Empire: A British Chronicle 2012
Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126
Produced by The Open University
Directed by John Hay, Roger Parsons, Robin Dashwood, David Vincent
DVD , color, 5 discs 58-59 min. each
Sr. High - General Adult
European History, Foreign Relations, World History
Date Entered: 02/26/2014
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORThis documentary takes an episodic, somewhat peculiar approach to its vast subject. From an educational standpoint, some sort of historical outline to give context to Jeremy Paxman’s explorations would have been a great help. As it is, we are plunged in media res with no explanation of how, why, or when Britain acquired an empire. Starting in British-occupied India, discussing the need it caused for control of the Suez Canal, will probably make viewers other than me wonder if they started with the wrong disc. Paxman may have decided such information is available elsewhere, but after watching him discuss the British Empire for five hours, I would really like to hear his take on how and why it came to be.
What we are given is a thematic tour of the former empire, with good narration and plenty of interviews. The production value is top-notch and the whole thing is visually appealing. Much of it has to do with how the British thought of themselves-- how they imported British culture and how they maintained their rule. The interviews with the locals are hit-and-miss. Some of them seem completely unqualified to give any sort of opinion on former British occupation, apart from the fact that they now happen to live where Britain once happened to rule. Others have given the matter some thought, and some of them provide very interesting perspectives on British imperialism.
The final disc, Doing Good, is the most worthwhile. Paxman says he is exploring Britain’s imperial past in part because Britain only wants to forget it, yet it is only in this last episode that he really tries to come to terms with British imperialism. For students trying to form some kind of judgment, this delayed effort at assessment is more helpful than the previous four hours of musing on the qualitative and aesthetic aspects of British imperialism.