Life In The Freezer (DVD)

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 ...
...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 ... more

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 coming back to land to breed.
Episode 3: The Race To Breed - How seals and penguins have to breed quickly before winter comes round again.
Episode 4: The Door Closes - The disappearance of food as winter returns and how the wildlife have to migrate before this happens.
Episode 5: The Big Freeze - How some animals stay and live in 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 handy to be able to choose where to start an episode from if you stop half way through an episode!
It also asks you at the start of the disc whether you would like subtitles on or off. The subtitles are only in English.

I really like the last episode of the series 'Footsteps In The Snow' it shows the hut from 1911 where Captain Scott stayed, who was racing against a Norwegian team to be the first man to reach the South Pole. The hut is exactly the same as it was. The cold weather preserved all the food and the bed sheets are still on the bed. It is so interesting. It also shows the laboratory that is still there that they used for their experiments. The episode also shows original photographs taken when Captain Scott and his team were there.

David Attenborough seems to manage to fit in so much information in to each episode whilst at the same time not complicating the information so that we lose track or don't understand. I think this is a real skill he possesses as a presenter.

It says on the back of the dvd that the 'Life In The Freezer' series took three years to film, and you can really see how much effort and passion went in to filming it.

Theres something I really like about Antarctica, it is so crisp and clear. It is also the coldest place on earth! I find the filming so pure and beautiful just because the places filmed seem so untouched by human society. This dvd shows how beautiful this place is, but also how harsh it can be. I especially like all the information about penguins, since they are one of my favourite animals!

I really like the music that accompanies the series. It is quite powerful orchestral music that fits in so well with the atmosphere of the series. I think it is chosen perfectly.

The dvd comes in a cardboard sleeve. On the front of the cardboard sleeve 'Life In The Freezer' is written in large white letters at the top, and at the bottom 'David Attenborough' is written in yellow letters. In the middle there is a lovely picture of two penguins against a beautiful blue sky, this is the same picture that is printed on the front of the dvd disc.

David Attenborough not only presents this series but he also wrote it. He has such vast knowledge about the world of animals and it is a real pleasure to watch this series. He is so passionate about animals and it really shows.

This is a dvd I have found myself watching again. It is not a dvd you buy to only watch once, it is one you will watch for years to come. It really is fascinating It was really hard to pace myself and not watch all the episodes at once! Just because they are really addictive to watch.

'Life In The Freezer' is part of a bigger collection from David Attenborough called 'The Life Collection' which consists of 'The Life Of Birds', 'Trials Of Life', 'Life In The Freezer', 'The Life Of Mammals', 'The Private Life Of Plants', 'The Living Planet, 'Life On Earth' and 'Life In The Undergrowth'.

The series producer was Alastair Fothergill and the producers were Martha Holmes, Peter Bassett and Ned Kelly.

The dvd is an 'E' which means that it is exempt from classification.

I bought this dvd for £16.99 from Amazon but it is on there right now for £12.99. I have also seen some of 'The Life Collection' dvds sold in HMV too.

This really is a wonderful dvd, the whole of 'The Life Collection' is absolutely fantastic. I can't fault this dvd in the slightest, apart from I would love there to be more than six episode in this particular series! I highly recommend it. 

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