Customer Reviews

Home

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This is a magnificent production. I'm now watching it on the National Geographic channel and had to check to see if a DVD was available. No commercials to interrupt the thread!

The photography is stunning, the music enjoyably fitting and the narrator's voice smooth and clear. The story is informative, sad and scary.

Yes, this production conveys the message that the current economic model of consumption is not conducive to long-term survival (in the manner to which we have become accustomed) where a secure supply of uncontaminated food/water and adequate shelter/clothing are a given.

Sometimes "a picture is worth a thousand words".

Home is an excellent documentary which aims to familiarize us with our planet while reminding us of our place and responsibilities vis-à-vis our environment.
The amount of effort and research put into this project is evident and as a result the documentary helps transport the viewer to different locations allowing one to lay eyes on natural wonders and disasters alike. Glenn Close does an amazing job narrating in a way that brings to mind the Lords of the Rings, while the photography is simply breathtaking!
In short, Home is a must-see documentary, strongly recommended to those people that do care about the legacy they leave behind for the generations to come. 5 Stars

This is a great documentary film! The images and shots were movingly stunning, the colors were amazingly rich and fluid.
THe narrative highlighted the problems that we've created with literature-worthy eloquence and with objectivity whilst not forgetting humanity's needs. The mostadmirable part of it was that while it instills a sense of pain and regret for the environment, it focuses on what we still have and what we can still save. But behind every good narrative, there is a good soundtrack and the one for this documentary lives up to its narrative, with music from all corners of the globe, each fitting into its place and each a place where it fits.

One extremely noteworthy aspect of narrative,picture and soundtrack mixing well is that the soundtrack doesn't drown out the narrative, as some documentaries are wont to do. Also, the documentary allows for moments of wordless eloquence to captivate the viewer in sound and image - yet without dragging it to being "verbose".

all in all, the five stars awarded are truly deserved.
one for picture, one for mastery of language in narration, one for soundtrack, one for humanity the last one, for message and overall delivery.

It's too late... to be a pessimist.

"HOME" is a film directed by Award-winning aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Yann has been active in covering the world beginning with his Altitude Agency which he formed in 1991, an agency which was the first of its kind to specialize in aerial photography and in 1994 he captured the world from above and its beauty in the book "Earth from Above" which became a best seller in many countries.

But Yann is also known for his involvement with Ecology and he is the founder of GoodPlanet, helping companies and people with reforestation and practicing energy efficiency. He is a well-respected man known for his work on public environmental awareness and most recently, the world became familiar with his work from his film "HOME".

The story of the creation of "HOME" is quite interesting. In 2007, he began his new documentary project originally known as "Boomerang" which then became known a "HOME". Produced by well-known film director/producer Luc Besson and financed by the PPR group, "HOME" was created. In a way, the documentary was Yann's way of showing the world of what kind of state our planet is in. That the beauty that we see, can all be gone within the next decade(s) due to man's needs and rapidly depleting natural resources.

In order to have the film shown worldwide, Yann gave up his rights to the film and it was shown on the video streaming site "YouTube" on June 4, 2009 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 5th.

The film spanned 54 countries and 120 locations covering the most amazing landscapes of the planet. Narrated by actress Glenn Close, the film starts off with showing us the beauty of the planet. From the volcanoes, the rivers, the ice and water that flow through the world. Then the beautiful rain forests and then the animals that reside on the planet.

But unlike other well-done documentaries on nature that focus solely on a planet's beautiful surroundings and the animal interaction and its importance in the food chain, "HOME" shows those things but immediately switches gears to show us the how our planet is in trouble and to best illustrate the trouble, showing various civilizations who are now in trouble or are facing major crisis.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"HOME" is featured in 1080p High Definition (aspect ration of 1:78:1) and is featured on a 25-GB single layer Blu-ray disc (AVC @ 21 MBPS). If you thought "Planet Earth" looked absolutely incredible, "HOME" is magnificent to watch and the imagery is absolutely breathtaking.

Words can not describe the imagery captured on film. From above a volcano, to high above the algae covering the oceans, the farm lands across the world, the deserts, the ice, the people, the animals from high above. But then you see the destruction of trees and areas that were once full of water, now having depleted their water resource. You will be in awe of the cinematography but shocked about how civilizations have depleted their natural resource that lands that were once full of trees are now barren. Nothing has grown back. Just shocking!

As for audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (and also French 5.1 Dolby Digital). Glenn Close narrates the film and can be heard clearly. But there are scenes where you hear water rushing and you can hear your subwoofer being utilized as the rumbles are captured. Also, above many civilizations that are packed with people, you can hear them from way above and those crowd noises are captured quite well. The audio compliments the overall video imagery and is what I expected from a documentary.

As for subtitles, English SDH is offered.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Unfortunately, there are no special features on this Blu-ray release.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I absolutely loved "HOME". I was surprised how the film started out showing us the beauty of the planet. The cinematography was excellent but 30-minutes into the film, I was asking myself...is this all about the beauty of the planet? Having watched "Planet Earth" on Blu-ray and various nature based documentaries, I was thinking that perhaps that "HOME" was no different from the others. Beautiful cinematography but I was hoping for something more.

Well, the film suddenly switches gears and then shows us the man-made destruction of the planet. I was immediately captivated by the images of lands that have had their forests eliminated, then to see lands that were once full of water now seeing their water levels much lower than ever. Image after image of civilizations who have depended on their natural resources now having depleted them. From the fish to the water.

I was absolutely in awe. I never knew other countries had it this bad. And to know that because they have used up their natural resources, there is a chance that they will become refugees in their country. But shocking are images of people living amongst their trash, people who are living in poor impoverished areas but built right next to them are these big multi-billion dollar oil corporations.

We learn of Easter Island's Rapa Nui tribe, well known for the Moai (statues) but also well-known for how this tribe destroyed its forests and how habitat destruction has led to soil problems, then water problems and overall collapse on civilization, nearly wiping everyone out. Of course, Easter Island's conflicts have been documented by travelers who have visited the area when it was lush and full of life and now, all life is nearly all gone from that region.

There are many images that I would never have expected to see captured on film and that imagery is all captured in "HOME".

"HOME" is a magnificent documentary that opened my eyes to the world. Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand and the whole crew must be commended for such risky, challenging but also beautiful work of covering 54 countries and 120 locations. It's one thing to capture beauty but to capture the destruction by man. In fact, on the back of the Blu-ray case, you learn that the producers will donate their film's profits back to Goodplanet.org. Even the packaging is ecologically friendly and made with 30% recycled paper and bio-based inks.

Needless to say, after watching "HOME", my eyes have opened up to the world. There are many things we have read or heard about on the news but now we have visual evidence that is made available to the world of how things are getting worse and that we need to change our ways before its too late. Because of technology, we are now rapidly exceeding our planets resources. And already, civilizations are or will soon go through catastrophic situations never seen before. This documentary is indeed an eye-opener.

"HOME" is breathtakingly brilliant on Blu-ray with awesome picture quality but as much as the visuals are impressive and vibrant. It's one of those documentaries that you hope everyone gives it a chance and the time to watch and see for themselves and so they will know what is going on in the world. I don't think many have a clue how our planet has changed within the last 50 years and its pretty sad.

There is literally so much visually to take in but I wouldn't mind watching this documentary repeatedly because the amount of footage and what you are able to see is outstanding. Again, I am very impressed with this release.

If there was one nitpick I have with this Blu-ray release is that with the message delivered from the film, I wish there would be some form of special features included. May it be pointing people to directions of websites that they can get involved in and even a featurette on the making of "HOME". Anything extra would have been nice. But I understand that the focus and the message the filmmakers wanted people to see, is what people will take from the film after watching it. Again, "HOME" is simply magnificent and is truly an eye-opener and this is probably one of the rare occasions where a Blu-release was barebones in special features content but still receive my highest recommendation.

"HOME" is a documentary that I wholeheartedly recommend. I was amazed and now I'm just happy that I had the opportunity to watch this. This Blu-ray is highly recommended!

The aerial cinematography in this film is terrific to watch, and that is why it rates 5 stars. You will definitely want the blu-ray version, because the detail is astonishing. There are some strange things about the American language script however. First, some poor, yet should-have-been-obvious edits for this audience, for example: 1) Grand Canyon of Arizona, or of the Colorado, not in Colorado, 2) Towns started up more than 6,000 years ago, not 600 years ago. Second, the message often had nothing to do with the images. You notice this right away when we are looking at glacial ice-fields in Iceland, and the narrator is talking about rivers. What was that all about? What does a healthy, swimming whale have to do with the plight of ocean fisheries? It appears that there was a collection of TERRIFIC video, and someone needed a "socially relevant" script to accompany its presentation, but the match was not tight. Third, there is an enormous dichotomy between more than an hour spent in hopeless and dreadful pessimism about the planet, followed by a few minutes of optimism that was kind of unsupported. I mean, if Americans are the worst offenders on the Planet, what does more education and aid to third world countries have to do with the impact of overpopulation and technology? Fourth, core issues like population control and political instability were not addressed at all. I am afraid that valid points like the link between meat consumption and high levels of resource utilization get lost in the message of aid to developed countries, or the lack of a real solution here. After all, if we are all vegetarians consuming 1/10 of the agricultural resources per capita, what happens when there are 10 times as many of us in a few years? What about this urban blight? Can we all go rural, not suburban, but really rural? Aren't we better off when people in third world countries don't drive automobiles? So, I think the messages here do raise a lot of thought, but are short on convincing answers, or convincing video evidence. The "feel good" stuff at the end is just that. My well-to-do neighbors have college educations, and they still eat beef and shrimp from shrimp farms that are destroying mangrove forest,fill their refrigerators with bottled water, and they drive SUVs without remorse! Maybe we need more clear thinking about human nature, not just some comforting blurbs about how good we could be if things were just right! But, such a cinematographic journey this is!

French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand makes an incredible directorial debut and narrator Glenn Close is outstanding in this 118-minute aerial exploration of Earth's grand treasures.

Cameras capture a very unique perspective of 54 countries in the documentary that carries an array of environmental warnings. The message stressed throughout is the stewardship of the finite resources has become as urgent as ever, with the natural beauty oftentimes concealing the growing degradation.

There are no DVD "extras," but this is one time where the main feature says it all....in sweeping and triumphant grandeur.

One may not agree with the theory of evolution, but that should not be the reason for not watching/buying this DVD. This film is about man's greed and the results. We must become stewards of our planet or face the fact that our children or grandchildren may likely suffer unthinkable changes to our (American)wealthy way of life. This film shows what has already happened in my lifetime of 60 years, and has certainly awakened my family to our responsibility to care for our home. The photography is absolutely exquisite, the music haunting, and the narrative poetic.

Thank you, Home and the one who had the idea! For the knowledge, I love my Planet Earth...I give a 10 star if I can. with this documentary and others, about everything that lives in the Planet Earth have life. You will understand the cycle of life. Its show clears how the Human destroy my Planet, your Planet, his Planet... It's deep! It makes you think.

This is an astonishing production. Using a compilation of awe-inspiring, Planet-Earth-like video clips, it creates a narrative about the history of the planet. The central focus is that of mankind's revolutionary capabilities to extract resources and how that has affected natural systems of balance that have made human, animal and plant life possible. It is an elegant blend of scientific facts (that won't overwhelm those who aren't much for science), breathtaking images of exotic and familiar landscapes (that will move young, old, educated and uneducated), and substantial analysis that will leave all viewers (even global warming skeptics) with plenty of food for thought. For that reason, it's considered #10 on the International Movie Database's (IMDB) Best Documentaries of All Time list (as of Feb 2010).

I am an educator and am excited to share this with students, friends and family. I strongly encourage you to buy it, rent it from your library (or inter-library loan system) or download the torrent/rapidshare file.

(I also encourage you to write a review to help potential viewers of this in their decision to view it. I say this only because I see that I'm the first to review it on Amazon).

First, make no mistake, this is a must-buy for anyone with a large-screen HDTV and Blu-ray player; it contains the most stunning cinematography and sharpest HD available for home use. Secondly, it carries a message that should make it required viewing in any format, on any screen.

That this is a film with a point of view is an understatement. The unrelenting gloom of the narrative during the first 90 minutes or so, playing behind some of the most stunningly beautiful views of earth ever committed to film, has led some to label it a propaganda film for environmentalists; and the film unfortunately encourages that charge by an unnecessarily preachy tone. The use of the second person, "You are changing the planet" versus "We are changing the planet" makes one wonder if the producers and narrator consider themselves not to be a part of the same human race whom they are addressing. Furthermore, although I am moderately environmentalist, I take issue with the assumption that nature is beneficent and that humans are the only thing standing in the way of nature. There are two things wrong with this view: (1) nature is often cruel and destructive, whether one looks at the evil inflicted by microscopic viruses or monstrous storms--man may in some cases make these phenomena worse, but man did not create them; and (2) humans are a major part of nature itself, not just some alien attacker.

The producers of the film do attempt to strike a balance during the last 20 minutes of the film by pointing out what some countries are doing to slow, halt, or reverse the damage to our planet; but for both sides of the environmental debate, these 20 minutes come as too little, too late. The narrator states that it is "too late for pessimism" after a film that predominantly leaves the impression that it is too late for optimism, that it is too late for hope of reversing the overwhelming momentum built up by overpopulation in developing countries and overconsumption in the richest countries. One can only hope that the movie overstates the catastrophe that is already well under way on our planet; but even if the film's emphasis is skewed (I don't think it is), even if statistics are used selectively to drive its point home (probably true to some extent), and even if it got a few facts wrong, if even half of what it shows is correct, this is one of the scariest films one could possibly see.

A review of this disc in terms of whether or not one should buy it, or at least rent it, could pretty much end here--just get it! If you simply can't abide its message, either for political reasons, or just because you don't want to ruin your day, then watch it with the sound turned off, at least for the first time through. But we ignore its message at our peril. (OK, now I sound preachy; but watch the film; too much of it is simply irrefutable.)

To put on a critical hat, however, there are several things wrong with this film and its packaging. First I have to point out an irony: the Blu-ray version of this film adds its own little bit of environmental damage, and I don't refer to the natural resources required to produce and view it; these are more than justified by the positive impact it could have. Rather, I refer to the completely unnecessary and annoying use of Java to author this disk. This system prevents many or all Blu-ray players from being able to resume a video where the viewer left off; so if you want to watch half the film one day and the other half the next, you have to leave the player on, drawing a small amount of electricity, for as many hours or days over which you wish to spread your viewing. If you so much as press the stop button, you will not only have to wait through all the start-up loading (in several stages) and logos and piracy warnings, but also have to search for your place in the movie because not even a bookmarking function is provided. Many Blu-ray productions use Java to enable all sorts of bells and whistles, including interactivity over the Internet ("BD-Live"); but this disc has no special features; and I could see no benefit at all to the use of this obnoxious technology. To the producers: Use Java (make it do something worthwhile) or lose it!

This leads me to another curious thing about this production: lavish as the photography is, the product is otherwise skimpy, with no program booklet and no special features on the disc. This would not be so bad were it not for the fact that many of the interesting places filmed are not identified in the narrative or by titles, at least not until the very end, where it is done in retrospect. Much of this information is available on the Internet, at [...], an English-language version of the French site; but the "Home" Book itself is only in French. It's impressive that the foundation made this very attractive and informative book available on-line with all its photography and charts intact, and you can begin to get a feel for the magnificence of the pictures right there. In addition, if you want to subject the film's allegations to a fact-check, this book lays out its statistics. Even if you are like me, and know only a little bit of tourist French, I think you can decipher most of the book, which is also available for sale in hardcopy.

To be picky, there are lapses in the editing of the English narrative (faults that may not exist in the original French), with Close stating that there were no towns on Earth until 600 years ago. Huh? And she mispronounces several words, including "indefatigable," "superfluous," and "Qatar," which leads me to hope that the fact checking was more thorough than the final edit of the English soundtrack. But I'm glad they saved money in these aspects rather than in the filming itself, which, I cannot repeat often enough, is spectacular; and even if a few factual errors may have slipped in, the bulk of the information is fascinating, shocking, and vital.