“Gardner’s work celebrates the great variety now available in documentary storytelling – in science, history, adventure and human issues. He is never limited by form, but continues to experiment as the documentary evolves.”
Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World
“A stunning achievement in documentary film making. It opens a window onto a sight of Islam so often neglected in the west. The aesthetic, beauty, and culture offer an opening for us all to start a dialogue on the values that we share and hold in common.”=
– Karen Armstrong, Award-Winning Author of Religion
Matters of faith continue to divide people in dreadful ways, but there has always been at least one thing that religions have in common the urge to express belief through art. That’s a point driven home in a sumptuous 90 minute documentary by filmmaker Robert Gardner… The beauty is stunning, whether in the eloquent calligraphy of a sacred manuscript or the colors and designs in a carpet. The “forest of columns” inside the Great Mosque of Damascus reveals layers of architectural brilliance, all in the service of providing the faithful with an environment conducive to prayer. There are exquisite shots, too, of the Alhambra, with its deceptively plain fortress walls concealing a marvel of elegant ornamentation, where decorated stucco surfaces suggest intricate cloth.
– The Baltimore Sun
Cities of Light; The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain
“At its best, the history of Islamic Spain is a model for interfaith cooperation that inspires those who seek an easier relationship among the three Abrahamic faiths. At its worst, it’s a warning of what can occur when political and religious leaders divide the world. It reminds us what really happens when civilizations clash.”
– Christian Science Monitor
“Award-winning director Rob Gardner (Islam: Empire of Faith) has crafted a superb, compelling true tale about another world — one so long ago…but one that provides some warnings to the present world… The two hour-documentary blends expert “talking heads,” with masterful recreations, film footage of breathtaking Islamic architecture and scenes of Spain itself for a highly accessible and supremely satisfying mix.”
– Themoderatevoice.com
The Plague
“Delivers a one-two punch…complete with grisly re-enactments.”
– The Wall Street Journal
“This fascinating two-hour documentary looks at the disease, how it spread,
reactions that rage from heroic to vengeful and how society was challenged
and changed.”
– The Washington Post, TV Week
Da Vinci and the Code He Lived By
“The conceit remains fittingly clever…The film takes us through his youth as an apprentice in Verrocchio’s studio, his disillusionment with his status as a court painter, his moves to Milan and Venice, and his strange affiliation with the malevolent Caesar Borgia…The commentators are a lively and articulate bunch.”
– The New York Times
“Pick of the weekend…da Vinci gets a solid going over here.”
– Chicago Tribune
Barbarians I
“A lavishly photographed series of re-creations, this four-hour documentary chronicles the ill-bred behavior of barbarian nations, taking an epic scrutiny of about 1,000 years of mayhem, theft and empire building.
Barbarians” turns out to be a truly ambitious spectacle, with 400 costumes created for the docu and re-enactments created on a grand scale — vivid cavalry battles, Viking ships under sail, fleeing refugees and castle sieges. (Stunt people did the tough work — no actual barbarians were killed in the making of this epic.)
Three-time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Robert Gardner produced and directed the documentary for the History Channel, and he does a bang-up job.
– The Hollywood Reporter
“For viewers weary of your standard historical documentary consisting of slow camera pans over engravings and maps, Barbarians is an exciting departure. A full stunt crew makes the battle scenes–including Goth king Alaric sacking Rome, Tamerlane capturing the Ottoman sultan Beyazit amid smoking piles of severed heads, and Viking Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066–impressive and believable.”
– Archaeology Magazine
Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
“…needed…we see, and we weep…”
– Anthony Lewis, Syndicated Columnist
“…profound…the most important television journalism on the mideast since ABC’s ‘Nightline’…in a moving & challenging way, it clears away the smoke & looks deeply into the flame…”
– Tom Shales, The Washington Post
“…chilling…a hauntingly beautiful film about ugliness…producer/director Robert Gardner has translated the book to film with sensitivity, insight and meticulous balance…
– Howard Rosenberg, Los Angeles Times
“…reasonant…thoughtful…the faces and words in ‘Arab and Jew’ express love and hope, fear and threat, love of land and hatred of neighbor…”
– Walter Goodman, The New York Times
“…admireable…conveys powerful empathy for all the people involved in the problem…”
– The Wall Street Journal
“…telling…a report on the Arab-Israeli conflict as seen through the eyes of ordinary citizens on both sides…”
– TV Guide
“..involving…the film holds together with a ‘Rashomon’-like irony, where both sides are talking about the same thing – land, peace, freedom – even though they’re bitterly at odds…”
– The Boston Globe
“…gripping…chilling, frustrating, enlightening…goes behind the headlines to explore in human terms the conflicts between two cultures fighting for the same territory…Grade: A”
– People Magazine
Egypt: Quest for Immortality
“A rollicking good time…”
– Tom Shales, The Washington Post
Islam: Empire of Faith
“A visually rich primer of the first 1,000 years of Islam.”
– The New York Times
“…graceful…bold and colorful…brings history to life.”
– The Hollywood Reporter
“A cascade of lyrical cinematography…dazzles the eye with spectacular imagery.”
– The New York Daily News
“…gorgeous…breathtaking…exquisite…”
– The Wall Street Journal
“A deft and compelling historic panorama…”
– Christian Science Monitor
“…graceful…bold and colorful…brings history to life.”
– The Hollywood Reporter
“A cascade of lyrical cinematography…dazzles the eye with spectacular imagery.”
– The New York Daily News
“…gorgeous…breathtaking…exquisite…”
– The Wall Street Journal
“A deft and compelling historic panorama…”
– Christian Science Monitor
“Lavish recreations [which are] so detailed, beautiful and expressive they occasionally lift the project… into the realm of poetry.”
– Newark Star-Ledger
Courage to Care
“An exceptional and hauntingly direct documentary…an intimate study of decency and hope. Gardner’s film is inspiring and important.”
– Tom Shales, The Washington Post
“Deeply moving…”
– Bill Moyers
“The best made… a gem of decency.”
– The Wall Street Journal
A Fighting Chance
“Very moving…very powerful”
– The Washington Post