In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: With Michael Wood

     So, for my first review I'm going right to the heart of the matter: the presenter that got me interested in documentaries in the first place, and with one of his (and possibly of all-time) best documentary series. (my father also played a big part in my love of documentaries as well)

  I'm talking about the maestro himself: Michael Wood.

  Besides David Attenborough, Michael Wood was absolutely instrumental in fostering my love for documentaries. He weaves an incredibly compelling tale and has a sense of wonder and compassion that most lose in their childhood. His passion for his subjects and the way he has a reverence for the cultures he's visiting (without getting too preachy) puts him in the running for one of the best documentary presenters of all time. I'd watch him read a phone book; and in some instances it's come very close. Going through 400 yr old tax records while looking for any written record of William Shakespeare and his family; it sounds about as uninteresting as one could think to watch on television. But, he does so in such a way that it reads like poetry. But enough gushing about the man himself, let's get to one of the Best Documentary Series Ever: "In the Footsteps Of Alexander the Great"

 (Again, in my humble opinion)

Overview:

  The Documentary is a four-part series, with a runtime of about an hour each episode. Produced by the BBC, it sends Michael Wood on a voyage of discovery; retracing the steps of the titular character nearly twenty thousand miles in all. He does this in whatever manner necessary; whether it be on camel, foot, jeep, boat, allied air forces; whatever moves him towards his end goal. He lets the locals who still weave tales of the conqueror into song, poem or cautionary tales, take the spotlight so you get a full understanding of how Alexander was (and is STILL) viewed by the peoples and places he's touched and has had a lasting impact upon. He visits many places that are miraculously still there (and many that aren't) and lets the landscape speak for itself wherever possible. He tells of how he left many a number of cities he had conquered to carry his name: "Alexandria." You can feel the excitement of the men, through Michael's own excitement and expert narration, and feel the palpable sense of wonder they felt as they (and Michael) saw new lands and cultures beyond anything they'd yet experienced. Alexander's main goal was to break the soul of the Persian empire while looting and plundering, with promises of riches and spoils for all his men. And that they did; he led them from the front; forming a bond with his men that meant they'd follow him to Hades and back if necessary.

   As the series progresses, you begin to sense that Alexander became enamored with his own mythos and believed himself to be chosen to bring the known world (and more) to heel. Wounded many times but never taken out of the fight, he believed he was protected by the gods on this errand, and wasn't about to let the grumbles of a few malcontents in his ranks stand in his way of conquest and empire building. In one of the most memorable segments, Michael stops for a brief moment in a town frozen in time since Alexander's invasion. The Kalash People of Pakistan; an oddity in their own right; they are polytheists in the Muslim Majority country of Pakistan. Their blue eyes and blond hair are said to be directly tied to a number of Alexander's men who decided that this mountain paradise was the end of the line for them, and so married into the community, leaving the fighting life behind.

  Then on through the Khyber pass, where even today as in the time of Alexander, is highly contested and fought over. By the time Michael reaches India, where Alexander ultimately was pressured by his men to turn around, you can sense the weariness in Michael as you would his men; some of whom by then had been with him on this campaign for over a decade. Finally relenting and acquiescing to his men, he called for a fleet to be made so they could sail home. But, it was not to be. As they reached Babylon, Alexander fell ill, possibly from Malaria, possibly from poisoning; (intentionally or unintentionally as a root commonly used as a purgative (it was thought that you could vomit out your illness at that time) was used and continuously called for by Alexander himself) Michael does an excellent job of weighing all sides of the story and presenting Alexander as a deeply troubled and complex man; one obsessed with glory, and firm in the belief that he was invincible. He doesn't make you pick a side, he merely presents the facts as they are.  He questions some of his more audacious moves, ponders aloud as to why he did what he did, when he did it, and leaves it as an almost tragic and melancholy tale of hubris and wonton destruction. He doesn't mince words and leaves the viewer to draw their own conclusions without leading them on.

Which, for my money, is why Michael Wood is one of the best documentarians  ever.

I give the series a 5/5.

It's easily in my top ten documentaries of all time.