Customer Reviews

National Geographic Video: Africa's Stolen River [VHS]

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This nature documentary is set in Northern Botswana, a place famous for it's unspoiled wildness. The drama is set in Savuti region. This place was a water paradise for it's wildlife inhabitants until in 1982 it began to dry up, which caught the eye of husband and wife wildlife photographers Derek and Beverly Joubert. The filmmakers began to document the dramas that evolved in a place of plenty going sour. We see many animals struggle once the water begins to mysteriously evaporate from the channel. Some begin the migration to Lynianti river area, others continue to stay hoping for the best. Nature, however, has its own mind on the matter. What develops is the story of survival, a struggle for life in the place of death. We follow the elephants, hippos, crocodiles and other denizens of this place in their struggle and fight for survival. It is an amazing footage of a great drama set in the wild and unforgiving place.

One of the most beautiful/incredible things I've ever seen or heard. Seven years of filming distilled into one hour. One scene completely amazes me - I had no idea elephants could do that! The narration and music are closely connected to the spirit of what's going on(very rare). Some very sad things happen in this. Parents might want to watch this before letting children see it. Get it before it goes out of print.

This a very interesting documentary of the drying Savuti Channel. It is not just a documentary but a work of art, slowly paced even though it surveys eight years of drought. The music is eery and the narration by Richard Kiley is a perfect compliment to the film. If you like this film you may also want to watch "Last Feast of the Crocodiles."

I saw this documentary on PBS and recorded it when it first came out. Since the time I've first seen it up to now, I think I must have watched it well over a hundred times. The narration is flawless as is the sound track and the filmography and editing. The sound track and the poetic narration make this one of the most compelling nature documentaries I've ever seen.
This documentary film is a seven year chronicle following the lives of African wildlife in Botswana as they struggle to find water after the Savuti channel has dried up due to drought. To the north in Botswana, there is a place called the Lynyanti River. Instinctually, many of the animals know what direction to go for water but not all of them will make the journey. As the animals migrate, they are drawn into close competition with one another. We see all kinds of interesting dramas unfold, but the film primarily focuses on a hippopotamus and her calf. The film begins with a pregnant hippo struggling to pull herself out of a drying up lake.
Some of the most dramatic scenes in the film include the following:
Young lions hassle a small group of hippos.
A female warthog tries to protect her young against a group of jackels.
An exausted elephant is reluctantly left behind by it's herd to die.
Cape hunting dogs attempt to break through a herd of zebra's line of defense. The zebras form a protective line and stand their ground to protect the young.
The one thing I got out of this documentary is that the journey was more important than the destination which was the Lynyanti River. This understanding applies to all things in life.