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Doing Da Vinci
- Discovery Channel
- Genre: Educational
Common Sense Media says
Inventor's drawings come to life in engaging edu series.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this educational series about creating machines designed (but never built) by famed artist/inventor Leonardo Da Vinci doesn't shy away from mentioning the machines' original purpose: war and killing. But the emphasis is much more on whether or not each machine could have worked than on demonstrating its potentially bloody impact. There are also several shots of one of Da Vinci's most famous drawings -- a nude man in a circle -- but it's not at all sexual.
What's the story?
In DOING DA VINCI, a team of four men -- an engineer, a designer/builder, an artist who does super-sized installations, and a carpenter -- works with a professor who's an expert on the life and work of Renaissance artist/inventor Leornardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) to put together some of the war machines that Da Vinci designed back in the 15th and 16th centuries. An extra twist? Other than modern tools, they're only allowed to use materials that Da Vinci had available in his lifetime.
Is it any good?
The show's premise is fascinating, especially if you've ever seen Da Vinci's drawings of the various inventions/machines -- including siege towers, a circular tank that could fire in all directions, and a chariot with blades. Since there's no evidence that these designs were ever built before, there's always been some speculation among historians about whether the designs were plausible.
That the team includes artist Flash Hopkins adds an element of good-natured conflict, especially since he goes with the flow, while engineer/effects designer Valek Skykes is much more precision-oriented. But even more fascinating than the interpersonal relationships is the way the series sheds light on how things get built in general. Bottom line? It's a fun hour, and kids who watch might learn a few things to boot.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what messages the show sends about war and war making. Have attitudes toward those topics changed since Da Vinci's time? If so, how? Do you think the show's goal is to make viewers think seriously about the differences between what was acceptable in the past and isn't now -- or is it just an entertaining way to look at science and experimentation?
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| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | Discovery Channel |
| Cast: | Bill Duggan, Jurgen Heimann, Valek Sykes |
| Genre: | Educational |
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