Customer Reviews

CNN Millennium 2000

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I just got finished reading some of the other negative reviews when my copy arrived in the mail. I started watching with a positive attitude saying, "how bad could it really be." We'd all seen at least some of the coverage on TV and it was ok. Well, let me say this... it was THAT bad. (I won't even get into the sound and video quality as other reviewers did) Some of the irrelevant commentary from the live broadcast that you'd surely think they would have edited out... they included. Then left out important footage such as: North America's first (St. John's Newfoundland) and Other noteables like: Miami, Chicago, Toronto, Seattle, etc. One of the most impressive fireworks displays (Paris) got hacked to pieces. The best examples of the lunacy are the arguments of who's party is better Washington or New York, and the part in the NY subway where we witness a millennium milestone - drunk teenagers screaming as some poor girl gets made a fool of by a reporter. I was expecting something more of a documentary type production with narrative commentary and music over the amazing video images, but instead we got bits and pieces of the live video feeds awkwardly spliced together and poorly edited. There isn't even any kind of notes or booklet inside. I really feel embarassed for CNN. This is very unprofessional and quite frankly a waste of money. Let me say in closing that as soon as one of the more reputable TV networks comes out with their own video, this useless piece of plastic will adorn the bottom of my trash can. I'm very disappointed.

First of all, the program was only 1 hr. 14 min. long. Secondly, instead of fully showing most of the cities, they kept the "live" format, jumping from place to place. Naturally, except for the occasional split screen, only ONE place can be shown live at midnight. The others show ongoing, post-midnight celebrations. I'll wait for someones presentations of each city in it's fullest, thank you.

This DVD is an example of how one should NOT be done. The video quality is on the level of VHS, or even worse, something taped straight off the air with a bad antenna. The menu is very simplistic and the whole disc seems to have been rushed out in order to cash in on the millenium memorabilla craze. I would have expected better from CNN, being the "world news leader". The footage could have been remastered and cleaned up and more time could have been spent polishing it. Buy this disk if you absolutely have to own a record of the Y2K New Year's celebrations.

There was so much CNN advertising on this video they should have paid me to watch it! In Berlin did I want to see the still shot photo and name of the reporter plastered on the screen, covering up the fireworks display going on in the background (along with other CNN graphics)? That's reporter and network vanity at its worst. They totally lost the captivating effect that Paris had when I watched it originally on TV, no we had to see it micro-sized down into a box. Show Paris and then follow it up with Rome. They ruined both by trying to squeeze them on the screen together. Then there were the close up shots of Big Ben through most of the celebrations in London, we missed so much staring at that clock! San Francisco had to share a split screen with 3 other cities. Truly frustrating watching this, especially if you saw it live on TV and you knew what they left out.

This disc should have been a wonderful record of the world's celebrations as I remembered watching on TV. Instead I have a God-awful piece of trash that looks like it was edited on New Year's Day by someone still hungover. Never has so much wonderful source material been mangled, butchered, and just plain disrespected! This disc should have been done with at least some eye to future generations. A real downer. Avoid at all costs!

Poorly done DVD, CNN! You had a great opportunity to rehash the events of midnight, but blew it. Example 1: Midnight hit Paris, Berlin, and Rome at the same time. When CNN covered this live, they had to do a lot of split-screens and 'squeeze' shots. I bought this video for the specific reason of getting CNN's re-edited version, ie. let's show all the Paris footage, THEN show Berlin, THEN show Rome. No, they did not do that. Instead, they just replayed their off-the-screen footage! What's up with that?
Example 2: In London, the fireworks lasted for >>18 minutes<<. The DVD shows Big Ben striking midnight, and as soon as the chimes stop, CNN cuts to the announcer saying "Yes, in case you were wondering, that WAS the largest fireworks display EVER." Unfortunately, CNN cut 17 minutes out! Why bother telling us it was the largest display ever if you cut it out!
Overall, I am thoroughly disgusted with the editing. Also, I agree with the others who point out that the video is NOT DVD quality. I *knew* I should have shoved a tape into my VCR back on Dec 31st!

This DVD covers "midnight around the world" on the eve of the year 2000, starting at Chatham Islands and ending as the new day dawns across the globe. Along the way we are treated to varying degrees of Korea, Moscow, Baghdad, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Madagascar, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Cairo, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Athens, France, Italy, Germany, Bosnia, Spain, Nigeria, England, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, Rio de Janiero, Sau Paulo, Toronto, Boston, New York, Washington, Atlanta, Havana, Winnipeg, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Granbury, New Orleans, Mexico City, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and a brief wrapup. At least, those are the places listed at the beginning of each chapter, but I didn't see any actual coverage of Sau Paulo (either spelled correctly or not), for example, so there might not be a great deal of accuracy in their listings.

It's terrific as a souvenir, and a piece of history, and a travelogue. One moment in time, to have and watch for many years in the future and remember it whether you really cared about the turning over from 1900s to 2000s or not. In that respect, it's special. There's no denying that. So it pretty much makes the technical side of things immaterial, doesn't it?

Well, if it does, don't hesitate to buy it. You'll get what you want...gorgeous views of the world celebrating like its never celebrated before, and a sense of being there, everywhere, as it happened, from the glitzy shows in Paris and London to the more earthy shows (more human, perhaps?) in the Pacific islands.

But if the technical side DOES matter, there are things about this disc that will affect your appreciation. Probably not a lot, mind you, but enough to tell you why... to begin with, the compression seems a bit on the rough side. I don't know the real reason, but maybe they rushed this one out a little too quickly. There are a few bits of footage that are clearly digital video transmissions, and of course I forgive those, but overall I noticed a lot more - dare I say it - artifacting on this disc than most others I've seen. Keep in mind, though, that noticing that sort of thing is a bit of a personal thing - some people notice it while others don't. So maybe I'm seeing things, it's up to you to printed well in advance of the disc's contents) tells us that the approximate running time is 120 minutes. Two hours. Warner is being mighty generous with the word "approximate" because the actual disc running time is 84 minutes. One hour, twenty-four minutes. As if they couldn't find enough footage to get a little closer to the 120 minute mark... hmph.

The best advantage of the DVD version over the videotape is the ability to quickly access the celebrations (such as they are) in each time zone by use of the chapter selections. For example, they give you instant access to the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramids. Appreciate it, because it's the disc's only menu (apart from the main menu which offers you PLAY or the chapter list).

You make the call. A decent price, and perhaps a time capsule of incalculable worth... but how much will you let disappointment dim your pleasure? END

Don't waste your time with this one, the CNN millenium logo is on so many views, it even blocks much of the fireworks at the bottom of the screen. I would have paid twice as much if they put in the effort to make it worthwhile.

Actually, I wanted to give this 0 stars!

I expected more from CNN - but as I listened to Larry King read off a bunch of credits for the first five minutes I knew that this video was going to be just a rehash of the original broadcast. I was expecting pictures without the CNN "bug" in the corner and dull commentary. We got poorly edited segments of festivities that should have been shown in full and long drawn out segments of stuff that should have been edited down. For example: With all the pyro that was going off around the globe, why did we have to suffer 3 whole minutes of various shots of the Hollywood sign all lit up with blue flashing lights? Overall, this DVD sucks. Let's hope that ABC has done a better job with their video.

This is the only video currently on the market on Millennium celebrations. Whether you like it or not. But if you want to own a video of Millennium celebrations then this has to do. The picture quality wasn't it's best. The whole video ran only 90 minutes even though the tape box said the running time was 120 minutes. There were a lot of split screens whenever CNN had to cover more than one city at once. Some cities were missing like the fireworks coming out of the Seattle space needle. Not all 24 time zones were included. Only about 17 time zones. We go from London, England at 7 PM EST right to Rio at 11 PM EST. The celebrations in the time zones during the hours of 8, 9, 10 PM and 4 AM EST were cut out. Lot of Sydney's fireworks display was included. It was the longest segement on the video. There was only 45 seconds of footage of the ball dropping in Times Square. But they showed a lot of the confetti and pyrotechnics that followed afterward. It shared a screen with Washington D.C. So this video is in the middle. Not too great but not too lousy either. I give it just an OK rating. I hope a video comes out on Times Square compiling all the 24 hourly celebrations. That would make a good item. They could also include some behind the scene footage on the puppets and the special effects.