Greece: Secrets of the Past

On the big IMAX screen, Greg MacGillivray's Greece: Secrets of the Past—part fancy travelogue and part rudimentary history lesson—might have been impressive, but on the small screen its flaws are more glaring. Narrated by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), the film features spectacular aerial shots of Athens and the Aegean region, as well as an effective computer-generated reconstruction of the Parthenon, but scenes in which ancient bas-reliefs literally come to life seem more silly than instructive, while the historical material is uneven. The segments presented by archaeologist Christos Doumas dealing with the excavations on the island of Santorini that provide evidence of ancient Minoan culture are solid and informative, but those about classical Athens are very sketchy, and the effort to link the two parts together comes across as simplistic in the extreme. So Greece: Secrets of the Past is a mixed bag: as an introduction to ancient Aegean civilization it leaves much to be desired, but it does feature some breathtaking visuals for armchair travelers. DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette, a montage of shots from the film that can be played without sound or with a music track, a historical timeline of ancient Greek history, a director's bio, and a quiz. Optional. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)