Product Details

• Actors: Geoffrey Holder, Ben Shedo
• Directors: Ben Shedd
• Writers: Simon Campbell-Jones
• Producers: Ben Shedd, Marian White, Mike Day
• Format: AC-3, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1), Unknown (Dolby Digital 5.1), Mandarin Chinese (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Dutch (Dolby Digital 5.1), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sling Shot
• DVD Release Date: March 16, 1999
• Run Time: 40 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000F190
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,407 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Tropical Rainforest (Large Format)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This 40-minute documentary was one of the first commercially released DVDs. It should serve as a welcome introduction for those who are interested in but know little about the tropical rainforest and the process of deforestation. The script, however, provides little in the way of concrete information regarding the images on screen at any given time. The intended effect appears to be poetic (à la Henry David Thoreau), but the narration tends to veer toward the New Age. This could prove frustrating for those who would like to know exactly what species of plant or animal is being featured and what makes it unique to the rainforest. Further, indigenous peoples and their relationship to the world's rainforests is not explored.

The documentary is narrated by actor Geoffrey Holder (Ray the Sun from Bear in the Big Blue House), who has a deep voice with a pleasant tone, somewhat akin to that of James Earl Jones. His thick Trinidad accent, however, can be somewhat hard to understand despite the clear diction. A couple of scientists provide supplementary narration, but it is not sufficiently clear who they are or what their relationship is to the rainforest. The film ends with a fitting musical number, "Mbube (Wimoweh) (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" by the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. --Kathleen Fennessy

From the Back Cover

Tropical Rainforest takes you on a 400 million year journey to illustrate the diversity and beauty of life in the forests. This film has been seen by millions of people at IMAX and OMNIMAX theaters worldwide and features incredible sound and film images. Featuring the birds and primates of the forest canopy and insects of the forest floor, Tropical Rainforest also shows the adventure of researchers challenged to understand the forests even as they disappear. From extreme close-ups to tree-top panoramas, the film lets you experience the forest on its own terms, to better understand and appreciate the treasures of this environment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Regret for Buying it.., September 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tropical Rainforest (Large Format) (DVD)

The narration is very bad and it doesn't even look like a common Discovery Channel program. It looks like it has been taken by a Home Video camcoder. Only the audio is good. I wouldn't even recommend for renting.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Are they for real? Absolutely AWFUL, November 9, 2002

By 

manav sawhney (New Brunswick Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Rainforest (DVD)

This is the WORST documentary I have ever watched. Anyhow i consider iMAX documentaries sub par to National Geographic and BBC documentaries. Given that leeway, this documentary still sets new standards. New stardards in terms of the worst documentary made.

The narrator sounds like hes overdosed on prozac, there is no theme whatsoever (they take a rainforest, take the first person off the street to narrate, and an IMAX camera: where they spent all their money). I was so severly disappointed. The DVD transfer is nothing spectacular.

Which brings me to my next point: IMAX documentaries are subpar in terms of filming and content and narration to the aforementioned documentaries. They are only popular becuase of the film and projection technuiques of the BIG screen IMAX theatres. Once they are transferred to DVD, the effect is lost and they appear as inferior, B-class documentaries. Stick to some BBC or National geographic documentary.

I think the grass growing in my lawn is more fascinating than this lacklustre piece on a "rainforest". Useless.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of money!, March 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tropical Rainforest (Large Format) (DVD)

Completely useless piece of film making, why did IMAX bother? Picture quality bears no resemblance to other IMAX productions such as "Africa The Serengeti" and the transfer to DVD has been done very poorly. The background sounds of the rainforest are completely marred by a terribly delivered commentary which sounds as if it were intended for 5 year olds. Any adult of average intelligence will learn nothing from the commentary that they didn't already know. Don't waste your money.