I cannot speak to the entire series, as I saw only "The Chessmaster". However, I saw enough to get a sense of what the creators were trying to do. In addition to the period images shown with 'Ken Burns effect' and commentaries by historians, there are soundbites from the historical figures (played, of course, by actors). Some of their texts these actors speak are clearly from diary entries or letters, and others are probably built from scholarship.
It is, in my opinion, a very clever way of presenting history to people who are used to modern biopics with their interviews and all those 20th Century War shoes on the History Channel which can interview survivors. Engaging, well done, although undoubtedly too sedate for many.
It is, in my opinion, a very clever way of presenting history to people who are used to modern biopics with their interviews and all those 20th Century War shoes on the History Channel which can interview survivors. Engaging, well done, although undoubtedly too sedate for many.