My housemate, Chris was raving about a TV series called the long way round. Ewan McGregor, (Star Wars Episodes 1, 2 & 3; Trainspotting), and Charley Boorman, (Excalibur; Country of my Skull), travel from London to New York and back again on motorcycles via unbelievable places such as Slovakia, Russia and Kazakhstan. They travelled 22,345 miles in 107 days. The series tracks the highs and lows, from planning to the final stretch. The 2 actors supported UNICEF on their journey and visit UNICEF projects along the way. For more information on UNICEF and their work with children or to make a donation call 08457 312 312 or visit www.unicef.org.uk.
The DVD is split into 2 disks. On disk 1 there are episodes 1-3 plus the extra features. On DVD 2 there are episodes 4-7. The overall running time is 6 hours. It is exempt from classification but I would seriously advise parents of young children to exercise caution when letting them watch this as there is some bad language and a few things that may not be suitable.
The front of the DVD case features a black and white photograph of Ewan and Charley with there bikes at just one of the many stunning locations. It also features the 2 actor's names at the top, the title
at the bottom and information about the extras. The back cover shows another black and white photo of the 2 on their bikes riding across the plains, a synopsis of the film and information about the book and soundtrack which are also available. The inside of the case shows a map of the journey and lists the route in detail, including dates, locations and miles travelled.
I am not going to do an episode by episode account as that would somewhat spoil the film for you all. What I will say is that it is full of hilarious moments as the cultures are so wildly different to our own and the 2 unwittingly fond themselves in some very odd situations including drink fermented camel's milk and finding themselves in a house full of machine guns! At one point they have a gun pointed at them and only saved by a passing car.
A really nice to touch to this series is that we get to meet the whole team, the cameraman, (who doesn't even have a bike licence at the start), the productions team etc.
Something that seriously lets this DVD down is that all the episodes have the opening and closing music and sequence. This gets really boring as you progress through all 7 episodes.
The soundtrack of this series is really good and features songs from Radiohead, Coldplay, The Stereophonics, Blur and many others. Even the theme song, preformed by The Stereophonics is excellent and very sing-a-longable, which is a good thing as you hear it 14 times!
The special features are:
Photo Gallery* - The photo gallery is beautiful. There are some amazing and personal photos of the places visited, the locals and Ewan and Charley. There are tourist type photos as well as more real, gritty photos.
Trip Preparation* - This section starts with Ewan doing a funky dance and is pant wettingly funny. This is basically the 2 getting ready on the first day of the journey. They are both really nervous and it shows when you watch them.
The First Five Days* - This section is basically what it says it is. Selected footage from the first 5 days including some stuff that isn't in the series.
I Just Can't Do It* - This bit is mainly Ewan feeling that he can't do it and isn't good enough or strong enough. He does fall off the bike quite a bit. Again some footage that wasn't included in the series. I have noticed by this point that there is a lot more swearing in the left out bits than there was in any of the episodes.
Glacial Plane Ride* - They go in a plane and its icy and cold. They are scared. A little boring really but worth watching for the scenery.
The Wrong Way Rounds* - The bits where things aren't going so smoothly.
Post Trip Interview* - Ewan and Charley talking about their experiences and how the trip lived up to their pre-trip expectations.
Unicef Information* - The contact details for UNICEF.
www.play.com have this DVD available for £10.99 including free postage and packaging, the book for £14.49 and the CD soundtrack for £8.99. The prices on Amazon are a little cheaper but they charge for postage and packaging.
Seeing parts of the world that are not ever covered by travel programs and that have virtually no tourism is incredibly interesting as is the re-action to these places by 2 pampered actors. Ewan and Charley often act spoilt but always catch themselves. It was good to see them all dirty and tired and with none of the usual comforts that celebrities have.
I really, really enjoyed this series and laughed a heck of a lot throughout. I even stayed up all night to watch it because I couldn't leave it once I had started. It was a nightmare having to try and laugh quietly in case I woke anyone up! There are also very sad moments and very touching moments. The friendship between Ewan and Charley is great and it is really warming to see 2 men having such a close relationship. The series also has its scary moments due to backers pulling out and a few crashes. So there is something for everyone on this DVD. Watch it if you can.
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I love Ewan McGregor, but only caught a glimpse of this when it was on TV. Must now add it to my 'I want it!!!' list. Gwen x
bandcamp 17.10.2005 14:18
You know how to make this more appealling than it is to me already, don't you?! Lol I remember reading a couple of interviews about one or two of their experiences on the trip and thought it sounded hilarious. Ahh well I alos missed it on TV so I'll need to find someone I can borrow it from... :) M x
2 men, 4 wheels and 20,000 miles. Long Way Round is truly the adventure of a ... more
lifetime.Bonded by a unique friendship and love of motorbikes, Long Way Round documents the adventures of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on their extraordinary journey arou...
Advantages: exciting, you can really get into the adventure Disadvantages: It made me regret not travelling, everytime I watch it I want to explore the world.
![Ewan McGregor: Long Way Round (Two Disc Set) [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78487201.jpg "Ewan McGregor: Long Way Round (Two Disc Set) [DVD]")
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