Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color

The major selling point of the History channel's latest Civil War miniseries is its inclusion of colorized versions of around 500 black-and-white photographs from the period, including stills of key figures such as Lincoln and Lee, as well as shots of buildings and battlefields. Although the process has vastly improved since it was employed years ago to colorize older films, the outcome is still somewhat based on speculation, and one could argue that the results lack the haunting quality of the originals, especially when bloodied corpses are involved. But these images actually represent only a fraction of the content of this two-part series, which basically offers a straightforward chronological account of the War Between the States from its origins through its aftermath during Reconstruction. Also included are archival materials such as handwritten documents and artwork, as well as numerous modern re-enactments, sober narration, and excerpts from talking-head interviews with writers, academicians, and other commentators, including retired U.S. generals Colin Powell and David Petraeus, comedian-commentator Ben Stein, and Richard Dreyfuss, who is here identified as “actor and historian.” The result is a solid series that offers nothing new in terms of interpretation but provides a competent account of the conflict that tore the United States apart and still continues to affect the national psyche. And while not quite as revelatory as the promotional materials suggest, the enhanced photos do provide some intriguing glimpses of the time. Extras include bonus featurettes. Recommended. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)