Wrath of the Tsar

As part of my research for my current book project, I ordered a National Geographic dvd through interlibrary loan. It is called Wrath of the Tsar and is part of their Icons of Power series.

The 90 minute program is accurate and entertaining, if a little melodramatic at times. The life of Peter the Great needs no special effort at all to add color, action, and conflict! I think that some of the overblown feeling came from the repetition that occurs at the places where there were breaks for commercials. The producers also use the conflict between Peter and his son, Alexei, as the central defining relationship throughout the story. It works okay but sometimes it seems a little stretched, as if adding too much modern analysis to this late 17th/early 18th century tale.

The relationship between Peter and his son is one of the aspects of his life that is open to much interpretation and the actual cause of death of Alexei is shrouded in some mystery. Some materials will claim out and out that Peter had him murdered, while others attempt to document that Alexei was punished severely for traitorous acts and died as a result of the floggings.

There is an interactive history timeline that is basically a summary of the program. All in all, I found the casting and settings, as well as the use of art being interspersed, rather effective and the end result quite interesting. Keep in mind that any portrayal of Peter the Great has to include beheadings, battles, tortures, inquisitions and other unpleasantries so that needs to be considered for age appropriateness.