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Best of the Real West (4 VHS Tapes) in slipcase
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Product Details/SpecificationsActor(s):
Hosted By Kenny Rogers
Recording label: A&E Home Video EAN: 9786303257464Binding: VHS TapeISBN: 6303257461Format: Box set, Color, NTSC, Release Date: 1998-11-11Universal product code (UPC): 733961107654Number of discs: 4Audience rating: NR (Not Rated)Description
" The myths, legends and realities of the Old West come alive in THE REAL WEST WITH KENNY ROGERS. Through original footage, authentic diaries, paintings, photos and expert commentary, this award-winning series reawakens the adventure of our most fabled era. The five volumes in this remarkable set expose the truth of some of the most celebrated American stories and figures:The Battle of the Alamo Confront the truth and controversy behind the legendary stand of 189 volunteers against Santa Anna's 5,000-man army. Wild Bill Hickok From his days as a stagecoach driver and his storied tenure as a lawman to his fabled death in Deadwood, here is the definitive look at a true Western giant. Wild Women From Annie Oakley to Calamity Jane, trace the incredible stories of the legendary ladies of the Wild West. Texas Rangers It was said that a Texas Ranger could ""ride like a Mexican, trail like an Indian, shoot like a Tennesean, and fight like the very devil."" Here is their amazing story.Sitting Bull Get an in-depth look at the famed battle of the Little Big Horn in this authoritative portrait of the fabled Sioux Leader. "
Amazon.com
Don't infer too much from the title of this documentary series; The Real West doesn't aim for anything like a revisionist history of America's frontier. Each hour-long installment of this History Channel presentation follows the format that has been almost mandatory for television documentaries since Ken Burns's The Civil War: emotional, sometimes even actorly readings from diaries, letters, and official documents designed to bring the past to life, coupled with testimony from a variety of historians meant to put it all in perspective. The comparison really ends there, however; whereas Ken Burns was almost forced into making a masterpiece by the unending complexity of the tragedy he was disinterring, The Real West tends more often to cast little more than side glances at the messy, real-life intricacies of the events it chronicles. Instead, as this boxed set of four episodes proves, the same tall tales that have been pleasing fans of Old West folklore for decades get trotted out once more, albeit with an ironic appreciation for their role as unreliable but inspirational myth that's inevitable with a century or more of hindsight. The modern-day definition of heroes can be a little broader than before as well. Sitting Bull & the Great Sioux Nation offers a sympathetic portrait of the brave Lakota chief, while Wild Women profiles Calamity Jane, Belle Star, and Annie Oakley, whose adventures were as rip-roaring as any man's. Episodes covering the Texas Rangers and The Battle of the Alamo are not as refreshingly unorthodox, but no less entertaining as they recount the deeds of bravery that, while coming under some fire as inaccurate, have been beloved for decades now. Kenny Rogers makes a surprisingly apt host for these unchallenging but enjoyable walks through familiar history, his gravelly narration and slick Western duds a perfect combination of plain-folk authenticity and what Buffalo Bill Cody used to call "the show business." --Bruce Reid
Running time: 200 minutesLanguage: English (Unknown)
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