Customer Reviews

National Geographic Video: Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas [VHS]

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This is as intense and savage as nature videos get. Great narration from a strong voiced Powers Boothe lends urgency to the film, I was all wrapped up in it just seconds after it began thanks to him. The Lions are not always the "King Of The Beasts" as you might think. When a pack of Hyenas attacks, the Lionesses are pretty helpless to defend there kill. However one male Lion refuses to be bullied. A male whose African names means "He Who Comes With Fire" is big, bold, and definetly pissed! When he attacks the Hyenas, his intent is not a meal, it is simply to kill. You can almost feel his hatred for the Hyenas, can there be anything in Africa more fearsome? Almost as if to drive the point home, he leaves the leader of the Hyena clan out in the open in a crumpled heap for all the Hyenas to see. Not dead, mind you, but with a broken back, having just crushed her spine in his massive jaws. A stark reminder that nature can be savage, and merciless, definetly cruel. He is also an attentive, almost loving father to his cubs, allowing them to crawl all over him, even as he tries to sleep in the shade. I highly recommend this video for anyone seeking to delve deeper than the average glossed over nature video goes.

This is without question the most violent, horrific animal documentary I have ever seen; the fight for survival between the lions and hyenas is brutal, but goes beyond fighting over food, to actual territorial warfare. The cruelty shown in this footage should not be seen by children, but is extremely educational for those who have the stomach for it.
There is also a segment on the agony of a poisoned lioness that is terribly sad, and hard to watch.

You will learn things about hyenas that will surprise you: It is a matriarchal society, where the males are smaller, and their role in the pack quite marginal. The females also have the appearance of hermaphrodites, and engage in "mock mating", caught on film here for the first time. We also witness their habit of fratricide, where the most powerful of the young will kill its weaker brother or sister.
The ferocity of the hyenas, coupled with their "laughing" sounds, make these scavengers truly "the horrors of the night".

Much of this documentary is chilling, some of it is very moving, and all of it is unforgettable. Filmed in the northern regions of Botswana, the creative forces behind this film are Dereck and Beverly Joubert, and the narration of the beautifully written (and often quite poetic) script is by Powers Boothe.
Watching a film like this puts the harshness of nature into perspective, and also says a lot about our lower instincts, and the "endless cycles of life and death", shown here with some spectacular cinematography.
Total running time is one hour.

It may seem weird that a person from South Africa, like myself should want to watch a film on Lions and Hyenas. The thing is is that when I cannot get into the bush I watch movies like this one. I have yet to see a film that is so true about the interactions between these two animals. Many people think that the Lions are at the top of the African food chain, but they are infact possibly second to the Hyenas. This is the first film that I have seen that actually shows a Clan of Hyenas hunting for food , and a Pride of Lions scavanging form their greatest enemies. This is so far the best movie about Africa that my friends and I have ever witnessed.

then be prepared for some of the most spectacular and disturbing footage ever caught on film. From the outset it is made brutally clear that animals, in this case lions and hyaenas, DO in fact slaughter each other, not necessarily for food as most people believe, but for something much darker - HATRED.

This point is made by showing a large male lion, Ntwydmala, breaking the back of an unlucky hyaena matriarch, then shortly afterwards, breaking the neck of another. It isn't always pleasant to watch, but it'll keep you glued to your seat in disbelief.

This film is easily one of the best nature films I've ever seen, bar none!

The better filmmakers all pour their hearts and souls into their work. But the best filmmakers never allow that fact to distort or discolor the topic they're filming. Indeed, the hard work that produces the best films brings clarity and insight to the fundamental essence of the subject matter, not the filmmaker's personal agenda, ego or annoying idiosyncracies.

Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas is absolutely outstanding. In it, Derek and Beverly Joubert reveal the interaction of Africa's super predators; with each other, with themselves and with the animals on which they prey.

Film footage is nothing short of stunning. It is up close and personal, and it is real. And, if my understanding is correct, the Jouberts never availed themselves of the protection of a heavy caliber rifle, a choice that few people would make. Narration is superb, thoughtfully written and insightful it is never excessive and it complements, never intrudes upon, the film subject. There is absolutely none of the fever-pitched, breathless hype that permeates the mainstream media.

Make no mistake about it lions and hyenas are surely predators and (as are all predators) are genetically programmed killing machines. But just as surely the natural hunting process is amoral and there is truly no right or wrong to the relationship between prey and predator. But if Lions & Hyenas is graphic, it is not pre-meditatedly sensationalistic. There is no sense of the exploitation or sensationalism that permeates the liberal mainstream media. Simply put, to a much greater degree than almost anything else produced by today's filmmakers, Lions & Hyenas is simple, objective reality, brought to video honestly, beautifully and wholly without ulterior motives.

Lions and Hyenas is a masterpiece of cinematic documentation that aspires to genuine art without deviating from the fundamental purpose of providing fact-based knowledge and insight. It is unsurpassed.

Being a long time nature program viewer, I can easily say this might be the most fascinating video ever presented on TV. The interaction & violence between lions and hyenas is unforgettable.
Like watching man wage war and retribution. Beautifully photographed and narrated. But not for young children. Also stronly recommend the book which is a companion to the video.

I have watched this documentry over and over and over, I stopped counting at 24... From the moment the film starts, you are caught up in the awesome magnetism of Savuti. You come to know the lioness, Matsumi, who looses her cubs, the matriarch who dies and leave behind her pup, the Princess, and the male lions, Mandavu and Endwadomalo. All the carachters are woven together into a true master piece, an adictive yet gruesome story of the true Africa. When you see Endwadomalo come trotting out of the bush, and chase after the new Southern Clan matriarch, you feel her fear and his determination. Definitely the best nature film I've EVER watched.

I SAW THIS DOCUMENTARY A FEW YEARS AGO AND HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR IT EVERY SINCE. THIS IS BY FAR THE GREATEST DOCUMENTARY I HAVE EVER SEEN. SO GLAD I FOUND IT!

This is the best National Geographic Film ever made! The narrator and film crew give the Hyenas and Lions human like qualities which leaves you taking side with one or the other. It is a humorous, heartbreaking and excellent educational tool for those wanting to learn more about the cycle of life of these two eternal enemies. I would advise parental guidance for this film due to some of the graphic scences in which the animals fight and feast.

As a veteran of many lion documentaries, I was always curious at the relationship between these two animals. At several of the lion's kills in other films I'd seen, a pack of hyenas lurked menacingly nearby. My curiosity has been satisfied. This is an excellent piece of work that establishes the fact that man is not the only animal that wars. Lions and hyenas seemed to have a general intolerance and hatred torward the other that does not stem from any particular moment or cause. Through trials and tribulations, one aspect of these to amazing animal's personalities stays the same, a deeply-seeded disdain for the other species. The documentary follows a pride of lions dominated by two male brothers, and the rival pack of hyenas dominated by a female. At kills hyenas use their numbers to overwhelm the female lions while the males are not there. The lions, one male in particular, retaliate whenever possible. Though this film may be graphic for some, this is needed due to the nature of the story. Any lover of nature documentaries will find this video a welcome addition to his/her collection