Now I need to be careful while writing the review, since I've only watched say, twenty episodes, all of them from the later seasons. The series, however, has been running for a very long time ; it was probably started by the Knight Templars or so. As a result I'm sure to miss out on some aspects.
From what I've seen, "Roots and Wings" is a series dedicated to the treasures - natural, historical, architectural - to be found in the various regions of France. Generally speaking each episode treats a few main themes : for instance, the role played by the salt trade in the accumulation of wealth and power, the victorious return of Napoleon from his first exile, or the religious wars of the Renaissance and the persecution of Protestants. There's a variety of experts, guides or inhabitants explaining about this project or that.
Since much of the images are shot from airplanes or helicopters, there are some stunning panoramas to admire. Cinema lovers will be sure to recognize some of the landscapes, monuments or buildings used as scenery in a variety of movies.
The tone tends to be slow and leisurely, which is a pleasant thing. Still, every now and then it might have been wiser to leave some scenes on the cutting floor or to pick stronger topics. I'm willing to believe, say, that region X is famous for its tasty oysters, but this does not mean that I'm in for two hours of television about oyster growers, oyster fishers, oyster sellers, marine biologists specialized in oysters, cooks preparing oysters, yet other cooks preparing oysters in a different fashion, tourist guides organizing oyster tours, archaeologists discussing the Roman oyster trade, jewellers using oyster-related products, avant-garde hairdressers creating oyster coiffures, anarchists throwing oysters at politicians, musicians playing the harpsichord while wearing oyster-shaped hats, gardeners building little walls from oyster shells, and so on. People like a good oyster - I get it, I get it !
I like the series because it allows me to travel all through France - and sometimes even further - from the comfort of my own armchair. I also like it because it allows me to discover all kinds of unsuspected relationships between times, places, beliefs, art forms. I hope to watch the later seasons too.
From what I've seen, "Roots and Wings" is a series dedicated to the treasures - natural, historical, architectural - to be found in the various regions of France. Generally speaking each episode treats a few main themes : for instance, the role played by the salt trade in the accumulation of wealth and power, the victorious return of Napoleon from his first exile, or the religious wars of the Renaissance and the persecution of Protestants. There's a variety of experts, guides or inhabitants explaining about this project or that.
Since much of the images are shot from airplanes or helicopters, there are some stunning panoramas to admire. Cinema lovers will be sure to recognize some of the landscapes, monuments or buildings used as scenery in a variety of movies.
The tone tends to be slow and leisurely, which is a pleasant thing. Still, every now and then it might have been wiser to leave some scenes on the cutting floor or to pick stronger topics. I'm willing to believe, say, that region X is famous for its tasty oysters, but this does not mean that I'm in for two hours of television about oyster growers, oyster fishers, oyster sellers, marine biologists specialized in oysters, cooks preparing oysters, yet other cooks preparing oysters in a different fashion, tourist guides organizing oyster tours, archaeologists discussing the Roman oyster trade, jewellers using oyster-related products, avant-garde hairdressers creating oyster coiffures, anarchists throwing oysters at politicians, musicians playing the harpsichord while wearing oyster-shaped hats, gardeners building little walls from oyster shells, and so on. People like a good oyster - I get it, I get it !
I like the series because it allows me to travel all through France - and sometimes even further - from the comfort of my own armchair. I also like it because it allows me to discover all kinds of unsuspected relationships between times, places, beliefs, art forms. I hope to watch the later seasons too.
