India, which at that time was a major trade center and port for the sale of spices and exotic goods, especially pepper. The film examines how this city became the first real place in modern history for the contact between peoples of different religions and cultures, and how these contacts still reverberate into the modern world.

How European culture met Muslim society, how technological advances in Asia were transported into European society, and how oceanic exploration and conquest began, are just some of the topics discussed and detailed in these two videos.

Technically, there are some problems with The Crucible. The music, which played throughout the film, was so loud that it was difficult to hear the narrator at numerous points. The host of the program, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, former special representative to the United Nations, was very subdued and quiet during her few moments to discuss and tie things together, often looked nervous, and kept looking away from the camera. While the content of this film is of interest, and its attempts to relate multicultural and historical events in relation to this one city were fascinating, the overall impression and presentation of the information left much to be desired.