Cathedral 1985 Hosted by David Macaulay
April 6, 2009 by Stained Glass Crafting · Leave a Comment
Cathedral 1985 Hosted by David Macaulay
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars have fun while you learn
Outstanding! I have been using this video for years in my math classes. I wore one copy out and ordered another. It has animation mixed in so it keeps the students’ interest. I learned a lot about the politics and architecture of the middle ages.
4 Stars Enter the medieval mindset
Some background information first, to place my review in context. I have studied medieval history, have conducted surveys of medieval churches, and have even written about aspects of medieval history of my home town. So I approached this DVD with some trepidation and curiosity.
This 60-minute DVD commences with an animated sequence showing the imaginary old cathedral of Notre Dame de Beaulieu in northern France being destroyed by fire in the year 1214. `Oh dear’, I thought, what have I let myself in for? But I had no need to worry. This is a marvellous production, with all the learning and integrity that PBS brings to its documentaries.
The programme focuses on the cathedrals of northern France - Chartres, Reims, Amiens, Bourges, Paris, Laon and Rennes all appear - and is presented by David Macaulay and Caroline Berg. (They are good, but have an annoying habit of addressing each other rather than the viewer.) They explain how the new Gothic style was distinguished by its greater height, its stone vaults and its walls of glass. They also quote and visit Abbot Suger’s visionary works at the abbey of Saint-Denis, just north of Paris (although more recent academic work - this DVD was made in 1985 - has shown that postulated that Suger was really more of a traditionalist).
There are good graphic explanations on-screen of these changes in architecture and their effects, of how walls of glass, for example, had to be supported by piers of greater solidity, to compensate for the now-missing stone. The problem of the subsequent lack of internal volume that this entailed was solved by transferring the support away from the internal piers, which could now be more slender, outside through flying buttresses. The pinnacles on top of these are not there for purely decorative purposes, but also add weight and solidity to the structure.
Meanwhile, the interspersed animated sequences are extensive and continue throughout the programme, giving a good idea of the religious, financial, economic and social background to the construction of such mighty cathedrals. (The voices will be familiar, as they include such luminaries as Derek Jacobi and Brian Blessed.) The role of relics and pilgrimages is considered, as well as where the stone and timber came from to build these medieval skyscrapers, how the work paid for, and how it was organised. Details of how stained glass and tracery in rose windows are covered, as are the types of new sculpture supplied, how the roofs were erected and the stone vaulting was set, and the bells cast. The DVD also highlights the necessary economy in the use of stone.
As cathedrals competed to go higher and higher, there was bound to be a disaster waiting to happen. The collapse of the 150-foot high nave at Beauvais is shown in an aerial shot. Indeed, the aerial shots of the other cathedrals are excellent too, if a little short in length on screen. (But, hey, that’s what’s the pause button’s for!)
Overall, I was very impressed with this DVD, which more than met my expectations. Much was already known, but much also was new to me, for example how the stone vaults were put in place. This programme makes a serious attempt at entering the medieval mindset in which religion and the church took centre-stage. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the medieval period of western civilisation or with an interest in gothic art and architecture.
5 Stars McCauley’s Cathedral
I love this DVD–the cartoon accompanied with the on location art history lesson about Medieval architecture is wonderful. It was just something I felt I should own.
5 Stars Delightful
As I’ve seen with other David Macaulay books brought to the small screen—Castle, Pyramid, Roman Town—Cathedral, another childhood favorite of mine, encapsulates a certain joyful magic as it brings its fact-filled story to life. Telling of the construction of a great Gothic cathedral in France during the high point of the era of faith, Cathedral interspaces live action shots set at Chartres and other notable Medieval sites, with affectionately drawn animation that lets us become eyewitnesses to the creation of a monumental work of architecture. Hosted by the author himself and narrated by Derek Jacobi, Cathedral is a rare delight.
5 Stars Captures an age
This is still one of the best ways to understand the spirit of the cathedral age. I loved watching it as a child and was very happy to be able to buy it for my son. The cartoon style is similar to the original Hobbit movie and allows a dramatic description of the inner workings of a cathedral. Every age group will learn something and I highly recommend it for people planning a trip to Western Europe because it gives you a better appreciation for what you see.
Chartres Cathedral A Sacred Geometry
April 6, 2009 by Stained Glass Crafting · Leave a Comment
Chartres Cathedral A Sacred Geometry
“…a fascinating introduction to the cathedral and the meaning of its sculpture and glass. The program is highly recommended.”
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars I second what Matt wrote
I just want to add my five star vote. The reviewer “Matt” has said it well enough.
5 Stars An hour well spent
This is not a straight historical movie, so if that is what you are looking for as a viewer, then this may not be the best movie to watch. It is beautifully done. The camera work is high-quality, the narration is easy to follow, and the objective and subjective qualities of such a monument to faith are well covered. There are many topics covered about Christianity, but also how the cathedral was built with the 7 scared chakras in mind. Overall it is a very interesting documentry.
2 Stars New Age documentary
The photography is good. Some of the architectural explanations–the sheer mysteries of Chartres–were fascinating. But much of the rest is inane babble, featuring discussions of reaching silence, finding the self, and arriving at the center of the labyrinth. New Age thought receives more attention than Catholic Christianity and the Middle Ages. We even get a lecture on the similarities between the architecture and Hinduism! In short, this film was worth neither the time nor the money.
2 Stars Big Disappointment
This is a bit of a muddle. Not professionally written or reported–there is no hypothesis, no facts, no linear thinking that takes the viewer through the evidence to arrive at a conclusion. Don’t waste your time or money on this one.
5 Stars An hour well spent at Chartres
I will be visiting France and Chartres on a pilgrimage in May. I got the DVD in anticipation of that.
I felt compelled to write this review in support of the DVD after seeing a couple of very negative and false reviews posted here. They said that the DVD did not present the history of Chartres Cathedral - IT DID! They said too much time was spent with the narrator - Wrong!! There were several narrators and guides, all giving wonderful insights into aspects of the Cathedral.
As one of the narrators/guides/authors (Malcolm Miller) pointed out; entering Chartres is like entering a library. You shouldn’t expect to be able to read all the books in the library in one visit. Chartres is a visual library, and it too can’t be read and absorbed in one visit, particularly just 60 minutes in a DVD. The DVD, did an excellent job in the time it had, and left me wanting more. I appreciated the preview this gave for my visit.
Glass with Vicki Payne Professional Soldering Techniques
April 6, 2009 by Stained Glass Crafting · Leave a Comment
Glass with Vicki Payne Professional Soldering Techniques
Vicki Payne shows you just how easy it is to master the art of soldering. Learn to solder copper foil panels, brass and lead came windows, reinforce sun catcher and more. Learn how to select and maintain your soldering equipment, which solders to use for specific projects. How to solder a perfect bead on all widths of copper foil and how to create a smooth, even solder joint on lead and brass came windows. Important safety and health information is included in this high acclaimed DVD. This is the best selling stained glass DVD ever released. 60 mins. DVD
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Very general video - Doesn’t cover all the questions
I was disappointed in this video because it didn’t cover a lot of the questions I have about soldering - how to keep my tip clean (use of sponge, use of a sal ammonic block), how to tin my tip, etc. Instead, Payne just covers the act of soldering. She also moves very quickly and doesn’t always explain what she means, which makes it a little confusing. I was looking for a a video course in copper-foil soldering and this did not really explain to me how to correct the issues I’m having with my own soldering. While it was helfpul to see someone in the act of soldering, I didn’t get $30 worth of advice from the video.
4 Stars EXcellent for the beginner
This is the first time I have seen Vicki Payne. I learned to do stained glass many years ago when I lived in Tucson. I bought this video a year or so ago when I was considering getting getting back into the hobby to do a couple of special pieces for friends but I never got around to watching it.
Frankly, my soldering technique was never that good and recently, when I had to do some soldering for a metal project I remembered this video and decided to watch it. The video is relatively short, but, how much can you really say about soldering. The summary on Amazon is a little overblown in regards to safety. OK, you should work in a vented place and never leave your soldering iron laying around.
The discussion of types of solder and when to use it was good. A couple of handy hints on flux were also of value.
What I really liked was the recommendations on spot soldering and the visual demo of came and foil soldering technique. I also picked up some tips on soldering brass which was what I was really looking for. I guess that I am one of those people that learns better by seeing it done.
I gave the video a 4 because it told me exactly what I wanted to know. Production technique was OK and Vicki was easy to understand.
Could it have been done in 10 minutes and would the info all fit on one sheet of paper? yes. Would I have learned as much? No! Was it too expensive for what you get? Probably, but you do pay a premium for experience. Will it win any awards? No. Will I try another of her videos? Probably.
3 Stars ok dvd
For this actor this is good. I personally do not like her but this time she is at least informative. Not as bad as her other videos. Would not necessarily recommend it but for basic info sure go for it.
Solder Magic Creative Uses of Solder in Stained Glass Art
April 6, 2009 by Stained Glass Crafting · Leave a Comment
Solder Magic Creative Uses of Solder in Stained Glass Art
Kay Bain Weiner
A Stained Glass Christmas with Heavenly Carols Widescreen Blu ray
April 6, 2009 by Stained Glass Crafting · Leave a Comment
A Stained Glass Christmas with Heavenly Carols Widescreen Blu ray
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (summit) Release Date: 07/09/2008 Rating: Nr
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Great subject, bad video production
I’ve been video production for some 40 years, I’ve seen a lot! The stained windows themselves and the churches they are in are great, but the production used to show them made me cringe. Zoom, after zoom with no rhyme or reason. No thought as to pacing of the shots, or length of any of them.
Just when we got in close to a window that really looked interesting, we were whisked away to another, leaving me saying, “wait, I wanted to look at that!” Many of the church interiors looked interesting, but we we only caught glimpses of them - not long enough to digest what were were seeing.
Yes, the technical quality was great, and the music fine, but I stopped the video before it was finished. Someday I’ll go back and try to get through it all. So sad…
5 Stars Holiday delight!
This DVD is PERFECT. Anyone who loves Christmas and holiday music, this DVD is definately one to own! It’s fantastic to listen to, to get into the holiday spirit! The quality of sound and picture is amazing. This would also make a great gift for the holidays as well.
4 Stars Wonderful
This Blu-Ray video is a wonderful sampling of stained glass from various churches in the midwest USA. The accompaning music is perfect for the holidays and of course the messaih can be played at any time.
The only aspect of the video that I was a little dissapointed abour was that they did not include a single piece of stained glass from Europe which has the great examples in the world.
1 Star Stained Glass Christmas with Heavenly Choirs
This DVD came in completely unusable. It wouldn’t play on any DVD player we had. It is definitely defective and I am too old to go through the motions of bringing it to the post office, mailing it back for a refund and paying the postage too. I just will never buy from any dealer on line except Amazon, New product to make sure I have an easier contact.
Lucy Friedman
5 Stars Stained Glass Christmas Blu-Ray Dvd
This Christmas dvd is top drawer. Incredible visuals of stained glass in churches, woven around traditional, warm, visions of homes decorated in beautiful colors that grab at your rememberances of Christmas` past. The sound is clear, clean, and powerful. The song versions hold true to the standards that we all know and love. No modernized, fast and loose with the melody versions that don`t give you that warm,peaceful feeling that this sacred holiday means to so many of us. If you want to get into the holiday sprit today and for many years to come, then buy this dvd. It will become one more of your traditions you celebrate with your family every year. Happy Holidays, Cheers!
