Documentaries & Biographies > Natural World Documentaries Documentaries & Biographies > A

Advantages: Beautiful footage, educational, interesting
Disadvantages: I want more episodes!!

...our favourite documentaries came from the life of mammals series, so I decided to buy my boyfriend the complete 'The Life of Mammals' box set for his birthday. The box set itself comes in a cardboard sleeve, and the inside of the box set containing the dvds unfolds so that you can see all of the dvds at the same time. The front cover of the box set has a picture of a tiger on the front of it surrounded by some water and in big letters at the top ...
...bottom 'David Attenborough' The dvd box set contains 4 dvds with a total of 10 episodes on them. The episodes are: Episode 1: A Winning Design - Tells us about mammals in general and what makes them different from other species and how they survived. Episode 2: Insect Hunters - All about mammals who eat insects! Episode 3: Plant Predators - This episode tells us about herbivore mammals. Episode 4: Chisellers - About mammals who make use of ... Read review

Advantages: So interesting, fun to watch, educational
Disadvantages: I want more episodes!!

I really love 'The Life Collection' from David Attenborough. The complete series of 'Life in the Freezer' was the third dvd of the collection that I bought. The series itself has six episodes which are all on one disc. They were originally transmitted in 1993. The six episodes are: Episode 1: The Bountiful Sea - All about the Southern Antarctic Ocean and the species in it Episode 2: The Ice Retreats - About when Spring comes and the wildlife ...
...the extreme conditions and how life continues, against all the odds. Episode 6: Footsteps In The Snow - The first man to stand in the South Pole and the struggle to get there. The dvd has a total running time of 174 minutes and each episode is around 30 minutes long. There are no special features on this dvd apart from the option of 'scene selection', this is quite a common feature on dvds these days, and nothing that special but it is nice and ... Read review

Advantages: Great use of footage, analysis from experts and pieced together wonderfully
Disadvantages: None

'When We Were Kings' is a documentary by Leon Gast, centred around the 'Rumble in the Jungle', the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the most famous sporting events in history. Held in Kinshasa, Zaire, the event generated massive interest from all around the world. The documentary focuses primarily on Muhammad Ali, who at this point in his career, and with Foreman's dominance in the boxing ...
...the fight. Ali's charisma, personality and charm meant he was always going to be the man the fight centred around. 'When We Were Kings' charts the build-up to the fight, utilising interviews with experts in the boxing field, members of the media who were in Zaire at the time of the fight, and natives of Zaire as well as interviews and press conferences with the two boxers involved. It tells of us how the natives felt a connection with Ali and supported ... Read review

Advantages: Tells you important Dates
Disadvantages: -

...myself," he once said, "but I couldn't speak for the millions they killed." In 1986, he succeeded in having gypsy representatives included on the Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington DC. His biggest disappointments were his failure to secure the capture of Gestapo chief, Heinrich Muller, and Auschwitz doctor, Josef Mengele, who died in Brazil in 1978. Simon Wiesenthal died in the Austrian capital, Vienna, aged 96. Mr Wiesenthal died in his sleep ... Read review

Advantages: More detailed than the TV series
Disadvantages: Not everyones taste

...of the first trip that Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman made together on motorbikes. The DVD i am reviewing is the 2 disc set which contains both unseen and extended footage. The trip took a long time to play and ultimately was a journey from London to New York via Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, USA and Canada. The DVD covers the entire television series. The way the two discs are split is disc one conatins episodes ...
...disc has the remaining episodes on , namely 4, 5, 6 and 7. The total running time is about 6 hours so ideally you wont want to watch them in one sitting. The extras are the unseen material, the photo gallery and the exclusive post trip interview. The DVD's start with the planning stage where they have to trial possible motobikes that may be suitabel for a trip like this, they settle on either a KTM or BMW. Those that have watched the series will ... Read review