CNN'S MILLENNIUM SERIES: THE 17TH CENTURY, THE CENTURY OF THE TELESCOPE {THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY} {EPISODE 7} (TV)
Summary
One in this ten-part miniseries documenting historical events and developments around the world in the individual centuries of the past millennium. This episode focuses on the 17th century. In Britain, science was making great advances, expanding the reach of human senses and understanding of the world. Rulers were becoming interested, and soon “science replaced war” as a means of gaining power and prestige. Samuel Pepys wrote in his now-famous diary about his experiments and scientific discussions with others, and Sir Isaac Newton, who stated that his “best friend [was] truth,” continued his work at Trinity College, Oxford, studying how light was perceived by the human eye. He also discovered that the movement of objects is predictable and mathematical, and analyzed how gravity affects the movement of the planets around the sun. The dichotomy of God and religion was also explored, and superstition within society decreased as answers to life’s mysteries became more accessible. In North America, in 1606, King James I granted a charter for the “new world,” and the Virginia Company, a group of one hundred “potential colonists,” all men, settled in Jamestown. They favored the land, but were less sure of the “wild and savage” natives. However, in time they needed to rely on “gifts” from the natives in order to survive when hunger and disease threatened to wipe them out. “Tyrannical” leader John Smith dealt with the Powhatan people and used terror to acquire food from them, and when he returned to England, the Powhatan waged war on the settlers. The colonists’ lives were saved, however, by the discovery of the tobacco crop, which grew and traded well. In 1619, the first African slaves arrived in America, and the settlers exploited and profited from their labor for many years. African slaves were also used in Brazil; all told, over one and a half million Africans were transported to the Americas during the time of slavery. Sugar transformed Brazil as a nation, and the slaves’ hard work shortened their life spans significantly. Jesuit Antonio Vieira encouraged the slaves to think of the suffering of Jesus Christ to ease their pain, which was endless—there were rule books dictating how slaves should be controlled and punished, and nearly 20% died on the cross-Atlantic voyages in which they were traded. Plantation life was difficult as well, and slaves held on to their traditions through music and religion, such as the polytheistic Candomblé faith, which was “tolerated” by the slaveholders. Those who managed to escape formed their own all-black communities, such as the “kingdom” of Palmares in northern Brazil. They fought back against invaders using weapons and a style of fighting known as capoeira, and still make tributes to this day to their roots in Africa. The Netherlands, called “the buttock of the world” by some outsiders, flourished during the 17th century: the Dutch East India Company devised a new trade route circling all the way underneath Africa and ending in the spice islands, which proved lucrative. Art also became more popular and profitable, and many other Europeans flocked to the area, including René Descartes, who settled in Amsterdam and declared it to be his favorite place in the world. A new town hall was constructed “by the people and for the people,” and poets described its grandeur. Artists were commissioned by the rich to build furniture and create portraits, although some began to worry about the society’s declining morals and decadent lifestyles and wondering if God would soon punish them. Eventually, the people began to become corrupted by their great wealth, reflected in the popular saying “where gold begins, virtue is but air.” In China, science and technology had gone unrivaled for thousands of years, but now the calendar, issued by the emperor and predicting natural events and climate changes, proved to be disastrously incorrect, leading to the failure of many crops. Western Jesuits arrived, bringing with them new inventions, such as a clock, and were eventually allowed into the observatory of the imperial court. They showed the Chinese how to track the sun and the stars, and when their predictions of a solar eclipse turned out to be correct, and the Chinese predictions to be flawed, they collaborated on new inventions and a new calendar for the people. The Westerners were particularly impressed by Chinese script, finding it beautiful and expressive, albeit “Pagan.” As the East began to incorporate aspects of Western science into their lives, the Westerners brought back the teachings of Confucius and other Eastern ideals. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CNN
- DATE: November 21, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:90863
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Pat Mitchell Collection, The; History
- SERIES RUN: CNN - TV, 1999
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "CNN's Millennium Series" home video, soundtrack and companion book
- TV - Commercials - America's pharmaceutical companies
- TV - Commercials - Citibank Advantages credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Ford Outfitters automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Invesco banking services
- TV - Commercials - Qwest internet provider
- TV - Commercials - Taj Indian resorts
- TV - Commercials - Williams Communications energy company
- TV - Commercials - Zales jewelry stores
- TV - Commercials - britannica.com website
- TV - Promos - CNN's "Crossfire"
- TV - Promos - CNN's "MoneyLine"
- TV - Promos - CNN's "Today"
CREDITS
- Pat Mitchell … Executive Producer
- Jeremy Isaacs … Executive Producer
- Jody Gottlieb … Coordinating Producer
- Vivian Schiller … Senior Producer
- Neil Cameron … Producer, Director
- Gillian Widdicombe … Associate Producer
- Xiaosong Atiyah … Assistant Producer
- Dulce Continentino … Assistant Producer
- Sarah Newman … Assistant Producer
- Janina Stamps … Line Producer
- Emma De'Ath … Series Producer
- Felipe Fernández-Armesto … Based on the book by
- Richard Blackford … Music by
- Ben Kingsley … Narrator
- John Sessions … Cast, Isaac Newton
- Mark Rylance … Cast, Shakespearian Actor
- Hans Croiset … Cast, Joost van den Vondel
- Sheila Kotkin … Cast, Dutch Woman
- Janni Goslinga … Cast, Dutch Woman
- Jacques de Decker … Cast, René Descartes
- René Descartes
- Isaac Newton
- King James I of England
- Jesus Christ
- Samuel Pepys
- John Smith
- Antonio Vieira