Product Details

• Actors: Tilda Swinton
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Warner
• DVD Release Date: April 3, 2007
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000M2E354
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,101 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #21 in	Movies & TV > Television > BBC > Nature & Wildlife
  #33 in	Movies & TV > Educational > Science & Technology > Life Sciences
  #48 in	Movies & TV > Documentary > Nature & Wildlife

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

While its title may be superfluous, Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World is a beautifully filmed journey into "the islands of the tortoise." Located due west of Ecuador, the Galapagos islands are full of gorgeous scenery and exotic wildlife. And this 150-minute documentary shows it all, thanks to stunning cinematography shot from all viewpoints--the air, sea and, of course, land. The collection is both soothing and exhilarating as it allows viewers to peek in on mating albatrosses (which are monogamous), penguins fishing, and surprisingly graceful giant tortoises swimming in the ocean. The filmmakers also manage to capture a ferocious volcanic eruption that is amazing in its clarity. The problem with many documentaries lies in the narration. A documentary filmmaker hits the jackpot when he is able to get someone like Sigourney Weaver, whose crisp narration fits in beautifully with the sweeping footage in Planet Earth. While Tilda Swanton lends a relaxing quality to Galapagos, her voice at times is a bit too lulling to hold the viewer's interest. The writing also borders on melodramatic, with talk of the simmering sea and such. With visuals as stunning as this, hyperbole is unnecessary. Charles Darwin has described the Galapagos as a world within itself, and it is said that the islands were one of his inspirations for his book The Origin of Species. While the film doesn't clearly explain why the Galapagos are unlike any other place on earth, it does showcase a destination that is unlike what most of us know. --Jae-Ha Kim

Product Description

The inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, the Galapagos Islands are a living laboratory, a geological conveyor belt that has given birth to and seen the death of many species of plants and animals. As the western islands rise up from the sea offering a chance of life, the eastern islands sink back beneath the waves guaranteeing only death. Between the two are the middle islands; fertile, lush land in its prime that contains an incredible diversity of life. Nowhere else on the Earth are the twin processes of creation and extinction of species so starkly apparent... see it all unfold before your eyes in this stunning series filmed entirely in high definition from the BBC and the National Geographic Channel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If only there were more than 5 Stars, March 19, 2007

By	Mat (Central Illinois) - See all my reviews

I waited a long time to see this special on the National Geographic Channel, and I wasn't disappointed. Don't let the nearly three hours scare you because this is very well worth it.

This is by far the best documentary I have seen...EVER. They did a wonderful job at looking at land, sea, and air creatures, giving all of them equal time. They explain Darwin's visit very well, and the video is pristine. You truly believe you are there when you watch this.

As I said earlier, don't let the three hours scare you. It may seems to drag on in some places. Believe me though, it is worth every minute of it. It's sad to know that humans are destroying places like that. If anything, this documentary will show the world that these creatures are actually WORTH keeping around.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book your trip now...this documentary is the closest to a Galapagos Expedition, March 31, 2007

By	Francisco Dousdebes "Pancho" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This DVD will transport you to the wonders of the Galapagos. The documentary provides viewers with in depth commentary and footage that will certainly bring the destination closer to you. Image quality and footage are superbly filmed, and Tilda Swinton's soothing voice & pitch set the right tone for an amazing destination.

Wildlife footage has been captured in an unbelievable way; not only from a visually entertaining point of view, but also from a detailed point of view. Loved the scenes where giant tortoises are featured, marine iguanas feeding, blue-footed boobies displaying, albatrosses courting, and the only-tropical penguin on Earth fishing underwater. The volcanic eruption footage is also remarkable for its quality. For viewing purposes, the larger the screen the better.

We went to the Galapagos in May 2006 for nine days and it was an unbelievable experience. We used Adventure Associates in the US, and also Ecuador's Metropolitan Touring. This dvd will remind us constantly of the powerful message the islands left upon us. We asked for "what is the best time to go", and we understand that tourism is managed year-round. We were advised that in the summer months, Easter, Xmas and New Year's, finding space can be challenging, but in months like April, May and early June, finding space is easier, and that wildlife is at its prime due to the transition months between one season and the other one. They were SO right! We saw so many incredible things both on land and underwater (weather was unbelievably perfect too!). We noticed larger vessels offered greater amenities, onboard options, and their level of Naturalists' environmental interpretation is excellent. We are making arrangements to go back again with friends in early June 2007, and will give them this dvd as a gift.

Back to the dvd, the sound quality is perfect and the low price of $14.99 is very affordable. This is thus far the best comprehensive documentary we have seen about the Galapagos, and it will not be a disappointment. I have purchased other documentaries, and although they were good, this one remains our favorite. Another hard-to-find dvd is NG's "Galapagos, Land of Dragons", but was never released in dvd format, just vhs. You know what happens with vhs tapes after playing them twenty times. The dvd case has easy access to the dvd itself, and the different menus are easy to navigate through. The only con is that it brings just the audio program in English. It'd have been great to add Spanish and German.

All science teachers and libraries should have it. You will not be disappointed with this dvd. Hope you can visit this extraordinary destination.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to evolution for biology teachers, November 18, 2007

By	Ivy Lin (NY NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I bought this dvd to show to my class before I started the lesson on evolution, and I found it very helpful. The documentary is nearly three hours long, but it is beautifully photographed and filmed, and it made the somewhat dry topic of evolution seem interesting to my students. Although there is mention of Charles Darwin's famous journey, the documentary itself does not go into much detail about 'natural selection,' 'genetic drift,' or 'speciation,' but instead sort of lets the islands speak for themselves, so to speak. By showing the 13 different islands, with their explosive creation via volcanoes, vastly different terrains and environmental conditions, the idea of species with a common ancestor adapting to their new surroundings via natural selection became more believable for the skeptical students.
The documentary predictably focuses some of its time on the famous tortoises and volcanoes, but also films the large variety of reptiles, birds, and fauna of the islands, including, of course, Darwin's finches. The harsh environmental conditions (little to no fresh water, explosive and unpredictable volcanoes, long lasting droughts) are vividly depicted.
The bad thing about the Galapagos Islands is that the film noticeably drops in interest and appeal after about two hours. The last third of the film gets kind of boring and repetitive -- how many volcanic "hotspots" can we hear about before getting the picture?
Highly recommended for biology teachers, although I wouldn't show this video to younger students, because the material is a bit complex and there are some scenes of violence between animals that might be disturbing.