Pyramid

After the triumphs of Castle and Cathedral, we looked forward to Pyramid, and were reasonably happy with the content, but a little disappointed at the animation, which made the previous two efforts, especially Cathedral, a joy to watch. In the live action segments, author David Macaulay presents an overview of the social and political ideas which governed Egyptian society circa 2500 B.C. In one particularly amusing story, he describes the ancient practice of eating human organs to increase the qualities associated with those parts of the body. Since the Egyptians had no idea what the brain was for, they simply threw it away. On location shots of the great pyramids are interwoven with the rather flatly animated story of Khufu and his family, whose internal squabblings eventually result in the good son rising to take the throne. Somewhere along the way a couple of pyramids are built too. A lesser achievement than its predecessors, Pyramid is nevertheless head and shoulders above most educational material aimed at young audiences. It is therefore recommended for larger collections. (See THE GREAT AMERICAN EXPERIENCE for availability.)