Legends of the Isles

How do you beat the popularity of videos about the Irish or the English? Simple, combine them. Anglophiles and the sons and daughters of Erin will find much to appreciate in this 12-part (on 6 tapes) series which looks at the legends (and underlying facts) of warriors, saints, kings, and the wee folk of the British Isles. We watched the episode on Merlin, a.k.a. King Arthur's special-effects man, a stylish chronicle which traces the legend and speculates on the possibility that the real Merlin was actually the last of the Druids. While the narration occasionally lays on the cheese (i.e., "Is Merlin waiting to return?" Stupid question. You can see him and the rest of the round table gang at Las Vegas' Excalibur Hotel just about anytime), the otherwise solid production values, interesting subjects and reasonable price for a boxed set--along with the likelihood of its being pretty popular--make this series strongly recommended. Other episodes include: Saint Patrick, The Warrior Queen, The Pirate Queen, The Holy Grail, Stonehenge, Richard the Lionheart and Fairies and Leprechauns. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)