Oliver Stone's Secret History of America: Season 1
  • Network: Showtime
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 12, 2012
  • Season #: 1
User Score
5.8 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 25
  3. Negative: 9 out of 25

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  1. christoban
    Dec 3, 2012
    0
    I'm not sure what a far leftist Hollywood producer is doing writing History Channel documentaries. By the over the top anti-American skew of this series, History Channel might as well have hired Michael Moore. Time and time again, we are treated to highly one sided stories which paint the U.S. in the worst possible light. This series, while sometimes interesting, is not history. It is propaganda. I wonder if History Channel would be OK with a similar series by the likes of Rush Limbaugh?… Expand
  2. Rattazustra
    Jan 17, 2013
    1
    Ignoring the first episode (which contained absolutely nothing untold and held no surprises at all for any semi-educated person), the series has proven to be slightly confusing. While at times it seems that it is nothing but elaborately phrased and painfully obvious extreme leftist propaganda, this is led ad absurdum when Stone attacks monuments of left wing politics with no other intend but to make himself appear more credible, more critical and more analytical. It is painful to watch because it uses the most brutish, most obvious and most unworthy rhetorical methods possible. It is a disgrace for any side in the political spectrum, it is mostly uninformative and it leaves the bitter aftertaste of stuporous misinformation and conspiracy nutjob babbling. At least it DOES give some insight into the thoughts of confused leftist conspiracy nutjobs and history revisionists.… Collapse
  3. dirtytrainers
    Nov 14, 2012
    0
    Terrible, without doubt a lie...Where is the story of industrialists? Prescott Bush & Hitler? Wall Street? English Lords? They all supported fascism...Where is that story...Oliver Stone has either lied or been threatened...If anyone has a problem with what i wrote take it up with me and I will happily provide historical evidence - Oliver Stone is a lying scum bag degenerate fool
  4. FriedConsole
    Jan 11, 2013
    2
    This is like they recorded Oliver Stone doing a Youtube comments section style rant and then added video clips to it later. It just rambles alluding to conspiracies but never following up on them that would actually make it entertaining. Very dis-jointed and jumps around all over the place it makes your head spin. He moves so fast that it doesn't give you enough time to reflect on how dumb it is. I am left of center and this stuff is for far left wing conspiracy nuts. The history of the world is so simple and black and white in Oliver Stone's view that I kinda wish it was all true. If only it was just rich industrialists and Republicans that causes all the wars we could stop all wars pretty easily.… Expand
  5. Graymc
    Dec 29, 2012
    1
    Some interesting points, but sadly it is overwhelmed by conspiracy theory conjecture that is a hallmark of Stones work. He significantly glosses over any of the negative sides of communism and
    totalitarianism, making one think that they were benign systems that only failed because of subversion from a corrupt United States. Mostly a waste of time watching it.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Nov 12, 2012
    70
    Four years in the making and ten hours long, it's a remarkable, if dense and often difficult program--at once the most stylistically stripped-down thing Stone has done and (somehow) the most Oliver Stone-y.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Nov 12, 2012
    50
    Narrated by Stone with no other voices (save actors filling in for various world leaders), Untold History is a hodgepodge of terrific if often disturbing historical footage and bizarre theatrical asides (including, at one point, the dictionary definition of "empathy" spelled out on the screen) that are almost overwhelmed by its invasive soundtrack.
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  3. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Nov 12, 2012
    30
    It is relentless and ultimately meretricious in skewing history to its conceit that the United States is a murderous war machine destroying everything in its path to empire.
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