1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets (2010) User Reviews

Honest Western production relating to the Islamic civilization...at last

[bluegenes · 10/10 · 19 February 2010]

Although the movie is short, 13 minutes, it is still a remarkable production - more of a documentary - that talks about the Golden Ages of the Muslims as opposed to the Dark Ages the West lived in during that Islamic Era.

In its brief duration, a librarian (Ben Kingsley) helps a Middle School group of three students in fixing their preconceived notions about what's called the Dark Ages in the West. It is actually the Golden Ages as far as the Muslims are concerned, since their civilization at that time had been filled with discoveries, inventions, developments, prosperity and other innovative accomplishments in many fields. A number of Muslim inventors, scholars and scientists such as Ibn Al-Haitham, Abbas Ibn Firnas, Abu Al-Qassim Al-Zahrawi, and others, are personified and enacted. Each presents their achievement and thus contribution to the modern world in a very interesting manner.

You finish watching this with a feel of enlightenment, appreciation and justice towards a people and a religion that have been gravely mistreated and misrepresented.

Kudos to Alan Deankins, Ben Kingsley, and whoever took part in making this.

*Highly Recommended*.

Very good. .

[a_alarda · 10/10 · 7 July 2013]

It's a very short discussion about inventions in the dark ages as some people call it. A very famous names of inventors and their cool inventions. Which are still represent a great deal of our lives. . Or maybe developed hundreds of years later to become great inventions and facilitate our lives.

Scientists such as Al-Jazari, Ibn Alhaitham...etc. As it's a very short video; you can always learn more using Google. Just look for Ibn Sina, Alrazy... and other Muslim scientists or go the website 1001inventions and see what Hillary_Clinton and others say about this project.

Some people don't like the fact that most of these inventions were discovered by Muslim scientists at that age, but it's the truth as Europe where swamped with what they call dark age wars... plus Islam encourage science

Brief history lesson with Ben Kingsley

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 10 February 2017]

"1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets" is a 13-minute documentary short film from 2010. This one features Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley as a librarian who teaches a group of kids something about the Middle Ages. That's really all there is to it. Some costumes, effects and solid sets cannot save this film from becoming pretty monotonous and not really interesting in a way that this tells something new to anybody apart from the kids. And besides that you certainly need an interest in the subject to be remotely capable of appreciating this short film here. I myself am glad this was not a 45 minute documentary or so. Director Deakins and writer Fickling have apparently never worked in film before or after their effort here, which is already 7 years ago now as well and I cannot say I am mad or sad about it. I give this one a thumbs-down. I usually like Kingsley much more than I did here.