Vasco da Gama's Voyage of Discovery 1999
Distributed by Chip Taylor Communications, 2 East View Drive, Derry, New Hampshire, 03038; 800-876-CHIP
Produced by Chip Taylor Communication
Director n/a
VHS, color, 50 min.
Jr. High - Adult
History
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Head, Web and Digitization Services, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las VegasThis film narrates the voyage of the discovery of India by Vasco da Gama in the fifteenth century. The film is part of the Great Explorers series, and is visually exciting and stimulating as it recreates da Gama's voyage from Portugal to India. The majority of the film is a reading of the events of this voyage from an anonymous diary that still survives, so that the viewer becomes a member of the crew and recreates the daily landings, discoveries, and trials of the participants. There is some great footage of the African coastline and the numerous memorials that still survive which celebrate da Gama's exploration.
The viewing of this video requires the participants to have some background and knowledge of this voyage, as the dates of the exploration and a full map/itinerary of da Gama's voyage is never provided. Also, speakers/experts that appeared throughout the film were never identified, so that their authority and authenticity are questionable. It is obvious that this film was originally produced in Portuguese and is geared towards a Portuguese audience, as all the credits were in this language, and there is also a significant dead space in the middle of the video, as apparently it was originally produced in two parts, which have been spliced together by the distributor. Despite these flaws, the video is recommended for secondary classes in world history that would like a short multimedia presentation on one of the many voyages of discovery that the Portuguese undertook in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.