Guns, Germs, and Steel

( 7 )

Overview

What caused some early civilizations to thrive and others to collapse? Which factors contribute positively to the survival of a people and what brings them to extinction? Author Jared Diamond examined this phenomenon in his best-selling book Guns, Germs, and Steel, and this documentary (produced for television by the National Geographic) brings his theories to the screen. The material on National Geographic: Guns, Germs, and Steel has been transferred to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the ...
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More About This Product

Overview

What caused some early civilizations to thrive and others to collapse? Which factors contribute positively to the survival of a people and what brings them to extinction? Author Jared Diamond examined this phenomenon in his best-selling book Guns, Germs, and Steel, and this documentary (produced for television by the National Geographic) brings his theories to the screen. The material on National Geographic: Guns, Germs, and Steel has been transferred to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo. The narration is in English, with no multiple language options.
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Special Features

Closed Caption; Interactive maps; Timelines; Photo gallery
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble
Originally published in 1997, Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies represents a landmark of scholarly synthesis. Reviewing societal clashes such as the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, Diamond employs modern understanding of technology and biology as well as geography and economics to analyze cultural hegemony in its most brutally Darwinian form. "Guns, germs, and steel," Diamond argues, are the keys to understanding the course of human civilization. Produced in wide-screen format and originally aired over PBS in the summer of 2005, Guns, Germs, and Steel is a thorough and thrilling exploration of the author's themes. Shot across five continents, the three-part film employs dramatic re-creations as well as insights from prominent anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, historians, and other scholars. In Episode 1, "Out of Eden," Diamond posits the theory that access to domesticated animals and plant cultivation played bigger roles in societal development than race, creed, time, and experience. "Conquest," the second installment, focuses on the Europe's hostile takeover of the Americas and the impact of weapons and disease in shaping the plunder. The series closes in Africa with "Into the Tropics," tracing the continent's colonization by Europeans and South Africans, and explaining why geography remains to this day a determining factor in resource distribution. Interactive maps, timelines, and a photo gallery round out this National Geographic Society DVD presentation.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 7/12/2005
  • UPC: 727994930082

    • Rating:

  • Source: Nat'l Geographic Vid
  • Region Code: 1
  • Time: 2:45:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 10,108

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Jared Diamond Primary Artist
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Scene Index

Side #1 -- Disc 1
1. Introduction [2:41]
2. Jared Diamond's Quest [5:31]
3. The Roots of Inequality [5:46]
4. Hunting and Gathering [3:55]
5. The Stone Age Middle East [6:17]
6. The Impact of Productive Farming [6:01]
7. Animal Domestication [7:10]
8. Types of Farmed Animals [2:22]
9. The Fertile Crescent [1:55]
10. The Advent of Specialists [3:06]
11. Migrating From the Crescent [4:52]
12. Jared Diamond's Conclusion [4:49]
1. Introduction [2:39]
2. The Spanish Empire [6:11]
3. Incan Limitations [2:58]
4. Military Superiority [6:39]
5. The Advantage of Steel [4:05]
6. Contact Is Made [5:08]
7. The History of Print [6:13]
8. A Fatal Incan Error [7:08]
9. Weapons of Mass Destruction [4:07]
10. Built up Immunity [2:32]
11. Animals and Disease [2:01]
12. Jared Diamond's Conclusion [4:42]
Side #2 -- Disc 2
1. Introduction [2:28]
2. Into Africa [5:28]
3. Agents of Conquest [4:41]
4. An Alien Land [6:08]
5. The Industrial Revolution [3:22]
6. A Test of Geography [7:10]
7. Overturning the Past [3:24]
8. Unique Tropical Defenses [5:54]
9. A Whole New Age [6:20]
10. A Malaria Epidemic [3:00]
11. Jared Diamond's Conclusion [5:39]
12. Credits [1:12]
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Menu

Side #1 -- Disc 1
   Play All
   Episode Selection
      Episode 1: Out of Eden - Play
      Episode 1: Out of Eden - Scene Selections
      Episode 2: Conquest - Play
      Episode 2: Conquest - Scene Selections
   Credits
Side #2 -- Disc 2
   Episode 3: Into the Tropics - Play
   Episode 3: Into the Tropics - Scene Selections
   Special Features
      Guns, Germs, Steel: The Ultimate Factors
         East/West Axis: Easy Movement Animals
         Numerous Domesticated Plants & Animals
         Various Suitable Wild Animals
         Food Surplus & Storage
         Large Complex Societies
         Technology
         Epidemics
         Politics, Writing
         Guns/Steel/Ships/Horses
      Interactive Map: World's Plants and Animals
         Link #1
         Link #2
         Link #3
         Link #4
         Link #5
         Link #6
         Link #7
         Link #8
      Interactive Map: Movement of Humans
         Link #1
         Link #2
         Link #3
         Link #4
         Link #5
         Link #6
         Link #7
         Link #8
         Link #9
         Link #10
      Jared Diamond: Bio
      Book: Excerpt
      Sources
   Credits
   More From National Geographic
      Recommended Programs
         Strange Days on Planet Earth
         NG's Most Amazing Moments
         Africa
      Experience National Geographic
         Welcome to the World of National Geographic
         National Geographic.com
         National Geographic Channel
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Customer Reviews

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