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The Dictator's Playbook  Review by Suzanne Lanoue 3/25/19

This is a great PBS special that concentrates on six dictators in modern world history: Kim Il Sung, Saddam Hussain, Benito Mussolini, Manuel Noriega, Francisco Franco, and Idi Amin.

There are a lot of horrible things to watch in this series. However, it's very interesting history. I'm sure most people don't know the full story about how each of these men came to power. They're just names we hear in the news or in history books. They were terrible people who sometimes did good things.  For instance, I did not know that Kim Il sung was a war hero. I did not know that Saddam Hussein gave his people free Medical Care and free university. Through watching these DVD's, we can learn about these people, what they did, the mistakes they made, and why they did terrible things.

They use a lot of news footage, plus experts in various fields, to talk about these men. It makes the history come alive.

I think anyone should learn a lot from watching this. I am not sure I would say it's enjoyable, though, nor that it would make a great gift. 

MORE INFORMATION:

THIS APRIL PBS DISTRIBUTION RELEASES

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED AND CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED TITLES INCLUDING “VICTORIA, SEASON 3,” “MASTERPIECE: MRS. WILSON” AND HENRY LOUIS GATES JR.’S “RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR” AMONG MANY OTHERS

Programs Available on DVD/Blu-ray and Digital Download

Arlington, VA – March 26, 2019 – This April, PBS Distribution will be releasing a plethora of new programs on DVD and digitally, including the critically acclaimed, “VICTORIA, SEASON 3,” the highly-anticipated “MRS. WILSON,” the fascinating “RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,” and the eye-opening “CHARM CITY.”

DICTATOR’S PLAYBOOK

The DICTATOR’S PLAYBOOK examines the historical, sociological and psychological foundations of 20^th century dictatorships, and provides fresh insight into six brutal men who impacted world history, how they functioned, how they influenced each other and why they succeeded or failed. Six episodes focus on one dictator, including: Kim Il Sung, Saddam Hussein, Benito Mussolini, Manuel Noriega, Francisco Franco, and Idi Amin.

-        Street Date: April 2, 2019

-        Run Time: 360 minutes on 2 discs

-        SRP: DVD, $34.99

-        Format: DVD, Digital

About PBS Distribution

PBS Distribution is a leading distributor of public media content around the world, reaching audiences through multiple platforms and formats including direct-to-consumer subscription video-on-demand (DTC-SVOD), transactional video-on-demand (TVOD), subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) licensing, and physical products on DVD and Blu-ray.  In addition, the company operates two Prime Video channels – PBS MASTERPIECE and PBS KIDS – as well as a theatrical releasing division, and educational, non-theatrical, inflight and international licensing businesses.    

PBS Distribution offers consumers and educators over 4,000 programming hours of the highest quality factual, scripted and children’s programming, including films from producer Ken Burns, hit dramas from MASTERPIECE, entertaining and educational children’s series and award-winning documentaries from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and many independent producers. For over 20 years, the company has extended the reach of programming beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system, stations and producers.

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