Link to In the footsteps of Alexander the Great (episode 3) documentary
Documentary Description
British filmmaker Michael Wood embarks on an idiosyncratic journey of
20,000 miles tracing the expedition of Alexander the Great in this
captivating documentary. Relying on the words of Greek and Roman
historians, Wood sought to follow Alexander's route of world conquest as
closely as possible, and it is simply amazing how much folklore about
the great general he is able to pick up on the way. Beginning in Greece
and proceeding through 16 countries, including Turkey, Israel, Egypt,
Iran, Afghanistan, and India, Wood listens intently to local
storytellers who are still passing down the legends of Alexander. In
one fascinating segment, Wood is barred from entering Iraq, but he is
able to view the terrain on which Alexander's troops faced the Persians
by scanning the radar screens of an American AWACS plane patrolling high
above. In the course of his travels, Wood passes through four war zones
and he notes that strategic regions of Alexander's day are still "on
the fault lines of history." This is a lengthy production, clocking in
at almost four hours, but the relaxed pace is a virtue, as Woods and the
people he meets along the way, from local storytellers to noted
historians, pass along an amazing array of historical knowledge. Lovers
of history will find this documentary to be a joy and may well find
themselves savoring every mile of Alexander's great journey
