The Ascent of Man - BBC

“Filmed in 1973, this 13-part BBC production made great waves when it was first broadcast in America. It was one of the first hits on public television, and made PBS cool. Written by the mathematician Jacob Bronowski, it was billed as a personal history of humanity. Filmed on location around the world, the series is a rousing, philosophical celebration of science, invention and art.”

Via True Films

Shortly after this was released in the States, I had the first of four knee surgeries.  Back then, they didn’t use scopes, they used chainsaws and crochet hooks, so I spent many hours lying in bed watching this series on a small black and white television.  I think it was this series that made me much more curious about culture, suspicious of broadcast television, and interested in natural philosophy.  Or, maybe it was the morphine.

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