The Charge

Scotland is a country steeped in tradition, from the sculptured gardens of the stately homes to the brutal beauty of the Highlands. The haunting sound of pipes echoes through the hills over grand and mysterious castles where a timeless beauty and majesty prevails.

The Case

When most people think of Scotland, they think of bagpipes, Braveheart, the Loch Ness monster and culinary conundrums like haggis, but there's much more to the country than that. Ask any Scotsman or Scotswoman and they'll tell you quite plainly that their country is the best there is, period.

Our world and lives would be very different indeed without such inventions and discoveries as, listed alphabetically, anesthetics, bicycles, continuous electric light, criminal finger-printing, golf, hypodermic syringes, insulin, paraffin, Peter Pan, postage stamps, radar, ultrasound scanners Sherlock Holmes, the telephone, telegraph and TV, and of course who can forget, likely the most frequently sung song in the world, "Auld Lang Syne." That list is just the tip of the iceberg of the remarkable discoveries and cultural contributions that can be attributed directly to Scotland and her native sons and daughters.

A single drum beat and a slow pan over a map of the country serves as the transition between each segment in the documentary. The feature presents a wealth of information on everything from famous Scots like William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Sir Walter Scott, to the history of bagpipe music, kilts and castles, and the process that goes into making Glenfiddich, Scotland's signature whisky that is known around the world.

British actress Francine Brody narrates Scotland…The Beauty and Majesty with a soft-spoken but engaging accent and style that complements the music and video presentation nicely. Produced in 1997, the feature is solid for its age, although the image has a somewhat grainy look throughout. The narration and music are nicely balanced and do their job better overall than the video presentation.

Scotland boasts great natural beauty, proud history, innovations, celebrations, castles, architecture, flora and fauna. Suffice it to say that if you know little or nothing about Scotland, its unique landscape, history and rich and unique cultural elements, Scotland…The Beauty and Majesty does an excellent job of condensing centuries into just under an hour of highlights. Even if you have Scottish roots as I do, you'll likely learn something new about the land that you love.

The Verdict

Alba go bragh!

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