Product Details

• Format: Color, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: August 18, 2009
• Run Time: 328 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001OD8E1O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,403 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Stunning aerial tours of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales

"The visuals--all from an aerial perspective--are stunning, a visual feast, and unabashedly romantic." --Chicago Tribune on Visions of Scotland

Some of the world’s most legendary cities, ancient sites, and verdant landscapes are captured from a stunning vantage point. Shot in high definition from a helicopter-mounted camera and planned with precision for optimum lighting and angles, these programs offer the ultimate in armchair travel. Rich narrations and evocative regional music enhance the experience. Take an emotional trip to your family’s homeland, revisit favorite sights, or realize your dreams of discovering these storied lands for the first time--whatever your inspiration--you’ll never have a better view.

INCLUDES THESE PROGRAMS
England--Dover, Hadrian’s Wall, Big Ben, Stonehenge, Bath, Cheddar Gorge, Liverpool, and more
Scotland--Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Dundee, Loch Ness, Inverness, Isle of Mull, Glasgow, and more
Ireland--Galway, Giant’s Causeway, Belfast, Glendalough, Blarney Castle, the Burren, Dublin, and more
Wales (new to DVD!)--Chepstow, Tintern Abbey, Cardiff, Swansea, Carew Castle, Pembroke, St. David’s, and more

With more than an hour of bonus footage not seen on public television

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STUNNING HIGH-DEF FOOTAGE PERFECT FOR BLU-RAY, July 25, 2009

By 

Harold Wolf "Doc" (Wells, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Visions of Britain and Ireland [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

The only thing better than watching "VISIONS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND" is doing the isles in person. This is next best, for sure. I've been to all 4 countries (England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales) and this set does a magnificent job of relating the beauty of the country, architecture, cities, and historical places. It offers a vantage point obtainable only from the air. Even if you've been there, you'll enjoy this film documentation.

Each of the 4 DVDs is narrated by a person with the local dialect, but well understood. Closed caption is available on the Ireland and Wales DVDs but not necessary, except for seeing some of the spelling of names and words. The voice of the person describing what you are seeing combined with the background music, which too, relates to the particular country being shown, adds to the soothing pleasure of this travelogue style documentary.

The only warning: Only after watching, this set might influence the budget. You will want to fly to Britain and see it for yourself. It's that enticing.

The product description is deceiving in that it falls short in revealing how very much this set covers in film. For example the England DVD Scene Index lists no less than 69 locations including Stonehenge, Dover, Bath, Harrods, & so much more. 75 minutes, including 19 minutes of "bonus footage" not seen on public television.

Scotland is 88 minutes including the "bonus footage."
Wales is 58 minutes with unseen "bonus footage."
Ireland, both Northern Ireland and Rep. of Ireland, is 75 minutes with the "bonus footage."

Planing a trip to Europe? Watch this prior to setting your itinerary.
Genealogy minded? See where your family originated, these DVDs cover many centuries.
Incapable of travel? Here is dazzling, dramatic visualization of more of the British Isles than one person could visit in months of costly travel.
British book lovers will delight in SEEing locations described in novels.

Every travel agent should have these playing in their waiting room. Every library should offer this set to its users. Great for watching while on the treadmill--walk the skies of the British Isles.

When I compare the places I have visited; this set provides a better view than what I was able to see from the ground. Also available in REGULAR or NON-Blu-Ray option.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STUNNING AERIAL VISTAS AND DETAILED CLOSE-UPS MAKES THIS DVD GR. BRIT. TRIP A VALUE, July 25, 2009

By 

Harold Wolf "Doc" (Wells, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Visions of Britain and Ireland (DVD)

The only thing better than watching "VISIONS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND" is doing the isles in person. This is next best, for sure. I've been to all 4 countries (England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales) and this set does a magnificent job of relating the beauty of the country, architecture, cities, and historical places. It offers a vantage point obtainable only from the air. Even if you've been there, you'll enjoy this film documentation.

Each of the 4 DVDs is narrated by a person with the local dialect, but well understood. Closed caption is available on the Ireland and Wales DVDs but not necessary, except for seeing some of the spelling of names and words. The voice of the person describing what you are seeing combined with the background music, which too, relates to the particular country being shown, adds to the soothing pleasure of this travelogue style documentary.

The only warning: Only after watching, this set might influence the budget. You will want to fly to Britain and see it for yourself. It's that enticing.

The product description is deceiving in that it falls short in revealing how very much this set covers in film. For example the England DVD Scene Index lists no less than 69 locations including Stonehenge, Dover, Bath, Harrods, & so much more. 75 minutes, including 19 minutes of "bonus footage" not seen on public television.

Scotland is 88 minutes including the "bonus footage."
Wales is 58 minutes with unseen "bonus footage."
Ireland, both Northern Ireland and Rep. of Ireland, is 75 minutes with the "bonus footage."

Planing a trip to Europe? Watch this prior to setting your itinerary.
Genealogy minded? See where your family originated, these DVDs cover many centuries.
Incapable of travel? Here is dazzling, dramatic visualization of more of the British Isles than one person could visit in months of costly travel.
British book lovers will delight in SEEing locations described in novels.

Every travel agent should have these playing in their waiting room. Every library should offer this set to its users. Great for watching while on the treadmill--walk the skies of the British Isles.

When I compare the places I have visited; this set provides a better view than what I was able to see from the ground. Also available in Blu-Ray option.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wish there was more narration, June 22, 2011

By 

RKC - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Visions of Britain and Ireland [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

So when I purchased this, I hadn't seen it on TV and with all the glowing reviews, I thought, it would a great purchase. I will admit that the visuals are stunning. The problem is the narration. There is very little of it. I would say that it is only narrated 25% of the time with 75% being music. The product description and the blu ray itself have the music only and narration as choices so I assumed the narration track would be extensive. It unfortunately wasn't. I'm not saying I wanted someone to be talking 100% of the time but there are more shots of sites, where nothing is said (only a title at the bottom telling you the name of the site) than sites that are narrated. There are some nice little facts thrown in every once in a while but not enough to really keep our attention. I felt like I needed to get on the internet to look up the sites, just to get an idea what we were seeing. We want to the UK for a family vacation one of these days and I can see this being a nice reminder once we had gone, seen (and learned) about the sites already. But there's no substance, it's just pretty. Maybe my expectations were too high. In the end my wife fell asleep about 1/2 into Britain. It felt more like a teaser or trailer...which is probably what it's meant to be...a teaser to get you to want to go to the UK.