Product Details

• Directors: Kieth Merrill
• Writers: Kieth Merrill, Ben Burtt
• Producers: Nicholas J. Gray, Richard W. James
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sling Shot
• Run Time: 41 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1584481382
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #484,493 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Instead of a history of the spectacular Niagara Falls, this IMAX presentation, whose format is, oddly enough, pan-and-scan instead of widescreen, resorts to re-enactments of Niagara's mythology. Though the film incorporates some breathtaking cinematography that emphasizes the splendor and awesome scope of the falls, director Kieth Merrill, who has helmed several other films in the IMAX library (Wolves), focuses on the legends that prevail rather than the wonder of the place itself. We see cheesy reinterpretations of the people of Niagara, "the thunder beings who lived under the great falls," as they send a maiden, "the chosen one," over the edge in a canoe. Equally odd is a scene of Annie Taylor and her pet cat, who tackled the falls in a barrel at the turn of the century. Consequently, this is one of the lesser IMAX features. This truly extraordinary wonder deserves a better platform, yet even in this imperfect examination, its beauty and power can't be repressed and ultimately it's what we remember most after the film ends. --Paula Nechak

From the Back Cover

Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic is the most spectacular IMAX adventure of all. From the comfort of your seat, you'll thrill to the larger-than-life vista of raging waters as you take a heart-pounding ride over the Falls and experience other death-defying stunts performed at Niagara Falls.

Created by Academy Award-winner Kieth Merrill, the film takes you back to the days when the Indians worshipped the thunder beings, 2,000 years before the first Europeans discovered the Falls. See the wonders of the Falls up close and travel back in time for a glimpse of its 12,000 year-old history.

Meet the daredevils who challenged the fury of the Falls: the Great Blondin, who completed a death-defying tightrope walk over the river in 1860, and Annie Taylor, a 63 year-old school teacher, who was the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel and live to tell the story.

No trip to the Falls is complete until you've seen Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money., August 8, 2007

By 

GregF (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IMAX Presents - Niagara: Miracles, Myths & Magic (DVD)

This video just glosses over the history of the falls and throws in some fluffy depictions to make people feel warm and fuzzy. I watched "Niagara-A history of the Falls" by the History Channel first which was 100 percent better than this DVD. Without the knowledge gained from watching this DVD first I would have not understood parts of the IMAX DVD.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why did the kitten change color?, January 25, 2006

By 

Mikesalt (NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Niagara - Miracles, Myths & Magic (Large Format) (DVD)

Repetitive amateur and boring recreations- someone in the crowd points and yells "Look over there- it's {fill in what went over the falls here}!" - mar this dvd. Recreations are fine when they are done well, but not in this movie. There some truly stunning shots of the falls, but they are too few and too brief. The real mystery of the falls is that Annie's cat, a small black kitten when it goes into the barrel, comes out of the barrel at the bottom of the falls as a larger and obviously older white cat- huh? Save your money!

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Voyage!, June 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Niagara - Miracles, Myths & Magic (Large Format) (DVD)

I used to venture up to Niagara Falls, Canada at least three times a year, and every trip was accented with a visit to the IMAX theater to watch Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic. This featurette, from the directing to the narration, is legendary. This movie captures the essence of story-telling and is a must for anyone who is enchanted by the magic we believed in when we were young.