Civilisation

First broadcast in 1969,Civilization was produced not only to showcase the new medium of color television but also to reassure a then turbulent society of its established roots.

Before viewing Civilization I had never heard of Kenneth Clark, or K Clark as he was known to his contemporaries. At first glance he appears to be the product of a stodgy old order, a stereotypical brown flannel suit poised very uneasily in the Age of Aquarius. However his soft demeanor, articulate observations and frank but reasonable opinions quickly become very endearing qualities. I soon found myself very disappointed I had never met the man, or at least lived through his era.

I can say with confidence that if you seriously enjoy history, particularly the European variety, you will enjoy Civilization. Even if you don't, the stunning and intimate portrayal of 1500 years of art may still be captivating enough to hold your attention. This program is unlike anything broadcast in the post-MTV era, and it sets a standard of culture and erudition that puts networks which should know better, like the History Channel, to shame.

A documentary covering the history of western civilisation from the Dark Ages to the mid 20th Century, "Civilisation" is a wide-ranging glimpse at the story of Western culture primarily through art. Art historian Kenneth Clark presents and writes in this BBC produced television series which first aired in 1969 in 13 episodes. Dapper, articulate and self assured, Clark narrates with learned interest the shifting and storied saga of European art and its influence. With footage of picturesque scenery, historic edifices, mostly famous art work and stirring Classical Music as a soundtrack the series is a pretty panoramic scope on why Western civilisation has been the foremost in the world up to the present. Whether discussing Michelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci and the turbulent times and artistic opulence of the Italian Renaissance; Voltaire, Rousseau and the age of reason in the Enlightenment; the retreat back to nature and the resurrection of the divine in the Romantic era as artistic titans like Byron and Beethoven brought back the soul in man; and the advent of science and business in the modern era which the Industrial Revolution started bringing with them unprecedented wealth, luxury and power together with unprecedented depths of poverty and squalor.

For a documentary that calls itself "Civilisation" the film is surprisingly disappointing in its gap-filled state. One would think that one of the first obvious acts Clark would have done would be to include an episode on Greco-Roman civilization being the origins of the subject at hand. Strangely there isn't one and Clark mentions it only in patches here and there throughout the series. Topics outside of art are also focused on like literature, music and science so it's strange that there's no mention of groundbreaking inventions like the camera, aeroplane, automobile and the computer which are among the West's greatest and most distinct contributions to civilization and world history. The series differs from modern documentaries by eschewing the commonplace standard of interviewing numerous experts and personalities related to the topic at hand in favor of Clark solitarily carrying the entire documentary on his own. While this tones the film to a quiet, stately presentation of languid and glacial grace the energy, liveliness and vivacious pace of contemporary documentaries that modern viewers are used to will be sorely missed and can devalue the work to a tedious and agonizing slow crawl of a bore.

One of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful documentaries, spawning other hit TV series of its kind, "Civilisation" was a gateway to the masses on the value and aesthetics of art and its importance and relevance. Colorful and informative, "Civilisation" may well prove the fighting and perhaps irrefutable paradigm on why "The West is the best".

Clark becomes tiresome by modern standards. His focus is almost entirely on art and architecture omitting elements of science that could be legitimately included.

Watching the series in China, it makes me all the more proud of my heritage. The last comment is a good one; let Clark introduce himself to you, just as one reads a Herodotus or Suetonius- to be in the presence of a knowledgeable and engaging friend. having visited many of the places shown, it's also a marked benefit that the series was filmed in 1969, when travel was truly the domain of those seeking enlightenment before our days of package tours. And how clear and lucid are his discussions of culture and history! Often I found myself anticipating his next sentence from my own classes I teach, but am left feeling pedantic and plebeian by comparison. Although the BBC continues to be a source of wonderment through its historical live-action recreation series such as Auschwitz, Pompeii and the Attenboroughs, this is truly of its time when there was no need for gimmicks or embellishment. www.tracesofevil.blogspot.com

The upside of paternalism, if you like. They couldn't make Civilisation (1969) today.

I know, I know. They tried. 'Civilisations' (cos there's been more than one, you know). Rightly chewed-up, even by the BBC's own arts critic, as a project without any sense of vision or purpose, the worthless and unnecessary sequel is destined for the scrapheap. The original, commissioned by that hero of BBC TV, Sir David Attenborough, is an immortal product of the Beeb at her most ambitious. The most extraordinary buildings and works of engineering, the most beautiful interiors and works of decorative art, the greatest achievements in music and sculpture, painting, bronze casting, and more besides; and all to show off the new medium of colour television.

And if Attenborough is a hero then so is the series writer-presenter, Kenneth Clark. The director of the National Gallery, an art historian of immense experience and erudition, and actually one of the most experienced culture broadcasters on the still developing medium of televisual broadcasting. Civilisation is a 13-part lecture series, of a kind, in which Clark endeavours to answer one question: what is civilisation? He prefers to answer it through the medium of art, his specialty, because it is less doubtful than the words of a smarmy politician or a propagandist historian. His journey takes him around Europe and across the Atlantic to the USA. He, and the recording team, are showing things to the viewer that they might never have known existed, much less had the chance to see in person.

Clark was an immense figure in the art world. He speaks with a confidence born of deep consideration of art and literature, over decades of study and writing. Write so you learn to think, talk so you learn to speak. Those are the words of Prof. Jordan Peterson. Alternatively, immerse yourself in the eloquence of great spirits such as Clark (and Peterson, naturally). For Clark's presentation is remarkable for its eloquence, as well as one or two unusual pronunciations (ca-PIT-alism, not CAP-italism; i-ron, not i-yun, as we tend to say 'iron' today). He also provides a model of how to be on camera without stealing focus from the art and architecture which is intended to be the central attraction.

The decades have passed and there have been many series on TV about art and history from different periods. None can match, few have ever attempted, the grand sweep of Clark's vision (vision is the apt word), nor his eloquent use of language, engagement without ego, or at times contained emotion. Most tv historians subsequent to Clark merely allow the producers to stroke their egos, so they toss their hair, make worthless shots looking out at vistas or sunsets, and talk as simplistically as possible so as not to threaten the dull minds with knowledge or inspiration. Or we get vapid travelogues, replete with segments on local cuisine and clowning. Clark's series is always replete with something others rarely communicate: passion. A passionate engagement with things he considered holy.

I watch whole episodes, or just bits of them, again and again, and over the decades I've come to love all the episodes, rather than having favourites. The more depressed and disgusted I become, soaking my attention in the tabloid vulgarity and sheer stupidity that teems in Socialmedia Land, the more urgently I need Civilisation, the series and what it stands for.

You're not educated if you have not seen this TV series.