Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: July 11, 1997
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 6304473842
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,956 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Gorgeously spectacular nature footage, much of it shot at shockingly close range, is presented in great abundance in this National Geographic production. Filmed at Namibia's Etosha National Park in southwest Africa, this video takes a relaxed look at a wide selection of wildlife, including zebras, cheetahs, wildebeest, lions, and elephants. The goal is to show all facets of animal life, and scenes of violent encounters between species are balanced with touching scenes of young animals at play. In one stunning sequence, a wildebeest is shown giving birth. Her calf soon stands and takes his first wobbly steps, the informative narration noting that by the end of the day he'll "be running with the herd." Rare footage of a lioness teaching her cubs to finish off a wild pig she has wounded is riveting, as it shows graphically how the lioness will not assist so that her cubs, clumsy though they are, will learn to kill on their own. This video would be worth watching just for the exquisite cinematography, but its thoughtful organization and intelligent narration make it both a visual treat and an education in how animals really live on the African plains. --Robert J. McNamara

Product Description

Witness the realities of birth, death and survival in this vivid encounter with the animal world. AFRICAN WILDLIFE was filmed in Namibia's Etosha National Park over the course of two years, capturing extraordinary close-ups of animal behavior: a wildebeest giving birth, a zebra mother successfully defending her foal from the swift attack of a cheetah, and a young springbuck alerting his herd to the presence of a predator with stiff-legged leaps.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Introduction, July 7, 2000

By 

Kellyannl (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic's African Wildlife [VHS] (VHS Tape)

There is no world-famous footage here, no lightning-flash illumination of animal behavior that we haven't seen in other tapes, and yet... it's so beautifully filmed and so many popular species are covered as they go through birth, mating and death that this tape should be brought as an introduction before others that might have classic footage but are more narrow in scope. If you have only one African wildlife video, this should probably be it. Look for the lion who's just lost the girl to his buddy - and is so put out that he ignores another lioness who saunters up and swats him across the face, as if she's saying "hey, stupid!" As with many other wildlife tapes, you may want to review this one before letting the younger kids watch.