Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
Civilisation Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
14 Episodes 1969 - 1969
Episode 1
The Skin of Our Teeth
Sun, Feb 23, 1969 60 mins
Treasures of the Dark Ages illustrate Western culture's efforts to preserve the roots of the new civilization. Included: carved Viking ships, ornate manuscripts, early Christian art and Charlemagne's chapel.
Episode 2
The Great Thaw
Sun, Mar 2, 1969 60 mins
Kenneth Clark surveys the 12th century and the rise of Gothic architecture. Films show the Romanesque design in the abbeys of Cluny and Moissac; the wedding of Romanesque and early Gothic in the Abbey of Vezelay; Gothic windows of the Abbey of St. Denis; and the Chartres Cathedral.
Episode 3
Romance and Reality
Sun, Mar 9, 1969 60 mins
"Romance and Reality" traces the achievements of the later Middle Ages in France and Italy. Dante and St. Francis of Assisi are studied as representatives of religious faith. Giotto's paintings mirror the rise of capitalism. Host Kenneth Clark examines art treasures on a tour from a castle on the Loire to the cathedrals at Pisa.
Episode 4
Man: The Measure of All Things
Sun, Mar 16, 1969 60 mins
Studying the dawn of the Renaissance. Included is representative Florentine architecture: the Pazzi Chapel (built in 1430); the Bagello, an old prison housing Florentine art; and Northern Italy's palaces at Urbino.
Episode 5
The Hero as Artist
Sun, Mar 23, 1969 60 mins
Kenneth Clark examines three artistic giants: Michelangelo (the Sistine Chapel), Raphael ("School of Athens") and Leonardo, who Clark describes as one of "the most relentlessly curious men in history."
Episode 6
Protest and Communication
Sun, Mar 30, 1969 60 mins
"Protest and Communication." The 16th century: the humanists and the spirit of the Renaissance inspire scholars like Erasmus to begin to spread their teachings. Kenneth Clark re-creates this atmosphere, as he tours Germany and England.
Episode 7
Grandeur and Obedience
Sun, Apr 6, 1969 60 mins
"Grandeur and Obedience" describes Rome during the Protestant Reformation. While Northern Europe challenges the Catholic Church, Rome begins a counter-Reformation. Kenneth Clark views baroque Rome, with the works of Bernini, Titian and Rubens, who blended sensuality and spirituality.
Episode 8
The Light of Experience
Sun, Apr 13, 1969 60 mins
The 17th-century's interest in scientific investigation is seen in artistic and intellectual achievements, the realism of the Dutch painters; Descartes's philosophy; Christopher Wren's architecture; the discoveries of Newton and Boyle. Kenneth Clark is the host.
Episode 9
The Pursuit of Happiness
Sun, Apr 20, 1969 60 mins
The music of four 18th-century giants: Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart. Excerpts include Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," Handel's "Messiah," Haydn's "Creation" and Mozart's "Don Giovanni."
Episode 10
The Smile of Reason
Sun, Apr 27, 1969 60 mins
Tracing the Age of Enlightenment, from its birth in Parisian literary salons (visited by Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau) to its influence on the founding fathers. Included: views of sculptures by Houdon, paintings by Moreau le Jeune and Chardin; the palaces of Versailles and Blenheim; Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson.
Episode 11
The Worship of Nature
Sun, May 4, 1969 60 mins
An analysis of Europe's Romantic Movement. Surveyed: Rousseau's belief in the "noble savage"; Wordsworth and Coleridge's poetic exaltation of nature; the landscapes of Turner and Constable. Host: Kenneth Clark.
Episode 12
The Fallacies of Hope
Sun, May 11, 1969 60 mins
The Romantic Movement of the 18th and 19th centuries. Historian Kenneth Clark recalls the movement's key figures and artistic expressions: Napoleon; Beethoven's "Fidelio"; Byron's poems; and the antirational works of Blake, Gericault, David, Delacroix and Rodin.
Episode 13
Heroic Materialism
Sun, May 18, 1969 60 mins
The age of heroic materialism, the 200 years since the dawn of Europe's Industrial Revolution, is explored.
Episode 14
Series Overview
Sun, May 25, 1969 60 mins
Kenneth Clark narrates this overview of the 13-part series that covers the pageant of Western culture from the fall of Rome to the 20th century. Topics include architecture, sculpture, painting, poetry, music, philosophy and science.