Michael Palin - Himalaya
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Movie Reviews of Michael Palin - Himalaya
Movie Review: Extra 30 mins of extra's for region 1?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a super disc. I have all the region 2 discs of palin's adventures. I think I might be dead before all the region 1 versions are released. I did notice that this dvd claims 120 mins of extras, where as the region 2 version has 90 mins of extras. Please enlighten?Movie Review: Terrific series of programs
Summary: 5 Stars
This set of DVDs contains a terrific series of programs for anyone interested in the Himalaya. My wife and I originally watched them on a set that was loaned to us by a friend, and we enjoyed them so much we purchased a copy for ourselves.Movie Review: Incredible Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
Never seen something so incredible - makes me want to pack my bags and explore the beautiful Himalayas...Movie Review: The high point of Michael Palin's career?
Summary: 4 Stars
Actually, I think I liked the first three of Michael Palin's travelogues ("Around the World in 80 Days", "Pole to Pole" and "Full Circle") better than the three that follow ("Hemingway Adventure", "Sahara" and "Himalaya"). So from that point of view it's not correct to call "Himalaya" the high point of Michael Palin's career.
The big difference is that each of the first three series was documenting a trip made by Michael Palin, and the trip itself was the central element that provided a focal point for the TV series.
In the last three series, and especially in "Himalaya", one gets the feeling that the traveling was secondary, and that the purpose of the whole exercise was primarily to find places and people and events that would make "good TV".
"Himalaya" was, of course, a fantastic trip, and the TV series that covers it is very interesting. Many countries around the Himalayan Mountains were visited, some of them well off the tourist track and some of them with security problems such that the team needed armed guards. Specifically, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Nagaland, Assam, Bhutan and Bangladesh were visited. A total of 3000 miles was traveled during 125 days (4 months), and many beautiful and exciting images, encounters and interviews resulted.
Some of the best parts in the series include Michael Palin making several treks on foot up into the mountains, the highest trek going to Everest Base Camp at 5480 m (18000 ft). Well done, considering that Michael was 60 when he did the trip.
Other high points (ha, ha) include visiting the Dalai Lama, milking a yak, talking to a retired headhunter, buying booze in Pakistan, having an almost-encounter with Maoists in Nepal and sailing off into the sunset in the Bay of Bengal. All situations where the special Michael Palin wit and charm comes through strongly.
The down side is that it all seems a bit too artificial, a bit too motivated by "is this good TV?" The traveling itself is hardly mentioned at all, and in reality the filming and traveling was done in several visits to the area over a period of 11 months. Nor is there a continuous route from start to finish; instead Michael and the team seem to jump back and forth from place to place in order to find the elusive "good TV" locations and events.
The DVD version of the TV series is on three discs containing the six one-hour programs. In addition there is the following extra material:
- an introduction by Michael Palin, 3 minutes.
- 125 minutes of additional scenes - mixed quality, some good, some not so interesting.
- an interview with Michael Palin, 27 minutes, very good.
Highly recommended. Despite my negative feelings about the producers focusing on finding "good TV" instead of focusing on the trip as an undertaking, this is, of course, really good TV.
Rennie Petersen
Movie Review: Very nicely done!
Summary: 4 Stars
Michael Palin has one of the best jobs in the world! This 3 DVD set shows off one of the worlds wonderous mountain regions and shows the all the cultures that touch this region. They explore not so much the mountains themselves but the scocial and politcal makeup of the regions as well. There is a very personal look inot the lives of the people in the area and their culture. It is done quite well but Palin is a bit of a dork from time to time and its painful to see him force himslef on the people even though very entertaining at times. Totally worth owning if you plan on visiting the region or are interested in this area. Typical high quality BBC documentary.