The Dark Ages: An Age of Light

Thoroughly researched, and fascinatingly presented. Waldemar Janusczak is brilliant...wish this was also available in a book. Thank-you, sir! My education was incomplete.

Waldemar, I was pretty OK with you until you said the Vikings put "sledges" in the Oseberg Ship. Those are SLEIGHS. Since you clearly LIKE the dictionary... "sleigh - a vehicle like an open-air carriage, pulled by horses, using runners instead of wheels for use in winter on show/ice. sled - a small single person conveyance to slide down hills, usually has runners, but may just have a flat bottom. sledge - any kind of flat conveyance to be dragged over ground." Those things in the Oseberg Ship have all the hallmarks of every sleigh ever made. "Sledge" doesn't even sound cooler.

Januszczak does a great job vindicating the Dark Ages. He shows some excellent metalwork and jewelry to demonstrate that the so-called barbarians were actually more sophisticated than they are given credit. But the Dark Ages were indeed dark since civilization didn't advance much until the Renaissance.Waldemar Januszczak has produced the best art programs ever. He brings ancient art to life. He explains the historical context and the people who created the art. Januszczak's programs are themselves excellent cinematic and dramatic achievements.

This has 4 episodes and we really love them. The trouble is that the 4th episode was so visually distorted that we couldn't really enjoy watching it. I'm sure it would have been as good as the others if you don't mind just listening. We learned a lot from this series. Too bad there was a problem with the last one. I would have given 5 stars if not for that.

Waldemar Januszczak is the go-to art historian in our house. Interesting, witty, knowledgeable; his take on different historical eras in art are always informative and entertaining. This particular series about the Dark Ages is jam-packed with little tidbits of information that will have you saying, "Wow, I had no idea" time and again. If you're at all interested in having a wider understanding of not only what you see in museums but in the world in general, this is definitely a great guide to a misunderstood era.

the visuals, the camera work, the cheeky delivery, even the music, are all fun. On the other hand, for example, the images often don't match what he's talking about and his facts are, ah, loose. He's tackling a very interesting and complex idea (how Christianity retained, changed, deleted, or reinterpreted 'pagan' culture). But he dumbs it down to the point that it is no longer close to accurate and even deceptive: I presume he knows better. All he needed to do was temper his pagan-christian associations with just a modicum of nuance and this could have been useful, even in an academic class. As it is, the only way it could be used would be to demonstrate its many, and sometimes deep, errors. Specific examples? Well, Santa Sabina was not built by Constantine, but rather 100 years later, to name one. Others? The transformation of the image of Jesus from beardless to bearded...sure, I sort of like the Apollo to Jupiter thing, but it is also (moreso?) from Roman senator to Greek philosopher. Mary based on Isis, fine, but there are plenty of 'mother suckling babes' goddesses that could just as easily apply and, for the record, Mary was never worshipped as a feminine goddess in Christianity. The basilica form transformed to the rotunda? nonsense, frankly--these were going on at the same time and Monreal in Sicily sort of disproves his thesis even as he is explicating it: it is not a combo. of basilica and mausoleum at all and please note that the 'Jupiter' Christ seems to be smiling rather pleasantly , not the uber-masculine image we're meant to see. The simple point is that Christianity transformed that which it borrowed so that the message behind the image or building is utterly re-interpreted in shockingly novel ways (the imperial mausoleum form becomes the christian baptistry--not the 'church' so much--so it no longer is the house of death, but the house of spiritual death and spiritual re-birth. Isn't that a lot more interesting?). Besides, of course each age creates images and architecture that appeal to their own artistic and, dare I say, spiritual sensitivities. That is cool. Why not just go with that? Oh, and nothing in this first installment took place within what was ever called the "Dark Ages."

We have watched the first two episodes of this series on the Dark Ages and been very impressed. Almost every detail presented has been something we had known before. Although the places such as the Catacombs of Priscilla may have been known to us (I have been there), the details about the art and architecture were revelatory. The presenter is fun to listen to and he gets you excited about the subject. Understanding a people through its art is what most museums do but this program adds a new dimension by placing the art where it is found. Fantastic show.

I am a huge fan of Waldemar Januszczak's videos. His extensive knowledge and no-nonsense witty delivery makes history and art very accessible for the everyday non-scholar who is interested such topics. He packs his programs with a lot of interesting history and facts while keeping it very watchable and utterly interesting and entertaining. The Dark Ages: An Age of Light got me very interested in a period of history I knew little about. After watching this program I was interested to find out more and have been doing a lot more reading on the topics and period of history that Mr. Januszszak covers in this program. For me this is worth every penny.

Strongly recommended to anyone interested Dark Age art and history! Easy narrative, loads of interesting facts, 4 documentaries covering different cultures on 2 DVDs

Enjoyed the DVD

Waldemar's work is the best... I learn more and enjoy this series EVERY time I watch it!