The Dark Ages
The Dark Ages reflects the “dramatization” style of history documentary popular on the History Channel. Much of the screen time consists on cinematic recreations of people and events in the past, using some lavish sets and costumes on an impressively large scale. To reinforce the film’s characterization of this “dark” period, many of these recreated scenes are cloudy, bleak, and rainy. Their visceral impact is mixed: Particular emphasis is placed on the battle scenes, yet these are usually too small scale, close-up, and slowed-down to be truly persuasive. The recreations feature no dialogue, though the characters are seen speaking and at times languages (usually Latin) can be faintly heard in the background. Virtually all information is provided through voice-over narration. The film frequently employs a small number of medieval historians as on-screen commentators. Sometimes they offer nuanced analysis, but more often their comments reinforce the script’s simplified, pejorative generalizations about the early Middle Ages.
At a total running time of around 90 minutes, The Dark Ages might prove difficult to use in whole in typical high school or college history classes. However, there really is no reason the film needs to be watched in whole. It is cleanly divided into separate segments that can be watched independently of the other segments. Furthermore, it should be noted that the documentary focuses heavily on violence and gruesome death in the period, and its recreations do not shy away from blood. Educators who teach grades below high school may not find this documentary age-appropriate. Scott Metzger Pennsylvania State University sam59@psu.edu
