The Life of Mammals
|
List Price: Our Price: $24.00 You Save: $55.98 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Life of Mammals
Movie Review: Beautifully filmed and narrated
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD series has been required supplemental viewing for a college course, and I must say that I was a little skeptical at first about spending this much money on supplemental material that was in addition to the required text. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the money was very well spent. Indeed, this is a DVD set that I will watch over and over again.
The Life of Mammals captures some fantastic video footage, with simply amazing cinematography. Some of the shots are absolutely incredible, very accurately depicting the sheer beauty that is our natural world and the beings encapsulated within it.
David Attenborough's narration is at times informative and at other times whimsical and humorous. However, it is never overly serious or dry. Furthermore, there isn't so much information packed into the narration that it's overwhelming. The material supplemented our text quite well. That is not to say, however, that there is nothing to be gained from this DVD set if you are not a biology/mammology student.
The DVD set opens with A Winning Design, which describes monotremes and marsupials, the base of the evolutionary tree as far as mammals are concerned. Insect Hunters, obviously, depicts insectivores such as bats and anteaters. Plant Predators goes on to discuss herbivores such as giraffes and elephants. Chisellers is all about the largest and most abundant mammal group, the rodents. Meat Eaters covers the canids and felids. The Opportunists is a fascinating look at omnivorous animals such as raccoons. Return to the Water covers whales, otters, dolphins, etc. Life in the Trees is a veritable hodge-podge of different mammals groups taking advantage of this unique ecosystem (squirrels, bats, primates). Social Climbers goes into detail on primates. Food for thought links us with our mammalian ancestors.
The Life of Mammals is definitely not your average nature documentary. Animal lovers the world over will fall in love with this DVD set, and perhaps learn something new from it in the process. I look forward to checking out what some of the other BBC/David Attenborough DVD series have to offer.
Movie Review: "The Life of Mammals"!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Life of Mammals is another multi-part documentary program presented by David Attenborough. As with all the rest of the "Life of" series, this one is awesome!
The footage is incredible, even with animals, settings, and behavior you may have seen many times before. The series captures it so well; there may be things you hadn't caught before. Elephants scratching salt out of caves, snakes hunting bats on cave walls, and a Yapok taking a swim (with her babies in a water-tight pouch!) all at night, and many other scenes are captured with crystal clear infrared cameras.
Also, there are some first-time scenes in these programs. One for example, is David inserting a camera-tube down a Platypus burrow, and filming a baby (it's practically still a fetus) with its mother. And, like always David's narration is spot-on.
The DVD is also of very high quality. The picture is very sharp and has absolutely no grain, or fuzziness. The sound is also clear of crackles or popping. There are some very nice features as well, including;
- Behind the Scenes Featurettes (gives you a great look at how some of the complex shots were made)
- Fact Files (quite long, but very interesting additional information on lots of mammals from the series)
- Photo Gallery (high quality stills, some are straight from the series and some aren't)
- Selections from the Original Score (basically, selected pieces from the soundtrack)
- Music Video (a compilation of clips put to the series theme and various other moments from the score)
This DVD is well worth your money and can easily be watched again and again. I definitely recommend it!
Movie Review: Astonishing
Summary: 5 Stars
The Life of Mammals is a stunning work of incredible range and scope, taking us from the frozen wastes of the arctic to searing deserts to lush rain forests. The film highlights the range of behaviors among mammals, illustrating the remarkable ways in which they have solved the problems created by the escalating evolutionary battle for food, for a mate, for a place to live. Some of the more wonderful images include bats delicately plucking spiders from their webs, elephants trooping into an African cave in the middle of the night, and remarkable predatory dramas on the savannah.As with all David Attenborough films, this one is dense with interesting facts. Each segment provides new insights into the behavior of animals, even for such prosaic beasts as wildebeasts and gazelles. The Life of Mammals appears to me different from Attenborough's previous works in its aggressive use of novel camera techniques, which is very successful, taking us for instance inside the egg of a platypus.
This film also combines the superb visuals with a brilliant score. The music, which is at times mournful, at times crackling with tension, and at times positively soaring, adds an inspiring sense of drama. This is justified not only by the subject matter, which is indeed sublime, but by David Attenborough himself, who as far as I am concerned is an absolutely unparalleled genius.
If I havent yet sold you, consider the price of this work, which at $... constitutes remarkable value for the 500 minutes you get. Just a year or so ago, The Trials of Life series on VHS (which is of comparable length, but without the whistles and bells that this DVD gives you) cost $...
Movie Review: Stupendously Good
Summary: 5 Stars
This four disc, ten-episode series is probably the best nature documentary ever produced in DVD format. In fact, Life of Mammals is reason alone to buy a DVD player if you don't have one. Here are a few reasons why I think people should shell out the money for this set:
- David Attenborough's enthusiasm for his work. Watching him respectfully approach a poor-sighted anteater from downwind or barely able to contain his delight when floating a few meters away from a blue whale, Attenborough's love for the animal world is totally infectious.
- The images are of IMAX quality. This is one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen.
- The soundtrack is top notch.
- The Buffalo versus the Lions. This brief segment is mentioned in the Amazon reviewer's description - it has all the emotion and energy of the Cavalry Charge in 'The Return of the King.' It literally brought tears to my eyes.
- Swimming Elephants. 'nuff said.
- Kids love it. These films will keep kids (even as young as 2) quiet and totally absorbed in ways that no Blue or Builder Bob video can approach.
- David keeps it light and entertaining. Each segment is short enough (40 minutes) and has plenty of amazing footage and humorous anecdotes so that it is nearly impossible to get bored of it all. Just don't watch more than one per day or you will spoil yourself.
I give this series the highest recommendation. Even if you are not a nature buff (and chances are you will be after seeing this), it is certainly worth bringing into your home.
Movie Review: Have a Beer and Relax!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having belief and respect for creation is surely a positive way to view the natural world around you, but it is hard to imagine that so many feel the need to pick a side and to hell with the other belief. To the delight of the open-minded, it is possible to enjoy a belief in both creationism and evolutionary theory. In short, if it is believed that God is all knowing and people are not, then the idea that the animial world has been given the ability to evolve as part of such a perfect design should not be so quickly dismissed. Why would one feel it neccessary to discredit the divine ability to factor in the processes of evolution into the beautiful design of all living creatures?
And for those who may not believe in a divine being, is there really no feeling of some inner sensation that you simple can't explain when trying to fathom the remarkable diversity of the world around you, let alone your own existance?
If only more people were as insightful as David Attenborough, not so much time would be used on judging and disregaurding the use of such a unique capacity to learn and understand the natural world around us. Attenborough's celebration of the life around us is done with passion and appreciation, and is evident in the presentation of "The Life of Mammals."
Just relax and enjoy the opportunity to contemplate the natural world with Sir David Attenborough.