Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Pbs (Direct)
• VHS Release Date: May 16, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004TGFW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,241 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Michael Palin's fascination with Ernest Hemingway began when he was growing up in the North of England. Reading tales of fishing, hunting, drinking, and other adventurous pursuits gave young Palin his first taste of the wider world, and inspired in him a love of travel that would lead to his journeys such as Pole to Pole and Full Circle.

In Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure, our guide follows in Hemingway's footsteps through Europe, Africa, and the United States in an effort to learn more about what made the literary giant tick. Beginning in the suburbs of Chicago, then heading to Italy, Paris, Pamplona, and Cuba, Palin soaks up the atmosphere--and a daiquiri or two--in many of Papa's favorite haunts. He has an obvious affection for his subject, but he remains as irreverent as ever, whether he's trying (and failing) to shoot ducks in a freezing Italian lake or trying (and failing) to get an audience with Fidel Castro in Havana.

Although it lacks the "Will he make it?" excitement of the earlier series, the relatively leisurely pace of this journey allows Palin to dig a little deeper into his subject. He has an extraordinary knack for finding fascinating people on his travels, and his unassuming style encourages them to open up in front of the camera. The Hemingway trail offers particularly rich pickings, including a centenarian boxer who sparred with Hemingway and a gathering of portly, bearded Papa look-alikes in a Key West bar. Moving easily from the hilarious (tales of Hemingway sailing sans underwear) to the moving (describing the writer's last days from the room where he died), Palin is the perfect travel companion, and this is his most personal journey yet. --Simon Leake

Product Description

Michael Palin turns his wandering eye to the life and locales of Ernest Hemingway. The series moves in and out of past and present to the places that meant so much to Hemingway: Chicago, his birthplace; Italy, scene of his injuries in World War I; Paris; Pamplona and the running of the bulls; his beloved Havana; Key West, where his presence is still felt today; Uganda, where he went on safari; and Ketchum, Idaho, where he died.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COME EXPLORE THE LIFE OF HEMINGWAY PALIN STYLE!, August 4, 2000

By 

amelia (Dundee, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure (2 tape set) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Michael Palin to me makes travel so enjoyable. This two part series is one I highly recommend for everyone to see. This was a new challenge for Michael and he does an excellent job. The videos are a look into the life of Ernest "Papa" Heminway and the places he lived. What makes it fun is how Michael tries to emmulate Heminway by trying some of his hobbies which are hunting and fishing. Of course, I can't forget Michael's great sense of humor which is what I love most. I feel like I have traveled with Michael to all these places which include Spain, France, Italy,and Key West. I loved the feature on my hometown of Chicago. Again, even if you have never read Hemingway like myself you will enjoy this two part series.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On the trail of an American legend, October 31, 2005

By 

Rennie Petersen (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure (2 tape set) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The following review is based on watching the DVD version of Michael Palin's "Hemingway Adventure", subtitled "On the trail of an American legend". This version consists of a single DVD disc with four programs totaling approx. 3 hours 15 minutes. There is no extra material, but English subtitles can be turned on or off, although I found the on/off setting to be counter-intuitive.

This "Hemingway Adventure" is a set of TV programs originally made for the BBC in 1999. Michael Palin visits many of the places where Ernest Hemingway lived and traveled, displaying a keen interest in Hemingway, mostly as a person rather than Hemingway's authorship.

Program 1:
Spain - running with bulls, bullfighting
Africa - hunting

Program 2:
Chicago - Hemingway's youth, guns, hunting, fishing, Indians
Italy - WW I
Paris - books, sports, injuries

Program 3:
Key West - Hemingway look-alikes, boxing
Africa again - plane crashes
Italy again - duck hunting

Program 4:
Cuba - drinking, fishing
Montana & Idaho - dude ranches, hunting, Hemingway's death

I don't understand this ordering of the programs, as it would make more sense if programs 1 and 2 were reversed. Then the programs would follow Hemingway's life fairly closely instead of appearing to be in almost random order.

As usual with Michael Palin's travelogues, the strong points are the very interesting places he visits and the very interesting people he manages to talk to. And the beautiful photography of the nature and cities and people and wildlife are very good.

I've also read the book that is associated with this TV program, and was disappointed to discover that many of the interesting things featured in the book are not even mentioned in the TV program. Of course, a book that runs 6 hours as an audio book obviously contains a lot more than a 3-hour TV program. (The book is highly recommended, both the printed version with beautiful photographs by Basil Pao and the audio version read by Michael Palin himself.)

This is a very good travelogue, the only negative aspect being that Michael Palin occasionally acts a bit too silly. Highly recommended.

Rennie Petersen

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A frest new perspective, June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure (2 tape set) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A humorous, touching, and adventurous look at Hemingway's fantastical life! Micheal Palin is an endearing host; you feel as though you were right there with him and Ernest Hemingway as he travels the world.