Leonardo's Dream Machines DVD

Comments about PBS Leonardo's Dream Machines DVD:

Leonardo da Vinci's fantastical machinery. Buried intellectual brilliance. Extraordinary contraptions that operate in bizarre and twisted ways.

This is the finest documentary I have ever seen. The most unusual scientific investigation I have ever encountered.

It came on TV late, on PBS. Only once. I stayed up late to see it. I had never heard of anyone trying to build one of Leonardo's flying machines, with the expectation that it might actually work. And the giant crossbow was completely new to me. I had a University test the next day, but I didn't care. I had to see how this ended.

This documentary generates considerable suspense. Will the machines work or won't they? The results are quite extraordinary. They are not what I expected.

For the first time, I stopped looking at Leonardo's designs as mere fanciful drawings. I began to see them as actual, workable, scientific machinery, brilliantly designed to function in the real world of forces and currents.

And the creativity of Leonardo behind it all is staggering.

Everyone should watch this show. Absolutely everyone. It will change lives. If you are looking to be inspired, look no further. This is IT.

Comments about PBS Leonardo's Dream Machines DVD:

I saw this documentary when it first aired on PBS. I'm a high school art teacher, and recently created curriculum for an art history class. This video fits in perfectly when we're talking about the Renaissance, and also how art relates to science and society. It's a fascinating video, and proves Leonardo's genius. He was 500 years ahead of his time. I recommend it to EVERYONE--regardless of whether or not one is interested in art, it is truly a revelation.