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Based on Brian Greene's book, this three-part Nova program should do for physics what Cosmos did for astronomy. Greene hosts the program on the relative new concept of String Theory, a potential (and explosive) answer to the Holy Grail of science: a single, ultimate theory for everything. Part of Greene's (along with filmmakers Julia Cort and Joseph McMaster) genius is the ability to explain complex issues with ease thanks to a generous helping of graphics and humor. It starts with a perplexing anecdote: Einstein died trying to figure out if there could be an ultimate theory. His General Theory of Relativity brought order to the laws of large objects, but could not explain the chancier world of Quantum Mechanics (which deals with atomic particles). String Theory tries to marry the two. Greene and many colleagues give us a history of the quest and how String Theory was "discovered" in the 1980s. The formula has a lot of quirks, the most dazzling being the insistence there's 11 dimensions in the universe. Greene is not as natural as Cosmos creator/host Carl Sagan, but he is certainly friendly and encouraging (albeit it's quite odd for the host to be interviewed at various times in the program). Because it's a three-part show, there is some overlap at the start of hours 2 and 3. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Good, but not Great
I was excited to see these programs put out by NOVA, and I have always thought highly of the television program. However, I did not actually learn a whole lot from these specific episodes. While being a show on String Theory, the program beat around the bush about explaining how String Theory works. While covering Newton, Einstein, and Bohr, the NOVA never made a real attempt to explain their theories, but rather gave extremely vague understandings of everything.

No I do not believe that "The Elegant Universe" should delve on hairy mathematics, but it should answer "whys" and "hows" rather than just simply tell us that there are strings in subatomic atoms. Instead, it wasted so much time repeating things over and over like "people who believed in more dimensions a long time ago would have been labeled 'crackpots' but now String Theory demands it" or "if you can't test something then it's runs the risk of being philosophy." While those are interesting points, they are repeated in these documentarys over and over by the same people with computer graphics running all over the screen, never really doing a great job explaining any these claims.

I think this would actually be pretty good for anyone who has little knowledge on physics, but definitely not for anyone who is at least familiar with what String Theory is.

High Quality CG Animation realizes String Theory to Everyone
I was struggling whether I should spend $35Cdn (I bought this from amazon.ca) on this 'String Theory' that I have no clue of what it is but only aware of the interesting sound of 'Theory of Everything'. I was also worrying my limited education background and brain capacity for such complex concept. I took the risk and completed my order. Two days later, I got my dvd delivered to my door, couldn't stand finishing my dinner, I opened it and watched it right away.

The first 3 minutes was the trailer/intro of this 3 hours DVD. It really drew my attention with interesting topics and high quality special effects & CG animation. I knew my $35Cdn was very well spent. The first hour talked about the ground concepts of basic forces: Gravity & Quantum Mechanics. Don't worry, you don't need a science or physic degree to understand these concepts. The beauty of this DVD is that it uses various scenarios, via pictures, animiation, & special effects to depict the complex concepts to you in a very simple & understandable way. Trust me, even your grade 6 children are able to comprehend the elegant universe theory from this DVD. The first hour was focusing on these basic forces, what Albert Einstein wanted to do with unification, and what the problems were. The second hour talked about how the String theory evolve and help to solve the puzzle of Einstein's unification problem. And the last hour will take the String theory to realize the possiblilities of 11th dimensions, the impacts to our world, and the future of this 'Theory of everything'. If you still find difficulties to understand those concepts, don't worry, you will find lots of interactive education materials from the second DVD. There's an initeresting demo let you to build from 1 dimensional line to a 4-dimensional hypercube visually. I absolutely found those extra goodies were very helpful.

The only picky thing I disliked was there're quite lengthy advertisings at the beginning of each episode. However, you can always skip it using fast forward. Honestly, this is a true FIVE STARS DVD. It's entertaining, it's simple, visual, excellent three hours programme. You and your kids will sure benefit from this amazing 'Theory of Elegant Universe' --- String.

Elegance Succumbs to Giant Sucking Sound
Reading the commentary on here is almost more entertaining.

Well, here are the few points I wanted to make that are not in the work itself and don't seem to be in here:

1. One of the most interesting parts of this thing is how the community responds to the idea of postulating about problems that cannot be observed. It almost plays like a Lutherian drama at that point (faith/works threatening to split a rift that will lead to civil war). But let's face it: a. the main discovery of the 20th C was uncertainty, which means that even if you can see the electron trail, you have not really succeeded in observing it (at least cleanly), and b. this is an edge that we are bound to have come upon and furthermore, consider the question of what we would do even if we could see down into a realm that bears no resemblance to where we exist, what would we be able to deduce (c.f. Ambrose Bierce's "The Damned Thing": 'nothing')? Anyway, I found this part and the echoes of it here most amusing.

2. Doesn't 1 kind of point in the direction of Wolfram's unoriginal revolution? Aren't we bound for a world of new information derived solely from simulation? Or are we already there? Why aren't scientists screaming when the proteomics people talk about simulating protein formation?

3. Scientists are sometimes great story tellers, and sometimes not. This is definitely a case of not. The Newtonian/Einsteinian vectors being returned to ad nauseum are clear signs of a threadbare, almost infantile notion of story construction (with the apple falling standing in, for instance, for the fallen cherry tree of yore). Gleick's book about Feynman shows that that great man view of all things is certainly gone (if it ever did make any sense). Great to herald the accomplishments of others, but should be in a context that provides more depth than the rodeo scene from "Annie Get Your Gun."

4. Most of the hard questions here were really ultimately ducked or served cold. The buildup to the genius coming in and solving the five models problem was so drawn out I started to think TiVo was tormenting me by replaying sections (I couldn't imagine a conscious editor called for that many repeats). And then the genius' conclusion is that the five models are all reflections of one reality. Ah, I see.... Hello? Are we that dumb? If so, why are we watching? A little more detail please.

I hope this cat doesn't decide to do a film about Fermat's Last Theorem... I'd like see something that takes a bit more bother with the seminal moment and less with the titillation.

A DISSERVICE TO SCIENCE
{APOLOGIA: A review as damning as what follows will inevitably seem hyperbolic and unkind. Yet "The Elegant Universe" is such a singular case, and egregious misexample to both the science-documentary profession and public, that I have only said here what was accurate, condign, and the duty of any conscientious, technically knowledgeable commentator.}

What a vapid production! Terribly, almost moronically, edited, taking forever to say anything, endlessly repetitious. Narcissistic. Precision and key details missing everywhere. No profound development of ideas. Images and props constantly get in the way of meaning and exposition, and most of what IS said will surely already be known to the majority of the literate public.

Ironically, "The Elegant Universe" is the least elegant of science productions. It could be skillfully cut to a third or a fourth of its present length without substantive, persuasive, or artistic loss, but much dramatic gain.

Absurd platitudes fairly trip over one another's feet. Why is Isaac Newton supposed to be the "greatest scientist of all time"? In point of fact, he is a most unlikely choice.

This is the worst science film I have ever seen as a scientist, at least for its length and melodramatic ambition. Although kindergartners might like it. Certainly the ingenious visual and musical simulation of the jittering Dirac vacuum is magnificent!

With respect to superstring theory itself, this supposed documentary is more like an advertisement than an honest examination of what to date remains a charming but sterile scientific theory, a theory that could easily be joined by a thousand other ideas, neither less nor more plausible, on the same shallow pond of data, where they could all figure skate together. A scientific theory never "proclaims" anything about the universe; only its exponents - physicist Greene, in this instance - can be guilty of THAT.

Although I found much to enjoy, and more than a little enlightenment, in Brian Greene's superb book of the same title years ago, and strongly recommended its purchase to sophisticated lay friends, in this extraordinarily bathetic television tutorial there is little or no trace of his expository genius and style. I am afraid that in the making of this program the youthful Prof. Greene allowed himself to be badly misused by his handlers.

The universe is not a cartoon, and science - as publicly understood and professionally pursued - can only be degraded and perverted by such undignified, unintellectual drivel.

Final impression: Revolting! Literally an embarrassment to watch.

A masterpiece !
This is an easy one to rate, for me anyway. The depth and continuity of this 3 part series on a heretofore uncovered topic is excellent. Only Timothy Ferris has produced science documentaries at this level in the last decade or so ("Beyond Earth", "The Creation Of The Universe")

A superb presentation that explores the boundary between physics theory that can be experimented against (quarks, etc), and that which currently cannot (strings). ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Accompanied by a menagerie of products, Ken Burns's expansive 10-episode paean, Jazz, completes his trilogy on American culture, following The Civil War and Baseball. Spanning more than 19 hours, Jazz is, of course, about a lot more than what many have called America's classical music--especially in episodes 1 through 7. It's here that Burns unearths precious visual images of jazz musicians and hangs historical narratives around the music with convincing authority. Time can stand still as images float past to the sound of grainy vintage jazz, and the drama of a phonograph needle being placed on Louis Armstrong's celestial "West End Blues" is nearly sublime.

The film is also potent in arguing that the history of race in the 20th-century U.S. is at jazz's heart. But a few problems arise. First is Burns's reliance on Wynton Marsalis as his chief musical commentator. Marsalis might be charming and musically expert, but he's no historian. For the film to devote three of its episodes to the 1930s, one expects a bit more historical substance. Also, Jazz condenses the period of 1961 to the present into one episode, glossing over some of the music's giant steps. Burns has said repeatedly that he didn't know much about jazz when he began this project. So perhaps Jazz, for all its glory, would better be called Jazz: What I've Learned Since I Started Listening (And I Haven't Gotten Much Past 1961). For those who are already passionate about jazz, the film will stoke debate (and some derision, together with some reluctant praise). But for everyone else, it will amaze and entertain and kindle a flame for some of the greatest music ever dreamed. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (118)

The Best Series on Jazz, Despite Its Flaws
I am a jazz musician, son of a jazz musician, am conservatory trained, and this series stands toe to toe with the best lectures by the best music historians and music theory experts I have studied with. If Ken Burns chose to follow a the pillars of jazz in depth rather than give ten minutes to every musician to come along in the past hundred years, we are better for it. If you want ten minutes on each musician, read liner notes. Mr. Burns series will be remembered precisely because it does go into such depth. Bird, Duke, Pops and Dizzie do not come clear to you without much study. We should be grateful for the fact that this series is anything but shallow. It is true to the art. If this series, because of such depth, asks more of viewers than they want to give, then let such viewers only seeking entertainment seek that. Americans, everything is not entertainment.

Jazz itself, from its outset and to this very day, asks more of you than any other music. A series about it should do no less.

This series is not perfect. Jazz is also imperfect. As Thelonius Monk said, there are no wrong notes. So are there no bad jazz documentaries, as long as they are unflinching, whole, and about the forces that shaped the music. This one is. It's only real flaw is that it is too in love with its own story and the music. That is entirely forgiveable.

If you have any interest in jazz, buy or rent this series and watch each one like a student, and learn in wonder at the extraordinary music brought to us by African Americans. It is one of the glories of American culture, and of the world, and we should join Ken Burns, his historians, critics and musicians in joyously celebrating the collective creation of the geniuses that graced our land in the past 100 years.

"History," "Documentary," "Theory of" are not in the title.
The negative reviews of this series assume that Burns is compiling a documentary, writing a historical survey, or undertaking some theoretical analysis of jazz. Burns is above all a biographer. His primary interest is in the life of a particular artist, solider, athlete, explorer, etc.: the overall trajectory of their lives--the choices they make, the risks they are or aren't willing to take, their sufferings in the face of prejudice, misunderstanding, and failure--and how the individual life fits within the larger social context. Hence his emphasis on annecdote, personal letter and photograph, character analysis, and why he has baseball players and actors and club owners as well as scholars and musicians commenting on these people. And why he traces the entire career of someone like Louis Armstrong or Billy Holiday, rather than devoting more time to contemporary muscians whose story it is still too young to be told. Everything else is secondary to this main concern, and to miss this focus is to miss the point of all Ken Burns' documentaries. To grasp it is to experience life within a wider, wiser, almost epic, context. The so-called jazz expert who is miffed over some apparent omission, or overemphasis, or seeming bias, is like the librarian who has all the books catalogued and all the facts at their fingertips but can't see that they might refer to something outside the four walls of their narrow expertise.

Provides a very useful orientation
Jazz is a relatively recent interest for me--maybe half a dozen years. I'd learned about scattered fragments of jazz, but never developed a systematic understanding, a clear orientation--though a couple of times I'd tried: I bought Gary Giddons' "Visions of Jazz," for instance, which is very good but just didn't capture my imagination.

Ken Burns' "Jazz" gave me what I've been wanting for years--a clear, evocative, comprehensive way into the genre as a whole.

Okay, it may not be the last word on the history of jazz. Yeah, some things really irritated me--like the slighting, mentioned by many, of Bill Evans, and the excessive excision of many white musicians to make the generally accurate point that jazz springs more from the experience of Black Americans. (Hint to Burns: You make your argument stronger by showing how apparently contrary data fit, not by leaving them out.) But over all, I found this a very helpful overview. And I enjoyed getting to know the biographies of, and the personal relations among, the players.

You won't likely get such an orientation from buying a few of the original CDs *instead* of the "Jazz" series. Few of us have the ears or training to discern what's taught in this series. You'd be highly unlikely to realize that, for instance, what was new with Be-Bop is improvising on the underlying chord changes rather than the melody. You'd really have to be perceptive and paying attention to notice what distinguishes Kansas City jazz from New Orleans jazz from New York jazz from West Coast jazz. And *no* album can place *itself* in history. For instance, you cannot learn from listening to an album featuring Coleman Hawkins-or Charlie Christian or Kenny Clarke--that *before* that album people played very differently. In short, you'd have to be far better trained musically and far more observant than most of us are, and listen to dozens (if not hundreds) of albums, to learn what this series teaches.

As I watched over a period of a couple of weeks, I bought several of the CDs that Burns produced to survey the music, and I found them very instructive. No, as listening experiences, they're not as good as some of the various albums on which the cuts originated. But that's not the point: They are very good ways to get an overview, to get oriented, to know where to go next.

After seeing this series and studying the accompanying CDs, when I go into the music store and start perusing the jazz disks, I find that I recognize a whole lot more and can surmise a whole lot better what's what and what would interest me. For instance, tonight I saw "From Spirituals to Swing," a three CD set of Carnegie Hall jazz concerts in 1938 and 1939. A month ago, the list of personnel would have meant near-nothing to me--I probably wouldn't have even known what I was looking at, and I doubt I would have looked at the thing for more than thirty seconds. Now, though, I studied and comprehended the personnel and got all excited--"This I gotta hear." So I bought it, and it's great.

Now, isn't that reason enough to recommend this series?

That the overall interpretive framework of the series may need correction is not a trenchant criticism, in my opinion. To get a comprehensive understanding of anything, you have to start with *some* systematic framework, which you can then modify, maybe even refute, as you encounter further data. Logically, the first such framework you acquire has to come from someone else, unless you are a genius of extremely wide learning.

No, Ken Burns' "Jazz" isn't the only guide to jazz you'll ever need--as others have noted, some of the omissions are glaring. But it's fine place to start.

If you really want to get a sense of jazz, this is an excellent investment, in my opinion. Yeah, it's pricey--but cheaper than, say, an adult education course on jazz appreciation at your local community college (if you include texts and other supporting material). And if you don't want to spend the money--well, you can hint real hard to your significant other that you'd like it for your birthday or Valentine or some such thing.

Postscript: I almost didn't buy this because of the characterization of Wynton Marsalis's role by several other reviewers here. I'd never much liked his music--it always seemed too cerebral, almost architectural, for my tastes--chilly, not very visceral. (That's just my personal taste--I also find most of Ella Fitzgerald--except her duo wok with Armstrong--a bit emotionally distant, unlike Sarah Vaughan or Billie Holiday or Carmen McRae or many others.)

I was skeptical about any documentary that made Marsalis the central story teller.

Well, two things: (1) He just isn't the central story teller here. He does not have anything approaching the majority of commentator air time. It is certainly true that he plays a role analogous to Shelby Foote's in "The Civil War"--he is a unifying presence, especially in the early going and toward the end. This is just good film making--to establish "characters" whose presence throughout helps give unity to the piece. (2) I really liked Wynton in this documentary. He came off as much earthier, more laid back, mischievous, funnier and more fun, than I ever would have imagined. And he is really quite illuminating, especially when he explains various musical concepts--like the "Big 4." (I went back and listened to "Thick in the South," thinking maybe I'd like his music more now. Nope. Still feels too thought-out, too chilly, to me. Oh, well.)

Could have been so much better
I guess it says something that I have gone back and watched Burns' "Civil War" documentary more than a dozen times since I first saw it, and have only watch "Jazz" once since the first time. The Civil War documentary certainly is rife with factual inaccuracies but by & large gets the essential story of the conflict right. "Jazz," on the other hand, treats its subject as though the last 40-50 years never happened. It is as though the Civil War documentary would have lingered over the years 1861-1863 incessantly, then sped through the last two years ("Oh yeah, there were a couple of battles, Atlanta burned, Lee surrendered, the war was over. The end." Something like that) as though they didn't matter.

As I found the documentary going into its umpteenth hour and we STILL weren't out of the 1930's yet, I had a bad feeling about where this was going. You would have thought that Louis Armstrong had been annointed as the Jazz Pope and he ruled over the world of jazz for 40 years. In his proper context, Armstrong is very important, but Burns seems positively fixated on him. He dwells on every facet of Armstrong's upbringing & early career. Unless he planned on making a 60-hour documentary, there was no way Burns could hope to do justice to the more recent history of the genre, and sure enough he basically hits the fast forward button once the be-bop era is coming to a close.

Personally, I cannot stand fushion jazz, but nonetheless some mention needs to made of a style that was dominant in jazz for almost as long as the swing style, for crying out loud. Also, relying almost exculsively on Wynton Marsalis (doing his best impression of a crochety old man on his front porch, railing at a world that has passed him by) really was not a good idea & imbues the entire documentary with a hopelessly retrograde flavor.

I watched it once, and came away disappointed. I watched it a second time, hoping that I could find more to appreciate, but only found that it continued to disappoint. I don't know if it merits any future viewings, and that is indeed a shame, because it is a subject that deserves better treatment than this.

Excellent for what it is
It's surprizing how vociferously some "snobs" condemn "Jazz" simply because it's not as comprehensive as they seem to think it should be. From reading these reviews you would think Ken Burns is a half-step above a holocaust-denier for not including Roland Kirk or Eric Dolphy. "Jazz" is a wonderful, inspiring and, yes, traditional look at the art form. Newcomers shouldn't be dissuaded because it's not as complete as it should be. ... Read more

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Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides is a truly beautiful, Finnish-German 2001 documentary about artist Goldsworthy, a Scotsman whose medium is nature itself and whose preferred studio is the outdoors, particularly where water forever flows, rises, and/or retreats. The soft-spoken, secluded Goldsworthy is seen hard at work making ephemeral sculptures out of bits of ice in the trees, or building tall, mysterious cones from loose rock, which stand like spiritual sentinels in forests and on shorelines, overgrown by plants or swallowed daily by high tides. Filmmaker-cinematographer Thomas Reidelsheimer goes to great and sometimes inexplicable lengths to make visual corollaries to Goldsworthy's ideas about underappreciated relationships between light, color, movement, balance, and fluidity of form in the real world, making Rivers and Tides a lively and always surprising cinematic gallery. Some of Goldsworthy's most miraculous natural installations--stone walls that snake through hundreds of feet of forest and stream, for instance--show up in the last half-hour. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

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Extraordinary footage and eloquent narration by David Attenborough highlight the BBC's remarkable wildlife series The Blue Planet: Seas of Life. "Ocean World" begins with astonishing views of a gigantic blue whale--the elusive Holy Grail of undersea photography--and the marvels continue to demonstrate the power, diversity, and profound ecological influence of Earth's oceans. "Frozen Seas" examines whales, walruses, penguins, and other creatures under the extreme conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The next two episodes are even better. "Open Ocean" travels thousands of miles into the vast "liquid desert," where currents determine how the ocean's diverse life forms will assume their places in the food chain. More amazing, "The Deep" descends with a state-of-the-art submersible to the ocean's abyssal plain and beyond, filming such bizarre creatures as the fangtooth, bioluminescent jellies, transparent squid, the giant-mouthed gulper eel, and the never-before-seen hairy angler fish.

"Seasonal Seas" focuses on the explosion of life that accompanies every annual blooming of plankton, numbering in the countless billions and captured here with brilliant microphotography. In "Coral Seas," miles-long reefs of living coral are explored, from deep within (requiring brief computer animation) to the surrounding environs, where you'll see white-tipped sharks in a feeding frenzy while beautiful harlequin shrimp wrestle with a starfish. "Tidal Seas" explores the myriad life forms that thrive when lunar gravity pulls the oceans offshore. "Coasts" is easily the most brutal episode, but no less mesmerizing. The most unexpected, and horrifying, sequence is the orca, earning its "killer whale" nickname by capturing, killing, and tail-tossing a seal pup--a sequence so mysteriously primal that even the most seasoned marine biologist will be utterly amazed. One of the finest wildlife programs you're ever likely to see, The Blue Planet: Seas of Life provides the privilege of visiting a truly alien world teeming with the rarest wonders of nature. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Unbelievably Beautiful.
There are many reasons to own this wonderful series on DVD, but one reason stands out: The Killer Whale/Seal Pup segment of the "Coasts" DVD. The Amazon.com main reviewer mentioned this scene in his review - and with good reason. It is THE most amazing piece of wildlife footage EVER captured on film - even surpassing the National Geographic special with the Great White Sharks breaching.

If you need more reasons than that, the "Ocean World" DVD contains unbelievable footage of Sir David in a skiff right above a Blue Whale (the largest creature ever to have lived) along with a stirring segment about an orca pod pursuing a gray whale and her calf.

All of my friends - who are decidely NOT nature buffs like me -were left speechless after seeing some of the segments in this set (particularly the aforementioned ones).

The Life of Mammals DVD set by Attenborough is also terrific.

Wondrous, but I'd rather hear Sir David than the music...
This is a beautifully filmed and presented documentary series, though that goes without saying if it's done by David Attenborough and his crew. I'm not sure if it's my cheap DVD player or the discs themselves, however, that are the cause of my only complaint. The music and effects, especially in the opening episode are so loud compared to Attenborough's narration that it must be turned up to an almost uncomfortable level to understand him over it. Coming from the Life of Birds series, which is flawless IMO, this was a disappointment. The scenes caught on film certainly are not! The episode travelling down to the deepest regions of the ocean provide probably the most fascinating visuals you'll ever see. You will literally be amazed that such creatures are actually a living part of the world that are almost completely unknown to anyone.

WOW!
WOW!

I recently returned from scuba diving in Australia, Bali, and Palau as part of a larger 7 month world trip. This video set further opened my eyes to the beauty underneath and above our waters and how it all relates. I was almost entirely speechless the first few episodes - except for when I uttered frequently - (...)...or the sound of my gagging in disbelief.

The adrenaline dropped a little during the the 3rd and 4th CDs, but there are clips in those that made my jaw drop too! The "Deep Trouble" featurette / segment on the 4th CD is highly recommended too. I visited Tokyo, Japan - Tsukiji fish market - in Dec 2003 and saw the Bluefin Tuna auction first hand, among other sites - wow! If you never thought the world could be overfished, or don't act like it is - you must go to Tokyo and see the market first hand. It's free to go in!

We should take some of the next round of $50 billion used for the Iraq war and buy a copy of this and send it to every *household* in America. There would be even enough to give a free DVD player to those wihtout. Europe and Japan should do the same. There would still be money left over to send to Iraq too!

Don't miss this thrilling collector's set
This is definitely a must have for entertainment & educational purposes. You can watch these dvd's over and over again & still be amazed at the sea life being captured on camera. Although, some scenes may be a little graphically violent, these dvd's are something to be shared with people of most ages.

Excellent!
I spent a weekend completely mesmerized by this series.

This is an incredible journey through the oceans of the world. From the freezing poles to the warm water tropics, you meet numerous species and observe them and their habits in incredible detail. There are times when you can't tell if what you're looking at is full size or microscopic, were it not for the narrative. You learn about breeding, defense, hunting tactics, feeding, and migration. From majestic giants like whales, to the tiny plankton so many ocean species live on, there's a lot to learn, and many surprises.

It's an 8-part series:
"Ocean World," "Frozen Seas," "Open Ocean," "The Deep," "Seasonal Seas," "Coral Seas," "Tidal Seas," and "Coasts"
Each episode stands alone, concentrating most on details pertaining to its title. Where Frozen Seas concentrates more on severe weather conditions and the amazing species that can tolerate it, and how they do it, the Tidal Seas episode offers insight to the moons effect on our oceans, and the species that rely on tidal conditions to survive. In The Deep episode, you go to incredible depths, where no sunlight can penetrate and see footage of entire ecosystems that have somehow evolved and survived without the sun. Some of the species in The Deep could easily have been inspiration for many horror film monsters.

Clear, spectacularly vivid imagery, and an excellent narrative by David Attenborough make this series a must see.

I love the ocean, and being at the beach, and have always been curious and cautious about it's inhabitants. Some things I've learned here will not be forgotten. For instance, even the most likable species has to eat, which means it has to hunt and kill. All survival tactics are clever, and necessary, but some are rather cruel. And we certainly can't do more than speculate as to the reasons.

The more we learn about our oceans, the better able we are to respect and appreciate its riches. (and beware it's predators)! ... Read more

Description

Hailed as a film masterpiece and landmark in historical storytelling, Ken Burns's epic documentary brings to life America's most destructive-- and defining--conflict. With digitally enhanced images and new stereo sound, here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one. ... Read more

Reviews (144)

Excellent Introduction
Ken Burns' Civil War is an excellent introduction to the period, told well with style. It's a documentary, not a history book. It is, however, far more accurate and balanced than other Civil War documentaries (such as the History Channel's Civil War Journal).

To hit on a couple of criticisms in other reviews, slavery as a cause of the Civil War is an argument bordering on the level of a holy war, itself. Recent magazine articles and essays have done a good job of discussing it. The result is that both Burns' view and the "Burns' is wrong, it was all about states rights" views are both simplistic. Burns' documentary does a good job of capturing the Southern view of slavery and abolition but he does over state the view of the north as abolitionist. While there were Southern abolitionists and Southern soldiers who didn't care one way or another, Burns shows quite well that without slavery there would have been no war. (The statement that the South only fought for "states rights" was actually championed in the 1880s. If states rights were the only reason for fighting the war, why did the Confederate Constitution prevent any Confederate state from passing a law against slavery, even if that state wanted to abolish it?)

To the point of Grant being the first Lt. General since Washington, Burns is both right and wrong. Winfield Scott was made Lt. General, but it was a brevet (something a little more than honorary) rank. It was a brevet specifically so that Washington would be the only man to have officially held that rank. This changed when Grant was given the rank.

Fine Film
There's no denying that Ken Burns' sweeping documentary of the American Civil War is a success. Through photographs, modern footage of the places in question, period music, and voices reading primary source documents of the time, Burns conjures up the conflict in all its thrilling drama, bloody tragedy, dark humor, and stirring nobility. Personal and engaging, this film brought a new awareness of American history to millions of viewers. It should be noted that a huge topic such as the Civil War cannot be entirely crammed into one film, however long; this is necessarily an overview, though an excellent and detailed one. (At least the Civil War had a compact number of years to it; Burns subsequently took on huger topics still such as Baseball and Jazz, with less success. His finite films like this one and "Lewis and Clark" are easier to see as a whole.) I have one quibble with this show - I think it oversimplifies the causes of the war. To be specific, it sees only one cause - slavery - and pays no attention to states' rights or economic issues. This is no surprise; his other films have shown us that Burns sees race as the defining issue of our country. Whether you entirely agree with this idea or not, you are sure to enjoy and learn from this epic documentary.

The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
This one is superb........well worth the money..it can be purchased for much less at eBay though. Shelby Foote's comments thoughout the film are outstanding. He is truly a southerner and you will enjoy his thoughts relative to the film. I highly recommend the film and will be glad to answer any questions anyone might have regarding the film. You can email me at jimsuz@swbell.net with your questions!

Get the best version
It should be recognised that there are three versions of the series in circulation. The original series itself was released in 3 versions: complete (with varying episode lengths), slighly shortened (to provide similar length shows) and short version (about 1 hour per episode. The slightly shortened version was the one initially distributed on Video and DVD. This is the one that has the wobbly transfer. The new DVD version (2003) is a digitally enhanced full release. Ken Burns returned to the original film to achieve a new hi-resolution transfer and then proceded to digitally clean it up. This is demonstrated in a mini-doco on the DVD. No one questions the quality of the series and with this release the reproduction quality matches it. Ken Burns turned me into a Civil War buff and collector. I still found the series highly moving even after several viewings.

Be Forewarned About This Shamefully Cheaply Packaged DVD
Let me start off by saying the documentary itself is wonderful. Certainly, it may be slightly biased, and woefully short on info about the western campaign, but it is well intentioned and researched, as well as being both thought provoking and entertaining. The presence of Foote helps correct the obvious Northern bias, and I think the film was fairly clear about Lincoln starting out as a moderate on the slavery issue. And let us be fair; no project this ambitious is ever going to be perfect nor satisfy everyone, and this one is far better than most.

But, the DVD packaging is just horrible. The literally paper thin disk container fell apart on the second day that I had it. I have a fairly large DVD collection with many, many box set collections and this is by far the cheapest presentation I have ever encountered. Now, had this been a budget box set designed to be low cost so as to make itself available to the greatest number of people possible, I would accept this. But as you must know, this set is actually quite expensive compared to most box sets. Therefore, the ridiculously flimsy packaging is inexcusable. This series deserves better. I STRONGLY urge you to wait until a higher quality presentation is put on offer. ... Read more

Description

Available previously as a 5-part VHS set, New York now boasts two all-new episodes.The series offers fourteen spectacular hours of programming that chronicle the history of New York - from its beginning in 1609 as a Dutch trading post, through the turbulent years of change in the decades following World War II, to its present day status as one of the most important and influential cities in the world.

SYNOPSES
Episode 1: The Country and the City(1609 - 1825) chronicles the arrival of the Dutch, the impact of the English, the horrors of colonial slavery and New York's critical role in the American Revolution.
Episode 2: Order and Disorder(1825 - 1865) looks at New York's rise as a burgeoning cultural center and multi-ethnic port, concluding with the Civil War Riots - America's bloodiest civil disturbance. Episode 3: Sunshine and Shadow(1865 - 1898) turns the spotlight on a period of greed and wealth that fueled the expanding metropolis - even as politics and poverty defined it.
Episode 4: The Power and the People(1898 - 1918) follows New York into a new century, examining the interplay of capitalism, democracy and transformation in the wake of an extraordinary wave of immigration and the birth of the skyscraper.
Episode 5: Cosmopolis(1919 - 1931) details the African-American experience, the birth of new media industries and the incredible array of human and cultural energies that converged, ending with the construction of the world's tallest building.
Episode 6: City of Tomorrow(1929 - 1941) traces the spectacular but often troubling changes that overtook New York due to the crash of 1929 and the beginning of World War II.
Episode 7: The City and the World(1945 - Present) chronicles the history of New York from the end of World War II through today, exploring the complexities of the post-modern city and the turbulent years of physical, social and cultural change in the decades following the war. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Extraordinary and compelling documentary!
I have just finished viewing the 6th Disc of the incredible journey of the greatest city in the world, and just had to share my excitement and disbelief at what I have been watching. Ric Burns does an extraordinary job of showing the history of New York from it's discovery by Henry Hudson to modern times. Each episode is addictive and compelling. Once the use of film and motion picture is employed in this collection at the turn of the 20th Century, each episode becomes even more amazing. I was amazed at the footage of the Empire State Building and the Chrylser Building as they were being built. The pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge being built were astounding. The time of La Guardia and seeing him in action, while Robert Moses built bridges and highways all around the city and beyond to Long Island was stunning. The history of Central Park, the Erie Canal, the plan for the streets of the city, the building of the subways and tunnels, the railroads, the coming of the immigrants, and many more were incredible to see. Being a native New Yorker born in the early 70's, I was exhilarated, but saddened at the same time while watching this, that I was not around to experience the great growth of the city. This film does justice though, as it brought me deep inside the history, and allowed me to see so vividly how New York came to be what it is today. I highly recommend all to view this, for not only is it a history of New York, but a history of why American is what it is today. It all started in New York City.

More justice. Better as the DVD version
The Burns family has come up with some fine work, from Baseball, to the Civil War; and now the latest, New York. A fine successor.
Ric Burns explores the early history of New York, starting with the God-created attributes of the region and one of the world's finest natural seaports. But the treasure is found in what man has added to the Apple, starting with the Erie Canal, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Subway system. The Bridge's history has itself been the subject of much scholarship, and Burns does it well also. The creation of the skyline, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are some of the series best moments, filled with some of the fascinating type of information that fans of Burns' documentaries have come to expect and enjoy.

The history of New York is the history of immigrants, and the interaction of Irish, Italians, Africans and other groups is splendidly examined. The politics of the City, such as the rise and demise of Al Smith and Jimmy Walker are well explored also.

My few complaints are minor, and don't detract from the work. F. Scott Fitzgerald seems to have become a demi-god to Burns, and after awhile, I found the continued references to him and his
work tiring. More than a few minutes on the early history of Harlem would have been a welcome replacement.

I purchased the DVD version, although I had the videocassettes. Am I glad I did! It has two additional discs, which try to bring the series up to date. Fiorello LaGuardia and Robert Moses, the two most pivotal figures in the history of the City, are splendidly explored. More examination of the development and contribution of Harlem (which I lamented in the review of the VHS version) is also welcomed. New York's post W.W. II predominance as the true center of the Earth is made plain. As the series progresses, we see the value of the City (any city), the destruction of the great and old in the name of urban renewal, and the slow cancer of suburban sprawl.

Even those not from New York will find it to be a rich, interesting history, worth of the length of time one must devote to its viewing. The rest of the world will understand some of why New Yorkers love their home as they do. Those expatriate New Yorkers will be tugged to head back home. All in all, brilliant, brilliant work.

AMAZING!
If you are from New York this DVD set is a must have. Absolutley riviting and informative.The old film footage and other epherma that was collected for this compilation is remarkable. I literally sat through all 7 DVDs in one sitting without a moment of boredom. If you love history this will be a valued addition to any collection, even if you are not from NY.

Learn history painlessly
I have told several friends that they need to watch this wonderful series. Almost everyone seems to think that history is boring. It isn't - you just had boring history teachers in high school, that taught history in a boring manner. If history was taught as the clash of great personalities and the range of choices they had, and it was explained why the person choose the path they did based on the limited resources they had to divide between all their goals and aspirations - people would recognize that alot of history is facinating. As you learn the history of the city of New York you will also learn a great deal about American history - because they are so intertwined.

A Great Series for a Great City
Though there are many older cities than New York, in the (relatively) short time of its existence, no city has captured the imagination, desire, love, and even hatred, that New York City has. Ric Burns has captured all of these emotions and more in this, one of the finest documentaries ever put on film.

The series traces the history of NYC from its earliest days as a Dutch trading post through 2000 (an additional volume was produced after the September 11th terrorist attack). Using interviews, stories, & archival material (prints, paintings, photographs, and old silent films), Burns pulls the viewer in to the life of all types of New Yorkers through the last 300+ years. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The key players in the radical movement known as the Weather Underground are skillfully brought to life in this Oscar-nominated documentary. The Weathermen were born of sixties protest, but took their scheme to overthrow the U.S. government to especially violent extremes. Never a well-populated movement, the Underground petered out as its leaders aged during the seventies; by decade's end, weary of hiding, most of them had turned themselves over to the authorities. That journey, by which a fire-breathing revolutionary such as Bernadine Dohrn became a (still fiery) gray-haired wife and mother, is an intriguing one. This film, rich in period footage (and some unnecessary sensationalism) captures the era somewhat broadly. But the present-day interviews with the participants, contrasted with their radical selves, provides an exceptionally detailed look inside the organization itself. It's not a nostalgic look back, and the overall mood is sobering rather than celebratory. Lili Taylor provides the narration. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Insightful look at American 60s radicals
In some ways, the group known as the Weather Underground (originally the Weathermen, an offshoot of Students for a Democratic Society) were more a symbol of 1960s radical idealism than a real revolutionary movement. Although they planted many bombs during a decade-long period, they never did anything that seriously threatened the government or power structure. Their goal, of course, was to spark a mass movement and inspire others to follow their example, but they remained essentially marginalized. The film, The Weather Underground does a good job at letting members of this group explain their motives and, in some cases, misgivings about their foray into revolution. Directors Bill Siegel and Sam Green seem to be sympathetic with the movement, and most of the material is told from the point of view of members. Leaders of the group Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers have retained their radical views and are anything but apologetic about their past actions.

Most members of the group, despite the bombings, were committed to not harming people. This brings up a rather blatant omission in the film -Kathy Boudin, perhaps the group's most notorious member (for her participation in a robbery where a man was killed) is not mentioned at all. This was an unfortunate decision, apparently done to portray the Weathermen as essentially nonviolent. To leave out such a well known chapter in the group's history leaves a gaping hole. Still, the parts that are included are fascinating and give a glimpse into the idealism and naivete of these leftist radicals.

In retrospect, it is (at least from one perspective) a little sad to see how little long term effect the 1960s counterculture had on society. It seems that they were no match for the propaganda machine of the government and mass media. This film, of course, employs propaganda methods of its own, as when brutal footage from the Vietnam war is shown. Propaganda it may be, but it does serve to almost trivialize the violence committed by the Weathermen compared with that perpetrated by the government it was opposing. The other side to this argument is that the fact that these radicals are still alive and that a film like this has been allowed to be made is proof that America is not as oppressive as some would have us believe. Yet, this is only true to some extent; as the film explains, the FBI made a concerted (and mainly illegal) effort to destroy radical movements. There is also evidence that the government murdered members of the Black Panthers.

How you react to The Weather Underground depends on your political and cultural perspective. Regardless of this, this film is a compelling study of a radical group and gives us a glimpse into their world.

Nominated and should have taken the Oscar
Looks like McNamara won again with his anti-war doc. film. The insight and proggressive beliefs that the Weather Underground stayed true to act as a legitamite foundation for the liberated America we live in. If you are enticed by politics but are sick of corruption in America check out this film about a group derived from the SDS that took its war with the government to an extreme that had to be recognized. I never knew they busted Timmothy Leary out of jail and attacked symbols of American injustice without using murder (the tool those in power use to stress their point) don't think you've seen a film like this before, it left me energized with a tendency toward learning about political struggles of today! Who'd think a gen-Xer could look at a film about revolutionairy soldiers of the past and wonder what he could do today to maintain the liberation sparked by students from the 60's. A must have for any leftist, documentary fan, or anyone interested about the origins and movements of the "New Left"

Not Bias
Weather Underground doesn not seemed to be a bias look at the organization. It doesnt say their actions were good, they let the people speak for themselves. An interesting film on US history.

An excellent historical treatment
I am absolutely opposed to violence as a form of protest so the Weather Underground was not a group I agreed with, yet, one could agrue that they did play a role in the Vietnam protest era so this film is a good review of that.

The film is well done. I feel the Todd Gitlin, Mark Rudd and Brian Flannagan were the more realistic people on this DVD. Clearly they had come to see that the Weather Underground's methods were not ultimately the most effective and said so. They also saw the orgies as self indulgent and stupid.

In the end, all would truly admire a man of peaceful protest like the late David Dellinger for his methods as his were better than their methods.

This film should be seen as a great period piece. It should also be seen to affirm that violence wasn't the answer then and it isn't in Iraq now.

This is an educationally significant film that should be seen by all who are interested in the 60's.

Spoiled Brats
Where do I sign up for the FBI? And if a few rules are broken - shock! - to break these guys up, so be it. And if they use their rich connections to get out of jail time... the system can't be that bad, right? Most rich kids backback through Europe, and these guys went to Cuba and came back to blow up buildings... before going back to booshy comforts. If Hoover had went over the top to nail these guys, I'd have looked the other way. They are very, very, ugly. ... Read more

Description

On its 20-year anniversary, and not a moment too soon, THE ATOMIC CAFE is back to provide us with a much-needed release of comic energy.A dark comedy in the truest sense, this timeless classic took the nation by storm when it first debuted in 1982.The ... Read more

Reviews (27)

It's Finally on DVD!
I am gratified to see that this film is on DVD. Michael Weldon, author of The Psychotronic Film Guide, calls this the most important film ever made. I'm not sure I'd go so far as that, but this is a good film.

Few of the other reviewers have commented about the actual content of the movie. It's a documentary with little (or no) narration which pieces together newsreel and archival films to contrast the stark destructive reality of nuclear weapons with the insipid optimism of 50's Cold War propaganda. Apparently this theme is lost on a great deal of viewers including the US Air Force; you can buy it at the National Atomic Museum gift shop.

Another reviewer commented on the bad music on the soundtrack. In fact, this soundtrack is just as important a historical document as the film itself. It was the very last LP record I ever bought in shrink-wrap. Now that the film is on DVD, it's time for the soundtrack to come out on CD as well.

Remember Kids. What do you do? DUCK AND COVER!
"The Atomic Cafe" is an example of Eisenstein's notion of montage on the macro level. Produced and directed by Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty and Pierce Rafferty, this film achieves it rhetorical potency simply by editing together old film and documentaries from the 1940's and 1950's. By putting a cartoon of Tommy the Turtle teaching school children to "Duck and cover" next to film of actual atomic bomb tests, "The Atomic Cafe" renders the Cold War both ludicrous and chilling at the same time. Without narration and by using a few choice songs, this documentary finds a surprising strong voice against the insanity of nuclear destruction.

It is important to remember that by the end of the 1950's, and for quite some time after that, it was assumed that one day there would be World War III and that it was going to be an all-out nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. ... The manner in which Americans cheerfully prepared for a nuclear war cannot help but seem patently absurd to us today, but these images are unforgettable. Still, you have to admire the spirit of American inventiveness that would come up with radiation suits and quickie shelters.

"The Atomic Cafe" manages to inform us about the mentality of the American people during that period of the Cold War, while harshly critiquing that view from our informed perspective of today. I have always been impressed by how this could be achieved simply by arranging the order in which we view these historic bits of film and adding a dramatic counterpoint through the use of music. Very simple but quite powerful. Final Note: be prepared for Hugh Beaumont (a.k.a. Ward Cleaver) to show up in a military training film to explain what happens when an atomic bomb goes off.

Duck, Cover, And Blow Away...
Yep, get those fallout shelters dug and those lead suits pressed! It's time for THE ATOMIC CAFE! Culled from archival footage and spliced together to make the best presentation of the nuclear nightmare I've ever seen. Watch as politicians talk about the benefits and wonders of the hydrogen bomb! See ordinary folks being lulled to sleep by official propoganda! Listen to the military brass tell their troops about the minor threat of the live nuke test they are about to experience up close! Hear the pure balogna told to the poor natives of the Bikini atoll, just before the test blast that would bring tons of radiation raining down on their smiling heads! This is more than a movie, it's a damning slice of history. Nothing gets across the vastness of our own insanity like our own words and actions! The atomic age becomes the atomic culture as we live in fear of the russians and the bomb. Most of the statements by politicians and military types are so ridiculous, it's as though they were scripted by Mel Brooks! The true horror of this movie lies in it's presentation of real people saying and doing irrational, stupid things. Watch it and tremble...

Funny, sobering, shocking, pacifist
With a clever montage of 1940s/1950s news clips and Civil Defense and military training films overlaid with off-beat contemporary songs about The Bomb, the creators of THE ATOMIC CAFE produced a film that will amaze the post-Cold War generation and cause those who lived during that period to ask, "Could that be us?"

This docu-drama begins with the Trinity atomic test blast in New Mexico in 1945, then proceeds through the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent atomic test at Bikini atoll. With the acquisition of the A-bomb by the Soviets in 1949 - my birth year - and the Korean War, the film gets into the meat of the piece, which is a visual commentary on the paranoia about the Red Menace and Nuclear Armageddon which gripped the United States during Eisenhower's two terms as President.

THE ATOMIC CAFE is alternately funny, sobering, and shocking. Funny, as when Kruschev and Nixon verbally joust in a comedic Tricky Dick and Nicky routine during the former's visit to the States. And the training films depicting citizens, singly and in large groups, on the streets and in schools, doing the "duck and cover" drill in response to the hypothetical Big One. Sobering, as when a priest discusses the merits of excluding non-family members from your personal bomb shelter. (In a departure from Christian charity, he was all for it.) Or the message given to Army troops assigned to the near vicinity of test explosions, which was that in a real atomic war it would be the blast that kills them, not the radiation. And shocking, as when we see the disfiguring burns and blisters affecting the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the pigs exposed to subsequent test detonations in the desert Southwest. (My wife, an animal lover, left in horror after seeing the latter.)

Released in 1982, THE ATOMIC CAFE is a pacifist and anti-war statement produced, I suspect, in response to President Reagan's confrontational stance vis-a-vis the Evil Empire after his 1980 election. While the film inspires many different emotions, its consistent and overall tone is to mock the U.S. government for the nuclear fix it got the country into with the development of the A and H-bombs, the wild-eyed propaganda it disseminated to rally the citizenry against the Commie Hordes, and the Best Face the Civil Defense authorities put forward on the possibility of surviving a nuclear holocaust.

As a child of the 50s, I also remember the periodic tests of the air raid siren, and the "duck and cover" exercises. My Dad built us an elaborate bomb shelter under the garage around the time of the Cuban Crisis. While I found THE ATOMIC CAFE fascinating, it certainly wasn't balanced. (For example, the narrative tellingly ends prior to Kennedy's election. Bay of Pigs and nuclear brinkmanship? Say what?) I would also like to have seen some of the equivalent anti-American propaganda the Soviets disseminated to their citizens during the period. Perhaps, best of all, the film would be better produced today after decades' distance from the events.

Entertaining review of the "atomic" aspect cold war era
Excellent!!! Very entertaining and humorous. Includes all sorts of ridiculous songs, propaganda films, and common beliefs from the time. From kids trying to ride bikes in lead suits, to families throwing their lunch and crawling under their picnic blankets for protection from nuclear blast. A must see!!! ... Read more

Description

Provides a behind-the-scenes look, with unprecedented access, into life inside the Vatican. With rare footage of secret archives, private chapels and papal quarters, the program explores the Vatican's long, powerful history, and the unique traditions and ceremonies that have survived for nearly 2000 years. Accounts from Vatican officiants, historians and devoted individuals who work closely with the Pope John Paul II provide privilieged insight into the inner workings of one of the richest wonders of the world. 60 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great insights
This DVD provides great insights into the Vatican and the role of the pope. This video tells a great story with pictures.

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE HOLY SEE
Gain behind-the scenes access to the See of Peter in National Geographic's INSIDE THE VATICAN. This documentary provides an unprecedented view of the inner workings of the Church, such as the election of a new Pope, enlistment of Swiss Guards, the ordination of Archbishops, the restoration of priceless works of art, and a history of the Papacy and its critical role in the development of Western civilization.

The Papacy has its beginnings with St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and leader of the formative Church. He is the first Pope, who ministered the flock in Rome at the time of Nero, and was martyred at Vatican Field in a circus in the outskirts of the city. The disciples recovered his body and buried it in the same field, which became a center of pilgrimage in the ensuing centuries. The exact spot of his crucifixion was preserved by tradition, and is now marked by an altar. Constantine the Great built a basilica at the site of his tomb, which has been replaced with the magnificent renaissance structure of today.
One can see for the first time the original tomb of Saint Peter, which had been lost for centuries and has been rediscovered only a few decades ago, right under the main altar of today's basilica.

Of particular interest are the priceless documents from the last two millennia in the Vatican's Secret Archives. One can see letters from Michelangelo to Pope Julius II, the request of Henry VIII for the annulment of his marriage (this was denied, and led to the formation of the Anglican Church), and even a demand from the Mongol Emperor that the Pope pay homage to him! (Of course, denied.)

Great attention is given into a "normal" day in the Vatican: the restoration of priceless tapestries by Raphael; the cleaning of Bernini's colossal baldachino; meetings of international figures with the Vicar of Christ. In addition, one can see the blessed ministry of Pope John Paul II, a man of great compassion. Particularly moving is footage of his visit to a leper colony in Korea: the Holy Father embraces and kisses these poor souls, not shying from their diseased flesh, but rather sharing with them the love of Christ.

Truly the Gates of Hell have not endured against Christ's Church. The successors of Peter have served the Church, and will continue doing so, throughout the ages. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Ideal for teaching about the Vatican and Papacy
Every teacher of the Catholic faith to young adults and adults should incorporate this DVD into their classes. It is so unusual to see the Catholic faith presented without an agenda -- and this succeeds. Everything is clearly explained and given a historical context. I was impressed with the archival newsreel footage incorporated into the explanation of the papal elections.

Fascinating!
I found this dvd very entertaining and informative. It is a fascinating look into the operations of the most visited place in the world. The beauty and grandeur of the place especially the priceless paintings and artifacts have made the Vatican the most valuable wealth of historical information available. The dvd is great! National Geographic has done a great presentation of the Vatican and great to watch especially if you have never been there. This dvd is a great addition to any dvd collection.

Well researched!
This video is an excellent video to show students, young adults as well as adults who want to know more about their faith and how did the Vatican came to be. I think it is also encourage anyone who is interested or curious about the Cathoilc faith to take a preview of the video. The video decribes how an ordination happens at Saint Peters, what actually goes on during an ordination. The video also decribed a Blessed and is story and how one day, he could become a Saint by the Pope. Finally, once a Pope dies, a new Pope must be elected, the video will cover that as well. The pictures of the Vatican are just awesome. I've been to Rome before, and these pictures just bring back memories. Also, I forgot to mention, the Swiss Guards. The video goes into how one becomes a guard for the Pope and there uniform. You must buy it or at least rent it if you can. The Pope is seen in several frames thoughout the video. ... Read more

Description

From National Geographic Television and Thirteen/WNET New York, Africa is a groundbreaking eight-hour series captured over two years of filming in 11 countries.

This epic series presents Africa through the eyes of its people, conveying the diversity and beauty of the land and the compelling personal stories of the people who shape its future.

Africa contains eight hours plus one-hour bonus program, "The Making of Africa." ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An extraordinary voyage
This series is absolutely stunning in many ways. First and foremost, the cinematography is breathtaking, from the verist handheld shots to the almost abstract compositions of aerial 90 degree and macro shots. Ron Fricke's Baraka has had a lot of influence on the documentary genre, and there are plenty of Baraka-type moments in here, with assorted new age-ish world music pastiches to support them.
But show is not all there is. The script is beautifully written, with just the right balance between narration and interviews, and editing that lets the product breathe, and the viewer reflect. The agility with which the episodes branch out from the story of individuals to natural, historical, social and cultural references is impressive. And amazingly, you never loose touch with reality, since the documentary's transcendence lies upon the day-to-day lives and thoughts of its subjects.
You also feel the respect the crews had for their subjects, and the «making of» bonus shows it well. Ethnological research ethics are respected, in a world where ethical rules towards the «Other» are too often pushed aside by the greed of producers and researchers.
All in all an amazing document to be viewed over and over again. This is one boxset I highly recommend.

This is Full Screen
I was just about to order this set, but just before checkout i realized that Amazon is only offering this in the FULL SCREEN Version.
Unfortunately, I am not willing to watch this wonderful series with sides cut off............

FIVE STARS for the Content

Africa- GOD'S GIFT
Two Words. National Geographic. I subscribed to the magazine, saw the atlas, and rented the movies at the Anna Lemmon Wheelock Library in Tacoma very frequently. National Geographic took us through the enchanted Amazon, and great cities like Rome, Baghdad, and Sydney. They took us through the terrifing wars of Iraq and explored the top of K2 and Mount Everest. They did documentaries on cats, tigers, lions, lizards, and traveled with Steve Irwin through Australia. Now they take on the biggest challenge yet. AFRICA "GOD'S GIFT".

I call Africa "God's Gift" because in my prospective, he did something special with it. Every continent has something special to it but Africa has a little bit more. It was featured on CBS's "Survivor Africa" as they went through exciting challenges and tasks in Kenya. The northern part of Africa, now in a country called "Egypt", had ancient lands in early times. The people built sphinxs, prymids and had very hard jobs which they did for most of the day for little or no pay.

National Geographic did their best for this and accomplished their mission at the same time. Their mission for "Africa" was to get a television special and feature Africa's best features. I can definatley tell you, that if you want to see something neat and experiance Africa at the same time, this is for you.

Don't get overeactive about this it is a great special but, you shouldn't get carried away. OK maybye you can get carried away. It's wonderful without a doubt and shows everything about this splendid continent.

Give it a try. Go ahead!

Have a good life America!,
Jeffrey Alan Cote'
(brazilgamer_tacomawa)

Wonderfully touching
This DVD series uses a refreshing and unique way to tell the story of the people, places and animals of Africa. The personal stories were touching, the landscapes were breathtaking and the close up on the animals was just amazing.

I was very happy to see a series that did not just identify what's wrong with Africa, but took the time to tell us so much of what is right and is worth saving and exploring. Timely indeed!!!

In so many ways this was more than just a documentary. This in-depth and honest look probably saved all the other documentaries or books that are about Africa.

I am glad to see that so many Africans are proud of their culture, many preserve it in so many ways and yet realize that some changes are necessary to keep pace in a global environment.

Thanks to all the wonderful people from the different countries on that beautiful continent that allowed me to peek into their lives. I am eternally grateful. Thanks also to the wonderful crew that did all the work to bring such remarkable stories into my living room. It was well worth the hard work. It was just wonderfully touching!!!

Some serious problems, and lacking extras?
From the technical point of view, the images are crisp and the sound is excellent. However, this series was shot on film, and transfer to the NTSC 29.97 frame rate just isn't good. I think the PAL version must be so much better. As a result, there are many shots where motions are jerky. I am not talking about the timelapse, ok? Those are very well done!

Second issue is that this compilation has no extras except the 1-hour "bonus" making-off, and soem web links. Where are the directors' commentary? Where are the multiple languages? The whole series doesn't even have subtitle!? This is such a shame. If you have seen an IMAX DVD before, you know what I mean, they pack so much extras into their DVDs, like 4-5 languages, closed captioned for the Hearing Impaired, trailers etc. Africa is a wonderful collection, only marred by its lack of extras, which are already becoming essentials in DVDs these days. ... Read more

Description

Relive one of the greatest tales of adventure and exploration in history, as National Geographic brings to life the epic journey of Lewis, Clark, their guide Sacagawea and the brave Corps of Discovery across the land that would become the United States. Now, two hundred years after the launch of this ambitious expedition, experience first-hand the danger and breathtaking beauty of the unknown West as it unfolded before the eyes of Lewis & Clark. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

See it at an IMAX if you possibly can!
This is a fascinating re-enactment of Lewis and Clark's original journey, told with Jeff Bridges doing the voice-over but with real actors and the original locations. It is authentic down to the last detail, including such remarkable scenes as the expedition shooting rapids in canoes made from burn-out trees, and pulling their boats by rope over the mountains of Montana.

If you possibly can, though, catch this one in its IMAX version. The movie's story is entertaining enough but imagine it on a screen several stories high - literally larger than lifesize - with a powerful sound system to match. Imagine how much cooler shooting those rapids is in the IMAX form! If you can't find an IMAX, make sure you've got a big screen and turn the sound up. This is history as exciting as it was when it happened the first time.

WMV-HD Disc Is NOT Self Destructing
This is in response to the_digital_dude's comments from July 1. The license will renew after it expires as long as the disc is in the drive. You can copy the WMV file to your computer and play it without the disc being in the drive as long as the license is active. After it expires, you will have to place the disc back in the drive and the license will be renewed. As far as I know, this is the way all of the Imax and National Geographic WMV-HD movies are. Unfortunately, one of the earlier WMV-HD movies, Terminator 2, required an active internet connection to acquire the license. I agree that the digital rights management is confusing to the consumer and really should be documented somewhere on the disc or packaging.

WMV HD is MS _JUNK_!
Please note that this film is terrific and rates five stars all the way! I first saw it in an IMAX theater and then had to have it on DVD. Read the favorable reviews of the movie itself to gain an appreciation of what makes it so great, even though it is regrettably very short considering the huge amount of effort that went into making it. It's a timeless masterpiece for better understanding a cornerstone of the history of the United States. Don't be surprised if you watch it a few times!

This review, however, is of the Special Edition DVD. Disc 1 is the standard movie playable in a regular set top DVD player hooked up to your TV. Disc 2, however, contains a high definition 720p version of the film for playback on a fast computer. At first glance of the DVD cover and the generic instructions included inside, one realizes that a fairly recent and rather powerful PC is required. Okay, for a fair number of us, that's not a problem, and it was not a problem in my case. For those of you with a PC slower than 2.4Ghz, your computer doesn't even meet the minimum requirements.

So, I was fairly excited to see what such high definition playback looked like on my 2.8Ghz PC. I noticed that there was no 1080p version of the film on the disc, as the generic instruction card inside the DVD case indicated, but I later realized that the instructions were indeed that, generic, and simply didn't apply to this particular title. Okay, at this point, the documentation goes from bad to absolute crap extremely quickly.

Putting the disc into my DVD-ROM player began Autoplay. Well, immediately an ActiveX control error appeared and suggested I look at www.wmvhd.com for a solution. Actually, that website couldn't have any less technical support for this problem than if it had been written in Latin with a black pen on a black wall and viewed in pitch darkness. Trudging through the Microsoft website links off the main WMVHD page gives precious little useful information, so after Googling on the problem for a while, I found out that this whole scenario is a Microsoft marketing ploy to sell its five-year-old Digital Rights Management scheme to content providers to eliminate media piracy. Wow, talk about shooting the baby when dumping out the bath water. This DRM anti-piracy product is downright draconian in its implementation.

Setting all ActiveX controls, cookies, and security/privacy settings to the lowest possible did not resolve the ActiveX error, nor did disabling my Anti-Virus, Firewall, or anti-Spyware software. Hunting through the Microsoft Support Knowledgebase came up totally empty. Good grief, is this technology ever poorly documented and supported even in house!

Well, after some more Googling, I finally found a piece of advice in an AV forum to just run the main movie file directly from Windows Media Player, but AFTER running the License Registration executable in the root of the DVD directory. Running licgen.exe doesn't appear to do much at first, but apparently it will authorize the playback of the main movie file by unlocking the key encrypted within it.

Okay, at this point, surely one is thinking "Hey, I finally get to see this movie on DVD in high def on my PC". Well, yes, you do, but here's the kicker: THE PLAYBACK LICENSE EXPIRES IN 9 DAYS!!! While the movie is playing in Windows Media Player and looking and sounding nice and pretty, right-click on the filename in the playlist column on the right of the screen and look at the License information. Sure enough, you'll see that there is a limited duration playback period! What in the world?????? Where was this stated on the DVD packaging anywhere?

Truly pondering if this scheme meant that disc 2 of this special edition amounted to some sort of a self-destructing DVD, I ran the license request executable the next day to see if the playback duration would get reset, but no, it didn't.

Keep in mind that none of these limitations are clearly documented anywhere in the online product description, on or in the DVD box, or even anywhere prominently on the WMVHD website. However, if you dig far enough off of that website into the Microsoft sales information for why content providers should use DRM software, it becomes quickly apparent how very anti-consumer this anti-piracy scheme really is, especially as it concerns limiting the playback options for a movie DVD that is not at all advertised in good faith as having such restrictions.

So, whether or not this High Definition DVD ends up being a frisbie in a week remains to be seen, but the poor support and documentation in getting the movie to run in the first place only to learn that it may be self-destructing is absolutely inexcusable. I wonder for this particular release if National Geographic even fully understands what they are selling here.

Again, the movie content itself is terrific. This MS WMV HD DRM DVD, however, is beyond bizarre.

Save your money
There is very little historical information in this DVD. They omitted the number of persons that began the trip, the number of boats and they did they tell anything about what equipment and goods they took along. It may be interesting for someone who never heard of Lewis and Clark nor heard anything about their journey but for the average person it is boring. There are some good scenes along the way but they are generally out takes that do not fit in with the trip. It appears to have been produced by someone that had little knowledge and little interest about the significance of the expedition. National Geographic can do much better!