Civilisations 

Nine-part series telling the story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day, for the first time on a global scale. It is now nearly half a century since Kenneth Clark's ... See full summary »

Stars:

Liev Schreiber, Simon Schama, Maya Jasanoff

Cast

Series cast summary:
Liev Schreiber	...	Narrator 9 episodes, 2018
Simon Schama	...	Himself - Presenter 4 episodes, 2018
Maya Jasanoff	...	Herself - Harvard University / ... 4 episodes, 2018

Storyline

Nine-part series telling the story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day, for the first time on a global scale. It is now nearly half a century since Kenneth Clark's series Civilisation thrilled audiences with its authoritative interpretation of the glories of Western art. Inspired by that groundbreaking program, this new series of Civilisations introduces a new generation to the great masterworks of beauty, ingenuity and illumination created across the continents. It explores the visual culture of societies from around the globe, revealing alongside the magnificent objects made in the West the wealth of treasures created by other cultures, from the landscape scrolls of classical China and the sculpture of the Olmecs to African bronzes, Japanese prints and Mughal miniatures. Told by three presenters, each bringing their own skills and perspectives to the series - Simon Schama, Mary Beard and David Olusoga.

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 2018 (UK)

Also Known As:

Civilisationens rötter

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Nutopia

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Good Morning Britain: Episode dated 27 April 2018 (2018)

User Reviews

Adjective word salad

Was surprised that Civilizations was only about art. Well, OK. I'm still curious.

Some of the segments were first rate. A special treat was the firework canvas by Cai Guo Qiang -- whose work is explored in more detail in "Sky Ladder".

After a while I started to fast forward through the host, who's rhetoric would veer towards a word salad of effusive adjectives.

Tis a shame, because many of the people interviewed had interesting insights about art history. But, I had to bail on the over-the-top host.