Great Commanders, The (6 Parts)

Synopsis

Looks at the lives and achievements of famous military personalities to investigate the nature of leadership. Filmed on location and illustrated with material from international archives and museums, each programme centres on one pivotal battle, returning to the battlefield and using computer-generated 3-D animation to show the skills that made each of these men a great commander.
1: Alexander the Great’s campaign against the Persians from 334 BC led him from northern Greece throughout Asia Minor as far as the borders of India before his death at the age of 32. This programme focuses on the Battle of Issus and shows how the Macedonian king’s small army crushed the massed forces of the Persian empire.
2: Caesar was a scheming politician who used his military skills to dominate Rome. At the Battle of Alesia, heavily outnumbered and under attack from both sides, he secured a victory that led to Roman domination of Western Europe.
3: Horatio Nelson, a vain and insubordinate man, came to be respected after his brilliant strategy at Trafalgar.
4: Re-examines the battle of Austerlitz in which Russian and Austrian armies considered themselves invincible, but were into a trap that led to Napoleon’s most glorious victory.
5: Ulysses S Grant was appointed general-in-chief of the Union army in March 1864 and within months defeated the Confederate troops led by General Robert E Lee in a battle that has subsequently been called the first day of modern warfare.
6: As Stalin’s commander, Georgi Zukhov not only forced force the Germans out of the Soviet Union, but pushed them back to the outskirts of Berlin itself. Using archive footage, the programme examines how Zukhov met an impossible deadline to raise the Red flag over Berlin.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of production

1993

Notes

Broadcast on Channel 4 weekly from 21 Nov 1993.

Subjects

History

Keywords

Alexander the Great; American civil war; Austro-Hungarian Empire; Caesar, Julius; Grant, Ulysses S; leadership skills; military history; Napoleon Bonaparte; Nelson, Horatio; World War II; Zhukov, Georgi

Credits

Director

Phil Grabsky

Producer

Phil Grabsky

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 0 PAL

Price

£40.00

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

270 minutes

Year

2015

Sections

Title

Alexander the Great and the battle of Issus

Synopsis

1: Alexander the Great's campaign against the Persians from 334 BC led him from northern Greece throughout Asia Minor as far as the borders of India before his death at the age of 32. This programme focuses on the Battle of Issus and shows how the Macedon

Title

Julius Caesar and the battle of Alesia

Synopsis

2: Caesar was a scheming politician who used his military skills to dominate Rome. At the Battle of Alesia, heavily outnumbered and under attack from both sides, he secured a victory that led to Roman domination of Western Europe.

Title

Nelson and the battle of Tragalfar

Synopsis

3: Horatio Nelson, a vain and insubordinate man, came to be respected after his brilliant strategy at Trafalgar.

Title

Napoleon Bonaparte and the battle of Austerlitz

Synopsis

4: Re-examines the battle of Austerlitz in which Russian and Austrian armies considered themselves invincible, but were into a trap that led to Napoleon's most glorious victory.

Title

Ulysses S Grant: the battle of the Wilderness

Synopsis

5: Ulysses S Grant was appointed general-in-chief of the Union army in March 1864 and within months defeated the Confederate troops led by General Robert E Lee in a battle that has subsequently been called the first day of modern warfare.

Title

Georgi Zukhov: the battle of Berlin

Synopsis

6: As Stalin's commander, Georgi Zukhov not only forced force the Germans out of the Soviet Union, but pushed them back to the outskirts of Berlin itself. Using archive footage, the programme examines how Zukhov met an impossible deadline to raise the Red

Production Company

Name

Seventh Art Productions

Email

info@seventh-art.co.uk

Web

http://www.seventh-art.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

01273 777678

Address

63 Ship Street
Brighton
BN1 1AE

Notes

Seventh Art specialises in producing television programmes and films on history and the arts, under the direction of award-winning documentary filmmaker Phil Grabsky. There are several series on aspects of the history of art, presented by Tim Marlow, as well as programmes on the life and work of Mozart and Beethoven and figures from ancient and more recent history such as Nero and Nelson. Sale on DVD.

Sponsor

Name

Channel Four Television

Phone

071-396 4444

Address

LONDON
SW1P 2TX