Video Librarian (September 2007)
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Each of the volumes in the 13-part documentary series
Greatest Speeches of the 20th Century presents a short biography of a world leader—through a combination of period footage, scholarly interviews, and overlaid narration—in order to set the stage for selections from his or her famous speeches.
Ronald Reagan illustrates how the words of the former U.S. president nicknamed “The Great Communicator” (and dubbed “The Great Prevaricator” during the Iran-Contra scandal) affected the outcome of the Cold War, comforted the nation after the Challenger space shuttle explosion, and have continued to resonate within American politics today. Other titles in this series include:
Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Ho Chi Minh, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Jawaharlal Nehru, Richard Nixon, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, and
Woodrow Wilson. Recommended.
School Library Journal (March 2007)
Gr 9 Up-This series presents some of the most influential speeches of the 20th century and the leaders from around the world who delivered them. They share a common format, which includes biographical profiles of the leaders, discussions about their political and military situations, excerpts from their most important speeches, and analysis of how their speeches affected their audiences and changed their historical legacies. The analysis, which is provided by the narrator and supplemented by Canadian broadcaster Don Tremaine, ranges from admiration for Churchill and Wilson to positive coverage of Nehru, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, and Ho Chi Minh, to more critical discussion of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, and condemnation of Adolf Hitler. Visuals include period moving and still images of these individuals and important events. Viewers hear the voices of most of the speakers, while the words of those who spoke in other languages or before the age of audio recording are presented in narrated quotes. The series provides good overviews and insightful commentary, but not in-depth coverage, and would be most effective with secondary students who are familiar with the featured leaders and historical events. The individual episodes could be used in history classes to help students understand how much influence leaders exert on their nations and world events and how they use language to inspire, gain support, and create lasting legacies. A good supplementary choice for secondary collections.
Copyright 2007 School Library Journal. Used with permission.