Inside The California Missions

Comprised of mostly static shots, this guide offers a rather dry accounting of the founding of the 21 California Missions. After a brief introduction explaining why the Spanish chose to build the missions (to expand Spanish influence, and convert the native peoples to Christianity), the program visits each of the missions, where we see the church, the grounds, and the living quarters. We learn about Father Junipero Serra and Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, the two 18th-century missionaries who, between them, founded 18 of the 21 missions. Unfortunately, the interviews with the mission historians are few and too abruptly terminated. In these brief snippets, the program occasionally comes alive. But the majority of the program's commentary comes from voiceover narration, and it's a killer. Someone who has obviously done time as a radio personality delivers the entire script in that annoying singsong voice which reporters use to describe the weather. It's thoroughly professional and just as thoroughly lifeless, placing strong emphasis on just about every other word, to the point where the ears glaze over, and you don't care what the guy's saying. The combination of the singsong voice and the static presentation of the subject matter are a deadly dull combination. I don't doubt that there is an exciting story to tell about the founding of the California Missions, but this isn't it. Viewers will see the missions and they'll hear the facts about each in a very straightforward perfunctory fashion. Libraries along the California coastline will want for regional interest; others may safely pass on this. (Available from: Cultural Videos Communications, 3741-B Portofino Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93105; (805) 563-1866.)