Customer Reviews

Eyewitness - Elephant [VHS]

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2 star:		(1)
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I bought this video for my two-year-old, who loves elephants. And he does love this video, but doesn't like to watch it alone. First, there are a couple of graphic shots of dead elephants. Then, there are some dramatic sound effects and intimidating angles of elephants' feet coming down. Also, one shot shows a man (in a studio), aiming a rifle at an elephant, and shooting. The elephant disappears, so we don't see the animal dying. Still, our son has focussed on that, talking about people shooting elephants. The bottom line is, it's an excellent video for older children, but I don't recommend it for the very, very young.

My son, like many toddlers, loves elephants and would always demand that any elephant segment in his kid vids get replayed over and over - ad nauseum. Well, we finally decided to purchase a tape that focuses exclusively on elephants. We bought "Elephant". This is one of the best contributions we have made to his, in fact, our own, video library. The tape is perfect. It is the right length for a parent - doesn't keep the kid glued to the tube forever and never gets boring to the parent or toddler. It has lots and lots of what my little one wants - elephants, elephants and more elephants. The visuals are spectacular; the score is a dream; Martin Sheen provides wonderful narrative. It is a directorial model of vivid and lush scenery - blending historical detail and images with contemporary footage. It delights with a great mix of ever changing and stimulating images of elephants - animated and real. There are elephants in a studio in a magnificent white setting whom we come to love as well as we do the elephants in the wild. The image of the female elephant herd marching across the plain single file behind the matriarch is one of the most majestic I've ever seen on the screen, the music underscoring the mood that the viewer is indeed witnessing one of the most amazing marvels of nature. I could go on. I am not a naturalist or animal lover, but this tape has certainly made me a convert -an enthusiast of God's creatures and the earth. I thank my little son for stimulating my purchase of such a tape that is sure to be a joy to him, me and the rest of my family for years to come. I look forward to other tapes by this producer.