RHODES: THE LIFE & LEGEND OF CECIL RHODES (BBC, 1999) All hail the Great Elephant, when he walks the ground trembles, when he speaks the heavens roar This historical miniseries tells the story of the life and times of Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902). Its script is full of action, adventure, boldness, intrigue and tragedy. This is an epic work, with an outstanding cast and musical score to match. Perfect for those who still appreciate a good historical show. Some criticism, the last two hours which cover the years 1895-1902 and include events such as the disastrous Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896), the Second Matabele War, (March 1896 – October 1897) and the Second Boer War (11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902) fly by in a blur which makes the pacing very uneven for those last important moments, overall this is a very good adaptation of the book Cecil Rhodes, man and empire-maker (1918) which was written by Cecil Rhodes stalker the Princess Catherine Radziwiłł (1858–1941). There are also just a few very minor historical glitches that should not be held against the work. Martin Shaw is superb at portraying a complex man and displaying a range of emotions without bias that draws out emotion in viewers. I found myself hating Rhodes and feeling sorry for Rhodes. But one cannot overlook the contributions of the other members of the cast, Ken Stott is just as stellar as Barney Barnato, Rhodes business partner and sometimes financial backer. Washingon Xisolos portrayal of the Ndeble(aka Matabele) chief Lobungula is also another major contribution that stands out amongst the other members of this fantastic cast. While it maybe easy for some viewers to quickly write off Rhodes the man as racist,egotistical, greedy, imperialist monster, who was probably gay. This is a man who stamped his legacy all over the ideological map with his creation of the Rhodes Scholarship which has seeded the public discourse of the last 100+ years with people influenced by his vision of a united Anglo-Germanic-American empire based on the British model of oligarchism through stealth. That said what happened to the Rothschilds in this story? They practically financed the entire Scramble for Africa. What happened to Rhodes creating the secret Society of the Elect that according to mainstream historian Dr. Carroll Quigley tried to, and may indeed still be trying to take over the world. These things are at least hinted at in the script, and so the show is still worth watching. Full mini-series via a YouTube Playlist -> https://youtube/playlist?list=PLf3XUTE_PeoCviR0FXxIH33AvZwCLoHIp
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:07:26 +0000
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