What children's or reference librarian hasn't been approached by a determined child looking for everything about castles: their structure, purpose, the types of weapons used in their defense, and--most importantly--the lowdown behind those stories of gory torture chambers. While a number of outstanding books exist on this subject, this program will take viewers on an incredibly realistic tour of all kinds of castles throughout Europe. Combining on-location footage, artwork, and recreations, Castles of War brings to life the customs, costumes, armaments, discipline and daily life of these medieval strongholds. The DVD includes the bonus program Castles of Fear (for those torture chamber fans) and a glossary of weaponry used during sieges. Suitable for a wide variety of audiences, there's enough (fake) blood and guts here to keep students interested, enough information to make teachers happy, and enough architectural wonder on display to appeal to travelers planning a European vacation. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Carlson)
Castles of War
(2000) 90 min. VHS: 2 videocassettes, $24.98; DVD: $19.98. BFS Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-7792-5225-X (dvd). Volume 17, Issue 3
Castles of War
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