Castle; Cathedral

These two award-winning programs by artist and author David Macauley show viewers what life was like in both a medieval castle and cathedral. Available in both a half-hour animated and full-length version (combining animation and live-action), the unabridged version is the preferred choice. In Castle, the fictional, but historically accurate, animated account of the building of the Welsh castle at Aberwyvern is woven around live-action footage of Macauley and commentator Sarah Bullen touring the ruins of old castles. In addition to the meticulous detail about the actual castle construction, a wonderfully vivid portrait of medieval townlife with its various sights, sounds, and smells is recreated. In Cathedral, the same approach is taken to demonstrate the building of a cathedral: the fictional Notre Dame de Beaulieu, a representative French Gothic structure. Here, the emphasis is on the political chicanery inherent in the medieval papacy. Together with Caroline Berg, Macauley visits many of the famous cathedrals of Europe. In both programs, the attention to detail both in the narration and in the superb animation make these truly fascinating as well as entertaining programs suitable for the whole family. Both programs have won CINE Golden Eagle awards, among many others. Study guides included. Highly recommended for both public and school libraries. (See THE GHOST WRITER for availability.)