Centennial: The Complete Series

"Centennial" is a really good production that is a television mini series from the 1970s. It is based on a sprawling epic novel of the same name, authored by James Michener. It is mostly faithful to the novel and Mister Michener does appear in an introductory interview, suggesting to me his approval of the entire project. I liked the mini series very much, although I found the end of the story slightly tedious as I also did in the novel. As for the physical product itself, this is a DVD Box Set that I purchased from Amazon. The product arrived very quickly and was in excellent, new, condition. As a customer, I was completely hapy with the purchasing expereince. There were six DVDs within a plastic case, each containing multiple hours of viewing. This viewing included several interviews well after the fact of actors such as Robert Conrad. I really enjoyed those interviews. Prior to watching the mini series, I had just completed reading he novel. My copy of the novel is over 1000 pages. the novel, as well as the mini series spans many years. The novel spans millions of years. The mini series focuses more on the period of Native Americans and the inevitable migration of Europeans. By necessity, the cast keeps changing. There are multiple flashbacks to prior episodes. Each episode is like watching a movie that are related to other movies. My personal favorite actor in the mini series is probably Robert Conrad, He is also interviewed separately, as a senior citizen, many years after the production. In this interview Mister Conrad states that many of his fans tell him that this is their favorite role of his. I have not seen all of his acting, but I have seen some, and I have to agree. As this is a multi generational story, at some point, of course, the story goes on without Mister Conrad. As I found with the novel, my least favorite part of the mini series is the ending episode. I will not be specific but I felt that I was being lectured a certain view points were being put forth. This is the right of both James Michener and the producers of this fine work. I have no wish to say that I agree or disagree. I am just stating how I felt as a viewer. I owe that to you as a reviewer. This almost always happens to me when I am "lectured" at the end of a story. As an example, Tolstoy does this at the end of "War and Peace" and it is my least favorite part of that novel. In summary, I really enjoyed this mini series. I also really enjoyed the novel. I am glad that I read the novel first, but it is a vast novel and required a real commitment of time and concentration. As a customer, the service from Amazon was quite excellent. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

Our family settled the area in Colorado where this takes place. As such I can vouch for the veracity of the history as portrayed. Michener loved history. The stories and lessons that are timeless still to this day. The series may be forty years old but it's absolutely aged well. It shows how difficult it was to live here in the olden days. It doesn't just show the hard times, uplifting stories but also the horrors like "Sand Creek." FYI trivia but just last year because of the shameful legacy of governor Evans,.Mount Evans was renamed to Mount Blue Sky. This dvd series is one of the best of it's genre period. You can watch it & be both entertained and learn things. Things that likely were missed in your history classes in high school or college. On a scale of 1-10 I'd give it a 10+ so to speak. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Excellent

A classic series and unfortunately not to be seen unless purchase.

Shipping was timely. Product was perfect. The story is a little dated (1970s TV miniseries).

Purchased as a gift

This is a very beautiful movie about the history of Colorado, how it was all settle by people moving westward starting in 1795 to 1970. With the DVD movie, set the Subtitle to really understand it. The opening statement by James A. Michener was about taking care of our land. In the process also how the Native American Indians were treated. Now we don't even see a Reservation for the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes in the state of Colorado. Colorado is a beautiful green mountains with rivers. Now we understand why! It started with Pasquinel (Robert Conrad), a Canadian trapper and Alexander McKeag (Richard Chamberlain) getting together to be friends and trappers and dealing with the local Indians and Pasquinel getting together with Clay Basket (Barbara Carrera) the daughter of Lame Beaver (Michael Ansara), after the father past on. Lame Beaver had some great knowledge about life. Then along came the half-breed children, Jacques Pasquinel (Stephen McHattie), Marcel Pasquinel (Kario Salem) and their sister Lucinda McKeag Zendt (Cristana Rainer). All along McKeag really loved Clay Basket, so when Pasquinel died, he took over and also adopted Lucinda Pasquinel MKeag. Lucinda end up marrying Levi Zendt (Gregory Harrison) What a beautiful story. So much about life and Pasquinel's beautiful wife also in St. Louis, he had two wives. As time went by, then different people with the land use, animals, farming, cattlemen and so on. This is how the west was all settle by the settlers, as they say how the west was won. No matter, it was all about land, even the new settlers were fighting each others over land uses. Great actors and love the story, I am sure it all happen as in the movie. This would be a great history movie for everyone and learn about how the west was settled. We (Americans) just need to continue to take care of our beautiful land, wildlife, trees/plants, as we all live with them. This would make a great gift for families and friends.

The best miniseries ever made. Star-studded cast and wonderful history.

This DVD set traces the origins of civilisation in the mid west. It is quite detailed and covers a period of veveral hundred years. I have found it very entertaining and informative.

Fué un regalo para mi hermano, el cual esta muy feliz de poder volver a ver esta serie que la vimos hace muchos años cuando fue televisada en México. En cuanto a la calidad del producto, es muy bueno 100% recomendable. No tiene subtítulos en español por si alguien tuviese esa duda.

Ein guter Film über die Kolonisten, die Amerika für sich eroberten und sich gegen die Indianer durchsetzen, obwohl einige zum Glück nicht gegen die Ureinwohner waren. Man sieht wie ganze Städte gebaut werden, wie der Eisenbahn entsteht, man sieht wie die Leute damals mit- und auch gegeneinander lebten. Kurz gesagt, die Ups und Downs vom Entstehen von das heutige Amerika.

I have really loved this series which i bought after chancing upon on Amazon.com with its rave reviews. They are well justified. This is how a series should be made from a book. The author was still alive at the time and clearly had huge input in this which also helps. Basically this is set in what would become Colorado from around 1790 when the fur trappers started to trade with the Indians, up to about 1970? The early series disks are outstanding and by far the best. The more modern kind of loses a lot of the appeal. Although it is fiction the history is spot on and events actually happened with fictitious characters used. The red Indian tribes, broken treaties with the USA government breaking them, the appalling treatment of the red indian tribes affected and their efforts to actually agree to peace along with the mass slaughter of them anyway is absolutely heartbreaking, enthralling, thought provoking and superb. There are even in the very early years some tribes I had never even heard of. It is all totally gripping very sad at times, cruel and yet completely accurate and, right down to the tribe pony war paint, the costumes, even the types of horses they are riding. It is my absolute favourite series now. The series covers those first trappers and their families and friends and enemies. It covers everything, the first cattle arriving and then sheep brought into the state, the Indians as I said, the development and mass migration to the west and the destruction of the countryside as the price of it. Richard Chamberlain is a major star of this along with plenty of other big names such as Raymond Burr, Sally Kellerman David Jannsen and more. I can't recommend this enough if you love real history interwoven with fiction and fact. Brilliant. Buy this and both learn and be entertained.

Excelente adaptación de la obra de uno de mis escritores favoritos. Lo disfrute mucho