No comments about Biography: Ozzie & Harriet - Adventures of America's Favorite Family.

5 comments about Biography - Johnny Cash, Man in Black.

1. This is a very good program. I had viewed it on the television show a few years ago, but it has not been televised lately since the movie was released in the theaters. The DVD is a good movie about the real Johnny Cash and his life. It is very informational about his life story and I really enjoyed watching it.



2. Was a little disappointed in this. It seemed too regimented and formal. Also skimmed over a lot of things without going into depth on anything. Worthwhile having but not as good as expected.



3. I saw this A&E biography on its release back in 1998, and it is what made me become a huge Johnny Cash fan. This is a terrific DVD that was well put together and thorough in its research. Whether you are just curious about Johnny Cash or are already familiar with him I think this DVD is a great document of his life and is something that can be appreciated even after multiple viewings.



4. If you are a Johnny Cash fan this is great. I got it for a Christmas gift for a co-worker and they love.



5. Trying to fit Johnny Cash's life & career into 60 minutes left me wishing the program was longer. The interviews with sister, Louise, brother, Tommy, and daughter, Rosanne, added to the many clips of live performances and gave me a better insight to the megastar. He was a very special human being who gave his fans his all through his music.

No comments about Biography - Gettys.

No comments about Biography - Leona Helmsley.

2 comments about Biography - Benedict Arnold.

1. This video shows Benedict Arnold was not the monster history has tried to portray him as, detailing his early life as a Connecticut merchant; his daring exploits at Ticonderoga, Valcour Bay, and Saratoga that made him, aside from Washington, America's most brilliant patriot general; and tries to shed some light on the still-murky causes for his treason. Decent recreated history, although the battle reenactments in A&E's "American Revolution" are more stirring. Also has a sprinkling of historical inaccuracies, but still informative.



2. The A&E Biography series is remarkably stellar in quality, but I am compelled to take serious issue with this biography of Benedict Arnold. I'm actually rather angry about the whole presentation, as I cannot believe how positive a spin the commentators attempted to put on the life of America's most despised traitor. The very facts put forth here completely belie the stunningly radiant portrait these guys try to paint of this man.

   Did Benedict Arnold help the revolutionary cause in its early years? Yes, there is no doubt of it. According to this video, though, the Revolution would have failed were it not for Benedict Arnold. They would have us believe his very presence on the battlefield won the day for the colonists at Saratoga. A defeat at Saratoga would certainly have been a terrible blow to the cause, but it is an affront to the memory of those colonial soldiers who fought and died in that battle to imply that Arnold deserves the credit for their victory. The documentary makes much of the fact that another general took credit for the victory, but the main reason this other general accepted the sword of the surrendering general is that Arnold was in the hospital with a serious musket wound in his thigh. This thigh wound, and I agree it was a grievous wound received in battle, seems to hold some kind of mystical sway over the commentators here. Just because Arnold was wounded fighting for the Revolution does not make him a war hero who should be honored despite those pesky little mistakes he made later on. Just as General Washington decreed his name be written out of the historical records of the war, I say that any glory this man achieved is obliterated by his act of treason.

   Let's look more closely at this man; all of the important facts are right there in this video (although the commentators seem to ignore them). He was actually a deserter on the day before he became an official solder - in the French and Indian War. His initial fame and supposed heroism comes from the seizure of Fort Ticonderoga, a "campaign" that was won without a single shot. What did he do next? He led 1000 men on an arduous trek to Canada, losing many men in the process, only to fail miserably when he sought to take Quebec. His naval "victory" on Lake Champlain came at the expense of almost all his ships and men. When, following this, he failed to get a commission from the Continental Congress, he went back home - sulking all the way - with the intention of resigning. The war followed him home, though, and his return to fighting led to the commission he thought he deserved, but he decided once again to resign - why? Because he did not think several of his superiors should have a higher rank than he did. Only General Washington's appeal to him convinced him to take up arms again, and thus he fought at Saratoga (and was arrested immediately thereafter for having disobeyed orders).

   Why did he, supposedly Washington's favorite general, turn traitor? Oh, it wasn't really his fault, these commentators would have you believe. No, his new, young, Loyalist wife somehow convinced him to do it; he was just a poor little old victim of a British spy plot; the 20,000 sterling reward he sought had nothing to do with it, of course. Personally, I find the apologist treatment of Benedict Arnold in this documentary to be nothing short of appalling. Arnold didn't just act on the spur of the moment; he provided intelligence to the enemy for over a year, and - had he not been caught and the fort at West Point taken by the British - the back of the Continental Army might have been broken.

   I'm sorry, but despite A&E Biography's best efforts, I am not going to feel sorry for Arnold or attempt to commiserate with him or understand why he did what he did. He willfully betrayed the country he had bravely fought for, and he did it for purely personal, selfish reasons. The only sad thing about Benedict Arnold's fate is the fact that he escaped (running away like the coward he was) to London (where, boo hoo, he didn't get the respect and trust he thought he deserved) and avoided the ignominious fate due him at the gallows here in America.

3 comments about Biography: Judds - Country's Dynamic.

1. The Judds earned a permanent place in the pantheon of country music with a storybook career that encompassed platinum records, sold-out shows and six Grammy® awards. But at the height of their fame, the discovery that Naomi had a life-threatening disease turned their lives upside down. From their live audition for RCA in 1983 to Wynonna's solo career, BIOGRAPHY® tells the bittersweet story of the beloved singers through extensive photos, concert and home movie footage and revealing interviews with friends, family and the Judds themselves.



2. Does anyone know if this is that biography movie that was on NBC a couple years ago???



3. This A & E Video Biography of the Judds is a must for all Judds fans. My main critisism is that it was too short! However all the old footage, family as well as professional, makes for entertaining viewing. In a documentary style Naomi and Wynonna look back upon their highs and lows during their time recording and performing together, along with contributions from friends and family. Ashley Judd also proves that she can indeed "hold a note!"

1 comments about Biography - Red Baron (1995).

1. Watch this movie for the live footage of von Richthofen, but not any worthwhile information on his life or who he was. Peter Kilduff in his book "The Illustrated Red Baron" does a much better job showing exactly who von Richthofen was and how he fit into his time.

4 comments about Biography - Genghis Khan.

1. Film is excellent....several known scholars in the field of Asian history are talking heads among the recreated battle shots, etc. An intro and voice-over by Peter Graves during the film provide enough info for someone embarking on a study of the Yuan Empire or the Mongol Empire.



2. It was pathetically inaccurate. The sole source they cited was the Secret History, and they had a Professor of Asiatic studies from Columbia U for historical advisor; yet, even ignoring the usual 'they were vicious barbarians' slant, the piece was riddled with mistakes. The first thing I caught was a misquote from the Secret History citing the legend of the five brothers as a story about Chingghis's immediate family. After that I paid more careful attention. They did not mention his name 'Temujin' once but rather saying he was born 'Genghis'. How can they claim to be biography and not even mention the man's name? They went so far as to claim his wife and mother started the war between him and Jamuga out of jealousy over their gay love. Another glairing mistake was the when and why of invading the Song. They glossed over any political interaction as Genghis 'finding an excuse to go to war'. For an amateur historian like me to so easily spot as many mistakes as I did is pretty sad. A waste of money!



3. How could history be put so simply like A&E does in every biography I bought about China and Asian history? I try to understand these works are for the general public, but the conclusion is that general public is being mislead with this kind of material. My first experience was with the Mao's biography, then with the one about Marco Polo. The worst is that I bought also the Pol Pot and Chiang Kaishek biographies and have not seen them yet.
   The Gengis Khan biography is full of awkward commentaries with emphasis on a supossed bloody nature of the mongols. They were no bloodier than were the rest of societies that engaged on conquest, to say the europeans themselves. The Gengis Khan was more than strategist and a ruthless leader of hordes and tribes from Mongolia.
   There is no analisys about the rising of the Yuan dinasty that was created after the mongols took CHina and the cultural, historical and political implications of the east-west contact.
   The emphasis is put on extremely doubtful anecdotaries, that produces a sensasionalist account about the creator of the biggest empire of the world history.



4. Some images used in this program are Japanese pictures from various periods. One of them is Prince Shotoku from 6th century in Japan and nothing to do with this program. I began to wonder what is correct and what is not. So, I stopped watching it.

No comments about Biography - Howdy Doody & Buffalo Bob Smith.

No comments about Biography - Daniel Boone.