REVIEW: ‘Saving Notre Dame,’ a NOVA special on PBS, now available on DVD
Image courtesy of PBS / Provided by official site.
A few years ago the burning roof of Notre Dame Cathedral shocked the world. This permanent fixture on the Paris skyline is an iconic image of Roman Catholicism, featuring sweeping architecture that seemed immoveable, but the flames that threatened its total destruction tested that belief.
PBS, via their successful NOVA series, delves into the damaging fire and the efforts underway to fortify the structure and rebuild. Saving Notre Dame, a 60-minute program, is now available on DVD.
The access to the building and the reconstruction is the program’s best quality. There is intimate and scary footage of the fire itself, including firefighters trying their best to stop the raging flames, and also inside shots of what the destruction looked like when the ceiling was destroyed and the broken scaffolding teetered above the church.
Those audience members interested in architecture and preservation will gather a lot of vital information from this TV special. The details are always interesting in how investigators and conservators were able to assess the damage, save the structure and rebuild for the future.
At its heart, Saving Notre Dame is a love letter to Paris and this beloved church. There are revealing interviews with Parisians who walked past its spires and buttresses on a daily basis, and when they talk of these walls and windows, it’s almost as if they are discussing a family member. This same devotion is obvious in the tireless work of those experts who have used the latest technology to shore up the foundation of the structure and address the horrible damage to the roof.
One thing is for sure after watching this NOVA special: Notre Dame will rise once again. It’s not going anywhere.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Saving Notre Dame, a NOVA special from PBS, is now available on DVD. Click here for more information.
