Michael Wood is good at everything he touches. His documentaries are clear and fun to follow. What makes this one excel is not just the direct information on the life and times of Shakespeare, but the biographies of his contemporaries.
I have seen just about all of the plays and read some of the sonnets, but this documentary seems to bring its own life to the parts of the plays that are important and makes you want to be there now.
I also enjoyed seeing what is left of the places that Shakespeare lived. However, it was even more impressive to see the re-creation of the Globe Theater.
When Michael was walking around in the estuary, it was fun watching him in his Wellies; it made you think of "Midsummer murders."
I also thought I knew pretty much about the time of Shakespeare. However, I received a good civil lesson and a different perspective on the plays as they were written for the politics of the time. Today, in our quasi-police state, we can again see how powerful a moving force can be. One day, they may meet with censorship here.
Anyway, leaving off all the deep thoughts this documentary makes, you realize why they made TV.
The documentary comes in four parts, so it is a good idea to put some time between each viewing, so you have time to think and talk about what you saw.
The four parts:
A Time of Reformation
The Lost Years
The Duty of Poets
For All Time
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