From India to Ireland, the Norman Invasion to the American Revolution, Schama spotlights the epic themes and towering figures that transformed an island "at the edge of the world" into the greatest empire on earth, examining the impact of this extraordinary heritage on the modern nation.

All 15 episodes of the landmark series are available on DVD for the first time in this extraordinary collector's set that belongs in the library of every history buff. Beginnings, Conquest, Dynasty, Nations, King Death, Burning Convictions, The Body of the Queen, The British Wars, Revolutions, Britannia Incorporated, The Wrong Empire, Forces of Nature, Victoria and her Sisters, Empire of Good Intentions, The Two Winstons.

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Judged as hopeless history and romantic froth I appreciate this wonderful film from the point of view of its romantic story, terrific recreation of medieval times, costumes and superbly staged battle scenes,pagentry, and respectful dialogue that never once really belittles the serious and dark times this story is set in. "The Crusades", focuses in actual fact loosely on the third crusade that involved most of the major powers of Europe in a joint struggle to try and free the Holy Land from the clutches of the dreaded Saracens. The central story of the film while certainly fictionalised, is nevertheless well told and deals with King Richard (the Lion Hearted)of England who to avoid an unwelcome marriage to the Princess Alice (Katherine DeMille) of France and spurred on by a determined hermit (C. Aubrey Smith in a terrific performance) who is instilling the fighting spirit in all the countries of Christendom, takes up the sword to lead the crusade to the Holy Land. On the journey in order to feed his starving men he reluctantly agrees to a sham marriage with Berengaria, Princess of Navarre. What starts out as a hate at first sight relationship softens into a real love for both Richard and Berengaria in particular when after doing battle with the Saracens at the gates of the city of Acre Berengaria is captured by the besotted Sultan of Islam, Saladin (Ian Keith in another of his very fine supporting performances). Faced with loosing the one who's life now means everything to him Richard goes through a change of heart and rather than using the crusade as just an excuse to get away from more serious matters really begins to see the real reason for the campaign and the true value of those around him.

Henry Wilcoxon as King Richard and Loretta Young as Berengaria are both in top form here and indeed Wilcoxon, a DeMille regular in such great films as "Cleopatra", the previous year has never been better than here as the first uncouth head strong King who gradually develops a real soul and feeling for others. Loretta Young has a most untraditional character for the times to play. Her Princess is at times a feisty, determined, and brave young woman who creates a new life for herself with Richard despite the unpromising person she first encounters on the way to Jerusalem. Resplendant in medieval flowing robes and long blonde wig Loretta Young has one of her best roles of the 1930's decade and really blossoms under DeMille's direction. No DeMille production would be complete without a sterling supporting cast and "The Crusades", is no exception. The always excellent Ian Keith is Saladin Sultan of Islam, and he has a most interesting character who is depicted as a cultured man of feeling and not simply a bloodthirsty warrior out to kill and plunder. Katherine DeMille is suitably icy as the spurned Princess Alice of France and the always superb Joseph Schildkraut has one of his best 1930's roles as the devious Conrad, Marquis of Montferrat who through his treachery with Richard's brother John pays dearly for his disloyalty at the hands of the Arabs. Alan Hale is suitably boisterious as Richard's friend and musician Blondel and much of the comic interludes in the story are centred on his bluff character.

I have great admiration for all of the work of Cecil B. DeMille. He was without a doubt the great showman of movie legend and "The Crusades" like all of his epic productions is full of stirring speeches, lavish sets, enormous crowd scenes involving huge numbers of extras, and battle scenes on a scale that literally dwarf the story they are depicting. This all adds up to top notch entertainment of the very best kind that Hollywood could offer at this time. For exciting story telling on an epic scale DeMille is unsurpassed and "The Crusades" is unique in being both rousing entertainment and surprisingly quite poignant drama in it's quieter moments. If you enjoy movie making on a grand scale with every scene literally a feast for the eyes then you need go no further than Cecil B. DeMille's epic 1935 production of "The Crusades".

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In this rich tapestry, Starkey identifies a unifying thread. On one hand, England required authoritarian might to stand strong against external threats. On the other, it cherished its longstanding tradition of rule by consent of the governed. The dynamic tension between these two impulses enabled the monarchy to survive as the oldest-functioning political institution in Europe.

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