Customer Reviews

Life in Cold Blood

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A David Attenborough film as I have grown accustomed to see them. Short sequences so beautiful that they take my breath away and nearly take my attention away from the subject. Nearly, yet they never do, just as Attenborough himself, appearing as a charming guide, never attracts attention away from but always to the filmed frog or chameleon, filmed not as an object but as an individual with whom Attenborough empathizes.
As usual with Attenborough films, this one abounds in most colorful animals, rarest animals, most fascinating behavior, recent scientific observations... As usual, Attenborough's assistants, scientists and filmmakers of great talent, are never an eye sore but discretely shown in separate parts where they seem appropriate and even necessary.
A masterpiece, comparable only to other films by the same Great Artist.

Life in Cold Blood: Another Triumph for David Attenborough!


Reptiles and Amphibians have been given a bad rap in human esteem. David Attenborough, in his continuing series of natural history documentary programs, brings us a very different view of reptiles and amphibians in this five part documentary series.
I have anticipated "Life in Cold Blood" with eager anticipation.

The five part series begins with "The Cold Blooded Truth". David points out that the idea of "cold bloodedness" (poikilothermy), is a little misleading, in terms of our understanding about reptiles and amphibians and their nature, are concerned. Slow and dimwitted has been the general concept, but the truth is much different. The fact is that reptiles can actively control their metabolism and body temperature, and are capable of very dynamic lives, tender moments, spectacular displays, blinding speed in catching their prey, and touching parental care and affection.

What I Like About This Documentary Film.

1. Wildlife cinematography

The film footage of the variety of reptiles and amphibians in Life in Cold Blood, is extraordinary. Crisp and succinct footage showing the viewer the behavior, colors, and diversity of these animals is breathtaking. This has been true of all of the "Life of" series, especially in recent years. Time lapse photography, thermal imaging, infrared imaging, ultraviolet imaging, night vision and computers are all used in this film. It is a beautiful manifestation of wildlife cinematography.

2. Music.

Yes, music. Music is used very strategically in this documentary. Beautiful classical music emphasize, and highlight, the film footage. The music will enhance your viewing experience, and help you to even change your idea about these creatures.

3. The science.

This is wildlife behavioral science at its best. The science of herpetology is a bit overlooked as a discipline, but it's a cool science nonetheless. Everything in this film is based on good, solid science beginning with observation.

4. David Attenborough.

Let's face it, this is David's film. He hosts, narrates, and he is the star of the film. He goes on site to these many places, holds the lizards and snakes, interacts with them, and is thoroughly charmed by them, and thoroughly charming, in his remarkable person. He's one of my favorite human beings and has been an influence on my life, inspiring me to new interests, fascinations, and is an intellectual role model to me, and for many.

5. The "making of".

At the end of the first one hour documentary in this series, and indeed in all of them, there is a twelve minute segment on the making of the episode. Here we meet some of the scientists without whose help this series wouldn't be possible. We follow David on location, and find out that he has a fascination with reptiles that has endured since he was young. He takes us back to the "Zoo Quest" series from 1960, which was a black and white documentary series that David hosted. He went to Madagascar then, and had a particular interest in chameleons, and since Madagascar has the largest variety of chameleons in the world, he loved it. However, he mentions that he heard about the pygmy leaf chameleon, a one inch long lizard that is among the smallest of all lizards in the world. He never got to see it, until they made this film. We follow David back to Madagascar, and meet the Malagasy naturalist who specializes in chameleons. To find them, they go out at night, and find them! David is just like a little boy, totally and utterly fascinated. It's a treat to see him on location, so astonished to see this tiny chameleon.

All in all, "Life in Cold Blood", "The Cold Blooded Truth", is a wonderful piece of wildlife cinematography, and it is a fantastic documentary in its own right. It's visually a treat to watch, full of variety, succinct explanations and introductions to the world of reptiles and amphibians. It is informative, entertaining, and beautiful to watch and behold. It is a documentary film that will move you, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch over and over again.

In his latest, and last, installment in the 'Life' series, David Attenborough brings us another masterpiece in nature documentary. If you are a fan of his earlier works, this is just as engaging and well filmed. The series is broken into five parts, each 50 minutes long with a "behind the scenes" segment which lasts 10 minutes. In all you receive 5 hours of film for under 30 dollars...a bargain.
No fan of nature documentary, or David Attenborough, should be without this wonderful work.

I had been hoping for a reptile/amphibium documentary from the BBC Life folks for a long time (intially thought Life In The Undergrowth might be it :) There have been precious few reptile/amphibium documentaries ever done (the PBS Nature version is terrible), so this was a very welcome surprise.

GOOD POINTS:
- very educational with respect to the evolution and natural history of the different animals
- some really superb photography
- 5 episodes, allows for reasonable coverage. I would have liked more... like 20 hrs of my favorite subject. :)
- like all BBC docs, has the resolution to fully fill a 16:9 screen w/o the black bars... looks great.

LESS GOOD POINT:
- a bit more of David on screen than I would prefer (have felt the same of most of the Life series). This series has perhaps the most of David on camera, and I am really most interested in the subjects. Also, there is some handling of subjects in the field that is not the best example to set.

But all in all it is quite a nice documentary and a 'must have' for long time amateur herpatologists like me. I believe most anybody with an interest in the Life series will enjoy this, and kids of course. Highly recommended!

I just loved it! It does not compare the visually exquisite filming of 'Life', but the information it provides is just as interesting. David Attenborough makes more appearances in this film which I enjoy, and he does an incredible job of personifying a group of animals that most people find dull, boring, and unemotional. After watching this, you will think just the opposite! He will cover species of reptiles with fascinating behaviors like that of many mammals (even humans!), and change your perspective completely. This is a great film, so add it to your collection!

"Life in cold blood" is truly breathtaking. This is a must have for any wildlife dvd library. Very educational and of high quality. The beauty in
the close ups of the reptiles are stunning. My son has found this film so entertaining that he's watched it so many times I've lost count.

i have to admit that, after buying 'Life of Birds' i got this mostly to please my dad, who loves snakes. It was amazing. The five episodes visit places all around the world, and Attenborough is even spit at by a Spitting Cobra! The only downside is that there is only one video on anphibians. there should be two: one for frogs and one for salamanders and newts.

I've been a lifelong biophile, and hadn't ever learned many of the things in this video. And to see these things, not just read about them -- amazing.

For those who love nature shows, this DVD is incredible showing rarely glimpsed reptiles that have never before been filmed and capturing remarkable behavior. Courtship, mating, hunting and caring for their young, this DVD shows the remarkable and some times little known world of reptiles and amphibians. It also focuses on the rarety of the species and their current plight in the wild. A must see for BBC Nature fans.

I can forgive this the title (reptiles don't have "cold blood"; they thermoregulate to keep their core temps high enough to function). I can forgive that simply because this is, on the whole the best documentary we have on reptiles and amphibians. It is, in fact, what turned me on to the BBC nature documentaries.

This series goes beyond the easy, commonplace work of other films that focus on, say, Komodos or crocodiles. During the course of this series, species most people have never even heard of are explored in a wonderful, awe inspiring way.

In total, there are 5 episodes; one for a sort of overview (the cold blooded truth), one for amphibians, one for lizards, one for snakes and one that combined both turtles and crocs. All are wonderfully shot; one thing the BBC has going for it is an excellent film crew. Shots are well composed, narration is crisp and relevant. These are not just good documentaries; they're artistically made movies. That they manage to treat the subject they cover so well is amazing. Combining good documentary techniques with excellent filmaking is rare and wonderful.

Each episode covers a wide range of it's subject matter; the amphibian episode actually covers caecilians for instance, and the lizard episode covers far more than than the over-exposed Komodo--pygmy chameleons, shingleback skinks, dwarf blue tongue skinks all get coverage. In the snakes episode, they discuss rattlers and giant pythons...but they also discuss the Queen snake (a crayfish specialist). In the episode about chelonians and crocs they deal with the Galapagos tortoises...but also the fly-river (or pig-nosed) turtle. They cover the migration of the spectacled caiman...and show a female caiman helping the young to complete the journey. The range of species is amazing, and it's gratifying to find a documentary that does not focus on the same handful of reptiles as every other documentary does. That it not only mentions but also actually explores these forgotten species is even better.

If you like herps, or if you just like nature documentaries...get this. It's one of the few worthwhile reptile documentaries, and the only really good one I've seen.