THE QUEEN
Available to U.S. Audiences for the First Time with DVD Release
On October 5, 2010
Silver Spring, MD — Featuring performances from five top British actresses each playing the queen in a different decade, The Queen debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on October 5, 2010 (www.AcornOnline.com; $39.99). Available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release, this groundbreaking and provocative new, five-part miniseries features dramatizations mixed with documentary footage and interviews to reveal Queen Elizabeth II as never seen before. At pivotal moments in her reign from 1955 to 2005, the queen is portrayed by: Emilia Fox (Silent Witness), Samantha Bond (GoldenEye), Susan Jameson (New Tricks), Barbara Flynn (Cracker), and Diana Quick (Brideshead Revisited).
Elizabeth Windsor rose to the throne in 1952 and has been Queen of the United Kingdom ever since. She has reigned over turbulent times. Social upheavals, cash problems, civil unrest, and family woes have challenged her spirit, her principles, and her resolve. This five-part British series blends dramatized scenes behind palace doors with documentary footage and new interviews with royal insiders, including biographers, journalists, government officials, palace staff, and a former Archbishop of Canterbury.
The series includes guest appearances by Peter Davison (The Last Detective), Simon Williams (Upstairs, Downstairs), and Philip Jackson (Poirot), and exceptional production values, with costuming and set design perfectly reflecting each era of the queen’s nearly 60-year reign. The Queen aired on the UK’s Channel 4 in 2009 and has yet to air in the U.S.
Episode 1: Sisters
Head of the church as well as the state, the young queen (Emilia Fox) is torn. Her sister, Princess Margaret, is in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend, a dashing, divorced royal servant. The queen wants her sister to be happy, but she knows her duty.
Episode 2: Us and Them
The royal family’s popularity is at an all-time low. Nearly half of England wants to do away with the monarchy altogether. The queen (Samantha Bond) must ask for a pay raise, the IRA makes threats, and Princess Anne is nearly kidnapped.
Episode 3: The Rivals
In 1986, the Commonwealth has its first female prime minister, and the queen (Susan Jameson) is not amused. Mrs. Thatcher opposes Her Majesty on almost everything, especially sanctions against apartheid in South Africa.
Episode 4: The Enemy Within
Andrew and Fergie split, and Charles and Diana’s mounting troubles are tabloid fodder. In November, Windsor Castle is badly damaged by fire. For the queen (Barbara Flynn), 1992 is the worst year of her life—her annus horribilis.
Episode 5: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Camilla?
The queen (Diana Quick) is in no hurry to welcome Camilla Parker Bowles into the royal family. For Prince Charles, being with the woman he really loves is nonnegotiable. The ultimate survivor and pragmatist, the queen finally accepts the marriage.
Street: October 5, 2010 SRP: $39.99
DVD 2-Disc Set: 5 Episodes – Approx. 238 min. – SDH subtitles
New BBC documentary explores fascinating, forgotten African history;
LOST KINGDOMS OF AFRICA
Available to U.S. Audiences for the First Time with DVD Release
On October 5, 2010 from Athena
“A stunning sight” –The Times
Silver Spring, MD — Featuring four epic journeys into ancient Africa’s art and culture, Lost Kingdoms of Africa debuts on DVD on October 5, 2010 from documentary specialist Athena. Prominent art historian Dr. Gus Casely-Hayford journeys to Africa’s “lost” lands to uncover the continents hidden past. Unlike most documentaries on Africa, this eye-opening, four-part series provides a new look at Africa outside of Egypt and on Ethiopia, Nubia, Great Zimbabwe, and West Africa. Their ancient civilizations feature mysterious cities, magnificent ruins, remarkable artwork, and tragic histories. Lost Kingdoms of Africa was broadcast on UK’s BBC4 in May 2010 but is available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release (DVD 2-Vol., $49.99, www.AthenaLearning.com).
Now home to a billion people, Africa produced powerful art, stunning architecture, and vibrant cultures long before the first Europeans arrived. Join Dr. Casely-Hayford as he investigates the continent’s great “forgotten” civilizations. Visit the spectacular monuments of Nubia, explore the mysterious ruins of Great Zimbabwe, and discover the art and technology of ancient Benin. See magnificent Ethiopian monasteries carved out of solid rock, and hear spellbinding stories drawn from the silent objects of the past.
This four-part series reaches back, long before written history, to expose realms that rivaled Egypt, buildings as inspiring as medieval cathedrals, and art that still speaks to us across the centuries. Most of all, the series casts new light on a long-neglected part of our world’s cultural heritage.
Episode 1: Nubia
Episode 2: Ethiopia
Episode 3: Great Zimbabwe
Episode 4: West Africa
British art historian and trustee of the U.K.’s National Portrait Gallery, Dr. Gus Casely-Hayford has presented several documentaries on African culture and acted as an arts consultant for the United Nations.
BONUS FEATURES
• 16-page viewer’s guide includes questions to consider; stories about the mysteries of Meroë, Great Zimbabwe, and the kingdom of Benin; Ethiopia and the Rastafari movement; and much more.
• Biographies of prominent precolonial Africans
• Profiles of Sudan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria today
Street: October 5, 2010 SRP: $49.99
DVD 2-Vol. Boxed Set: 4 episodes – Approx. 216 min. – SDH subtitles
Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming. Athena’s releases include Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers, Playing Shakespeare, Hitler’s Bodyguard, The Story of Math, World War I in Color, Venice Revealed, Monarchy: The Complete Series, Testament, The Adventure of English, The Shape of the World, The Roman Invasion of Britain, and Six Centuries of Verse.
Roman Britain comes alive in a new, captivating documentary
THE ROMAN INVASION OF BRITAIN
Debuts on DVD from Athena on October 5, 2010
Rome’s daring conquest and occupation of ancient Britain;
Presented by Bettany Hughes
Silver Spring, MD — The captivating story of Britain’s first empire, The Roman Invasion of Britain debuts on DVD from Athena on October 5, 2010. The new, three-part documentary illuminates a little-known but pivotal period in British and Roman history. Through interviews with noted historians and meticulous reenactments, historian Bettany Hughes (When the Moors Ruled in Europe) presents the scheming politicians, beleaguered generals, and fiery revolutionaries who conquered and colonized Britain in the first century CE. The Roman Invasion of Britain premiered on the UK’s History Channel in July 2010 and has yet to air in the U.S. ($29.99, www.AthenaLearning.com).
Motivated by an emperor’s greed and political ambition, Rome added Britain to its empire in the first century CE, changing the land and its people forever. Bettany Hughes examines new research and the latest archaeological evidence to reveal the brutal realities of the Roman conquest. The series dramatizes important politicians, generals, and revolutionaries—including Queen Boudicca, the wronged woman who mobilized her people for a bloody and tragic revolt.
Packed with drama and detail, this absorbing series reveals how a nation sprang from 400 years of subjugation.
Episodes: Onslaught, Revolt, and Dominion
Oxford-educated author and historian Bettany Hughes has presented historical documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. She serves on the Innovation Programs Committee of the U.K.’s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Acorn Media also released two other acclaimed documentaries from Hughes on DVD; When the Moors Ruled in Europe in June 2008 and The Minotaur’s Island in October 2008.
BONUS FEATURES
• 12-page viewer’s guide with timeline, questions to consider, history of Rome’s failed British invasions, background on Roman and Celtic weaponry, biography of Roman historian Tacitus, and an essay on daily life in ancient Britain
• Extended interviews with historians and bonus footage (14 min.)
• Biographies of major figures in the Roman conquest of Britain
Street: October 5, 2010 SRP: $29.99
DVD Single: 3 episodes – Approx. 138 min. – SDH subtitles
