Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants

Amazon.com

This installment of The Inventors' Specials, a series that invites youngsters to think about great inventors (including Edison and Einstein), focuses on the man who brought the wonder of science into the Dark Ages. Michael Moriarty gives vigor to his role as the scientist who is forced to take on a young apprentice. First bored with his new surroundings, the youngster develops a keen interest in Galileo's inventions, including his latest, the telescope. The hour-long video, which played on HBO and won two daytime Emmys, doesn't pull any punches by explaining what happened to heretics who, like Galileo, preached the Earth wasn't the center of the universe. However, the filmmakers do not trust their young audience. Galileo's rival is an obese fool whose antics belong in Home Alone. It nearly ruins a good thing. Ages 7 and up. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

childish, bigoted, and just plain stupid.......2007-03-23

Well, if you're an anti-Catholic bigot, just LOVE empty-headed after-school specials, and know absolutely nothing about the truth of the Galileo case, I'm sure you'll love this badly-acted bit of foolishness. I had my students watch it. The bad acting pained them. One asked: "What did we do to you that made you so angry that you forced us to watch that idiotic thing?" The problem was, I had assigned them to read the actual historical documents on the Galileo case BEFORE they watched the movie. So they saw all the historical absurdities at once. Bottom line: childish pratfalls, intellectually dishonest anti-religious bigotry, along with remarkably stupid historical inaccuracies. As an example of propaganda and bigotry, it's great. As history, well, put it this way: the Scottish accents in the movie "The 300" is closer to the truth of the Spartans than this boring drivel is to Galileo.

The better documentary.......2001-07-17

At the dawn of the 17th century, everybody takes the explanations of the great thinkers such as Aristotle for granted. The astronomer and the mathematician Galileo Galilei is about to discover the biggest mysteries of the universe. The lack of money, a brother who lives in his depend and a rival can't stop him from continuing its researches. He finds support in his pupil prince Cosimo (who was spoiled by the monarchy at the beginning of the movie). The education of Galileo is going to change the vision of the prince. He's going to help its teacher to invent the telescope. This film (almost a documentary) is striking as for its attention to details. It's easy to understand why they won two Emmy Awards (as being nominated for five). Michael Moriarty (actor from the series "Law and Order") is excellent in the title role. As good as Kenny Vadas who plays the role of his student. It is very cool at the end of the film when an astronaut finally proves Galileo's theory of falling objects speed.

An excellent educational tool !.......1999-09-14

As a High School Physics Teacher I really recomend this video for the introduction of the scientific method. It details the importance of experimentation before making conclussions. It is also a unique resource to help teachers develop in students etics and moral values in science. I whish I can get a copy of this video in Spanish since that is the language most of my students understand better.

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