(Preliminary note : I watched this documentary in its French-language version.)
The documentary deals with the life and times of Jean-François Champollion, the French genius who succeeded in translating Egyptian hieroglyphs. His masterful discoveries have allowed us humans to peer back in time for thousands and thousands of years. The documentary points out that Jean-François had an older, much beloved brother who acted as his teacher, mentor and sparring partner. The two brothers maintained a busy correspondence, which was kept in the family's archives for generations. Nowadays, however, the correspondence has become the subject of scholarly analysis.
Travelling deep into Egypt, Jean-François Champollion had the singular pleasure of seeing all his linguistic hypotheses confirmed. Sadly, both the voyage down the Nile and the hard work involved undermined his health. Dying young - possibly as a result of picking up some exotic parasites - he left all of his scientific notes to his brother.
Before his death Jean-François Champollion convinced the Nation to buy important collections of ancient Egyptian art, becoming a highly influential curator in the process. Nowadays the Louvre museum, for instance, still organizes expositions honoring his work.
The documentary is a pleasant mix of learned comment, travelogue and animation. It was a good idea to use animation, given that many of the sights Champollion and his contemporaries witnessed (such as an Abou Simbel still partially submerged by sand) differ considerably from their modern-day version.
Note the appearance of the French description "un caractère bien trempé", which is often used as a euphemism for "a person so difficult that you would throw yourself in shark-infested waters in order to escape his presence". One wonders about the precise sense in which the expression was used...
Much recommended to all viewers interested in the study and rediscovery of ancient languages ; also much recommended to all viewers interested in French history, with an emphasis on the intellectual life during the Napoleonic period and its immediate aftermath.
The documentary deals with the life and times of Jean-François Champollion, the French genius who succeeded in translating Egyptian hieroglyphs. His masterful discoveries have allowed us humans to peer back in time for thousands and thousands of years. The documentary points out that Jean-François had an older, much beloved brother who acted as his teacher, mentor and sparring partner. The two brothers maintained a busy correspondence, which was kept in the family's archives for generations. Nowadays, however, the correspondence has become the subject of scholarly analysis.
Travelling deep into Egypt, Jean-François Champollion had the singular pleasure of seeing all his linguistic hypotheses confirmed. Sadly, both the voyage down the Nile and the hard work involved undermined his health. Dying young - possibly as a result of picking up some exotic parasites - he left all of his scientific notes to his brother.
Before his death Jean-François Champollion convinced the Nation to buy important collections of ancient Egyptian art, becoming a highly influential curator in the process. Nowadays the Louvre museum, for instance, still organizes expositions honoring his work.
The documentary is a pleasant mix of learned comment, travelogue and animation. It was a good idea to use animation, given that many of the sights Champollion and his contemporaries witnessed (such as an Abou Simbel still partially submerged by sand) differ considerably from their modern-day version.
Note the appearance of the French description "un caractère bien trempé", which is often used as a euphemism for "a person so difficult that you would throw yourself in shark-infested waters in order to escape his presence". One wonders about the precise sense in which the expression was used...
Much recommended to all viewers interested in the study and rediscovery of ancient languages ; also much recommended to all viewers interested in French history, with an emphasis on the intellectual life during the Napoleonic period and its immediate aftermath.
