Customer Reviews

BBC Atlas of the Natural World - Wild South America

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As in my other review regarding this BBC Atlas of the Natural World, I will confirm this complete series has no peer - including the recent ' Planet Earth ' production !!

And I repeat ... those who have not viewed this shockingly remarkable group of DVDs have no idea of what they are missing !!

This review is focused on the complete set of this view into the natural world. The whole thing is unbelievably outstanding !!

When we lived in England ten years ago, we were consumed by the Andes to Amazon television series broadcast at the time. Ever since I have moved back to the United States, I have searched far and wide for a release of this series on DVD for the USA. Until recently the search always ended in disappointment. Finally, my search is over! I cannot imagine why the second reviewer was so negative about this DVD. It is by far one of the best wild life documentaries ever created!

I use this for my classroom, and it works well to show much of the geographic extreme of South America.

This BBC dvd captures the beauty of South America not seen before in other wildlife shows. It captures most of the main geographic areas and explores their wildlife. There is of course more landscapes to this continent that could have been covered, but its a good introduction to those who don't know much about this place.

'Wild South America' seems to be getting less exposure than the other BBC nature documentaries.
I myself learned about it just weeks ago.

But what a brilliant piece of filmmaking !!!

In addition to the stunning visuals, this documentary has the subtle quality of connecting with its viewers.
The presentation is engaging and emotional, so that viewers can understand the South American wilderness, not just see it.
In that respect, I'd dare to say that 'Wild South America' is even better than Planet Earth.

In light of the BBC's previous cutting edge documentaries about lifestyles and animals, "Wild South America" is a huge disappointment. The gorgeous landscapes and remarkable close-ups of animals lose their power thanks to Nicholas Hooper's repetitive attempt at indigenous music and the frequent redundancies in content. But the most distressing element of this six-part series is the narration written by Pelham Aldrich-Blake and spoken with inappropriate romanticism by Fergal Keane. Frequently anthropomorphic and generally banal, it carries a "gee whiz" attitude as if the filmmakers were surprised by what they found with their own research. The producers clearly had time and money to spend on this major series, and their efforts and devotion show in its stunning visuals. Too bad it has nothing to say that couldn't be found in a grammar school primer.