Customer Reviews

Yellowstone: Battle for Life

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The BBC has released many excellent documentaries in hi-def/Blu-ray and Yellowstone is no exception. It carries on the BBC's tradition of high-quality nature programming and flair for visually-stunning photography. This series is a year in the lives of several of Yellowstone/North America's iconic wildlife: the bison, grizzly bears, foxes, wolves, beavers, and elk. Divided into three 50 minute episodes, they are titled "Winter", "Summer" and "Autumn" (in this order). For the US market, the BBC has added "Battle for Life" to the title, but this is a bit superfluous and unnecessary, maybe to make the DVD sound more dramatic. The original title is simply "Yellowstone".

The episodes are informative, entertaining, and light-hearted, largely free of the depressing reminders of human ecological destruction seen on some other BBC documentaries such as Wild Pacific [Blu-ray]. I learned some things I didn't know before. Winter is by far my favorite episode, giving me the most memorable line from the series: "At 40 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit or centigrade doesn't really matter much. At this temperature, both are the same." Despite being the home to the world's largest geothermal formation, Yellowstone is paradoxically one of the coldest places in North America. I enjoyed the pristine landscapes covered with deep snow and seeing a winter wonderland untouched by any signs of humanity, all from the comfort of my home. One particularly amazing scene is of a fox sniffing for mice under 6 feet of snow, and seeing it leap into the air, plunge headfirst into the snow like an Olympic diver, and emerge with a mouse in its jaws.

This series also features some gorgeous fly-overs, in particular, the colorful volcanic springs (Grand Prismatic Spring), which looks like a beautiful orange and blue encircled painting instead of a natural ecological wonder. I wish the producers could've spend some time showing us the colonies of extremophile heat-loving bacteria that thrive in these springs, instead of just flying over and cutting to the next scene. Bears and elk I've seen a thousand times on TV, but not these rare bacteria.

I watched these out of order on TV, but the overall effect is not diminished because of the cycle of life and the changing of the seasons. Peter Firth's voice is pleasant and affable. If you enjoyed Nature's Most Amazing Events [Blu-ray], you'll probably enjoy this too.

I'm writing this before the Blu-Ray is released, but I happened to catch this program on Animal Planet yesterday and was very pleased with it.

The program contains the usual stunning scenery and animal video you would expect from this type of program. The basic theme of the program is to follow how various animals survive in Yellowstone throughout the year. I missed the first part of the program, but I believe it starts with summer and then flows through the seasons to summer again. There seemed to be particular emphasis on the Yellowstone winter given its harshness. (Of particular interest was the fact that winter is when wolves are at their strongest as their prey animals become weaker.)

The program also spent some time explaining how the geology of Yellowstone affected its climate. They explained, for example, how it can snow in Yellowstone any month of the year. (Something I found interesting given that I got caught in a snowstorm there in late July one year!)

The TV airing was 120 minutes, less commercials. The Blu-Ray description indicates a run time of 150 minutes. That might include extra features or it might mean additional footage not included for broadcast. Either way, and given the price, this seems to be a good deal.

UPDATE: The program actually includes three 50-minute episodes (Winter, Summer, Autumn). I must have missed part of the Autumn as part of that episode has a bit more of the man versus nature theme than the other episodes. The episodes are presented in widescreen (and look great). Three short features on "The People of Yellowstone" are included.

This is absolutely the best Yellowstone video ever. The format of following the seasons of Yellowstone provides an interesting understanding of animal behavior. The videography is gorgeous and the explanation of Yellowstone's geologic factors and their effects is new information. My only complaint is the over dramatic descriptions of animal behavior life/death decisions.

Since I'm a huge fan of BBC nature documentaries I decided to pick this up to make my order eligible for free shipping. I was completely blown away by it! I'd had my doubts on the future of such titles without Attenborough at the helm, but those fears were wiped away in a single viewing.

Great cinematography, great narration, great editing and production. Makes me want to go back to Yellowstone. Fantastic purchase.

Yellowstone: Battle for Life [Blu-ray] is a good documentary of Yellowstone, don't expect the fast pace and drama from BBC's Life (narrated by David Attenborough) [Blu-ray]. Like all of the BBC Nature Unit's work, Yellowstone has incredible footage, especially in blu-ray. The contrasts between winter and summer are truly remarkable. However, the narration is a bit dry and the pace of the documentary is a bit slow. Furthermore, there aren't as many memorable scenes (although there are a few good wolf hunts, and nice shots of hummingbirds feeding their children). Overall, I'd recommend renting rather than buying this, unless you have a particular love for Yellowstone National Park.

In short, this is another beautiful documentary series from BBC. If you enjoy the planet earth, you do not want to miss this one. This title, however, is not a yellowstone tour guide. Instead, it focuses more on the ecosystem of the yellowstone. I enjoy all three episodes, and find the photography just elegant and stunning, especially when viewed in a blu-ray format. I have been to Yellowstone twice but all during the summer. This title really serves its purpose for me and compliments the parts I never got to see of the yellowstone.

The perfect nature documentary for the Blu-ray format. Great photography with good story and narration. Probably the best Blu-ray yet produced by the BBC.

This program has a Planet Earth type charm. It's a story about the struggle of life in the harsh yellowstone enviornment. It singles out different species and gives you a good view of their lives through the seasons at Yellowstone. Some of the animals incorperated are Grizzlies, Otters, Bison, caribou, and moose. There is also alot of focus on the landscape itself(good picture quality). This is two disks, one hundred and fifty minutes of good stuff.

I'm super picky about the DVD's I buy and keep and this one is probably the best nature documentary I have ever purchased! This is not just one, brief, hi-def show, but three, superb, full-length shows which feature the finest photography ever taken of Yellowstone in: 1. Winter, 2. Summer, and 3. Autumn, and all are produced with the same care and quality that we have come to love and appreciate with the BBC's Planet Earth series. I was hesitant to buy this DVD, wondering if it would be another short, politically-driven propaganda film like so many of the currently produced nature shows are. But I refreshingly found that this show is a fair portrayal of how difficult and also gorgeous things actually are in Yellowstone today, and it's really well filmed and produced with lots of what I would call "eye candy" because it is so professionally filmed--it is truly amazing to watch and enjoy! I see more of Yellowstone's beauty and wonder each time I watch it! I'm so glad I took a chance and bought this in blu-ray (if you have a 1080p TV you should be watching and enjoying blu-ray DVDs) because I really do like it even better than the Planet Earth series which I also own and frequently enjoy watching in blu-ray. I was thrilled when I realized that there is actually around 150 total minutes of superb film to enjoy on this DVD! If you love the Planet Earth by BBC, you will also love this first class documentary of Yellowstone--it's worth every penny you will pay for it! I promise you will love it! Get it!

I thoroughly enjoyed Yellowstone:Battle for Life. The cinematography is stunning and the narration is top-notch. At 150min you can watch all three titles in one sitting, I'm not sure why they skipped Spring though.
I rented the Blu-ray from Netflix and after watching I couldn't wait to buy it.