Wildlife Special - Tiger (DVD)

...fan of Attenborough and his wildlife collaborations with the BBC, this is a miniature masterpiece.


DETAILS

Genre.. ..Natural History documentary
Production.. ..1999
Length.. ..50 minutes
Rating.. ..E
Format.. ..Widescreen


SYNOPSIS

This wildlife special from the BBC finds its home in the idyllic setting of the Karha National Park in India, where ...
...as is possible in this wildlife special.

From the burnt yellows, oranges and blacks of an indian sunrise through the full gamit of greens and browns of the lush tropical forest, Houseman's camera work reveals the full palette of a paradise where the tiger's own magnificence is perfectly in key. There is barely a single shot in this documentary that is not exquisitely framed, yet this is not artistic license as each individual visual ... more

As this is such a short dvd, and a documentary at that, many will no doubt be relieved to know that this review is not the usual marathon. However, that is not disparaging with regard to the programme because, should you be a fan of Attenborough and his wildlife collaborations with the BBC, this is a miniature masterpiece.

DETAILS

Genre.. ..Natural History documentary
Production.. ..1999
Length.. ..50 minutes
Rating.. ..E
Format.. ..Widescreen

SYNOPSIS

This wildlife special from the BBC finds its home in the idyllic setting of the Karha National Park in India, where the film focusses on the trials of a 12 year old tigress named Lakshmi. The cameras record the tribulations of the devoted mother and her three boisterous offspring from a point in time where the two male cubs, and the one female, have just reached nine weeks old.

OPINION

'Is a tiger in a cage really a tiger. I doubt it. To see the essence and beauty of a tiger, you have to see it in the wild.' These are words spoken by the incomparable David Attenborough during a short introduction to this wonderful piece of film making. Having had the rather daunting thrill of sitting next to a full grown male tiger myself, Attenborough's words do ring true to an extent. But to elaborate, nothing on film could ever accurately convey the sheer size and presence of this majestic animal, nor the smouldering sense of latent power that oozes from every pore. The camerawork of the late Chip Houseman, however, comes as close to that goal as is possible in this wildlife special.

From the burnt yellows, oranges and blacks of an indian sunrise through the full gamit of greens and browns of the lush tropical forest, Houseman's camera work reveals the full palette of a paradise where the tiger's own magnificence is perfectly in key. There is barely a single shot in this documentary that is not exquisitely framed, yet this is not artistic license as each individual visual is part of a coherently edited story. In conjunction with the gentle but stirring compositions that combine a classical style of music with a definitive indian influence, the background to the on screen drama is established to perfection.

At only fifty minutes, there is no denying that this is a very short programme to produce on its own as a dvd product. Therefore, concession has to be made that unless you have a general interest in natural history or a particular enthusiasm for the most impressive of the big cats, this is not a purchase for you. However, if this topic does entice you, then 'Tiger' is one of the most fulfilling documentaries on the subject that I have seen. The quality of the camerawork and soundtrack lay the foundation, but Attenborough's economical narration through those reassuringly dulcit tones adds another layer of class to the production. On some occasions he injects a little dry humour, on others concern, but as always his commentary is never intrusive. The programme is quite rare in that Attenborough does not feature in front of the camera (save for a brief introduction), thus enhancing the immediacy of the developments on-screen.

So to the stars of the show - Lakshmi and her cubs. Despite the seemingly insufficient running time, all the everyday problems of life that face mother and cub in the Karha National Park are explored extensively. The footage is edited superbly to relay an intelligible experience detailing the development of this family as the cubs start to mature. But aside from the usual study of hunting, weaning, play and so forth, there is the ever more prominent threat of an aggressive new male in the territory which provides an additional sense of genuine drama; something that is rarely captured with such an impact in a documentary of this type.

There are numerous other players in this tropical study, from the mahouts to wild indian dogs, all of whom contribute enough to complete the vibrant canvas that depicts the life of the tiger. But of course Lakshmi and her charges take centre stage. An extremely charismatic animal, the appeal of the cubs as they wrestle and explore is matched by the highly impressive sight of the adult on the hunt for Chital. There is no need for extravagent tricks from the cameraman to enhance what the audience is seeing, apart from one or two brief slow motion passages which are justified. Thus, the slightly irksome manner in which Planet Earth was shot (where, at times, style won over substance) simply does not apply here.

Even with the hardest of hearts, the viewer cannot help but be compelled by what unfolds before their eyes or empathise with the concerns of the dedicated team of Indian mahouts - men who protect the area from the back of their elephants. Yet, the documentary remains as objective as possible, not casting opinion on what is fair and what isn't in Kipling's jungle. The human input leaves you in no doubt that this is a labour of love for all those involved on and off-screen, but the inevitable hint of sentimentality is excusable here and does not interfere with an informative piece of film making. The programme may only be short in length but that time is used with the utmost efficiency to provide just under an hour of sheer quality.

SUMMARY

I have put no to this documentary as a recommendation because I think the appeal is limited and £6.99 is not a particularly cheap price for a dvd these days. Added to this fact, is the chance that this programme may well be aired on the BBC at some point - though I have yet to have witnessed this so far.

Karhi National Park has been one of the safest havens for tigers since 1930, according to this programme. Yet since this film was produced, there have been serious concerns in India that the tiger reserves have been infiltrated and many of these big cats have been poached. The previous numbers published by the Indian Government have proven to be wholly inaccurate and the tigers' existence is as perilous as ever, despite the efforts of mahouts such as Bir Singh, who features in this documentary. Even though filmed in 1999, the only way this programme will look dated is if the tiger becomes extinct, making the subject of this wildlife special historical rather than contemporary.

SPECIAL FEATURES

These are scant, providing just the usual subtitles (English) and scene selection. Considering the price and relative brevity of the feature I would have hoped for a making of, which I think would have been fascinating and would certainly have embellished this dvd as a product. As a result the dvd gets only four stars, because this is a review of the package. The main feature would get five stars.

PRICE AND AVAILABLITY

Play.com... ...£6.99 New (including p & p)

As mentioned, this is not a price that is going to cripple the consumer, but by the same token £6.99 is hardly a bargain either for a dvd of this length. When you are considering a dvd, the question of wheteher it will lend itself to repeated viewings comes to the fore. For a programme like this, the answer is individual and, from a personal point of view, unequivocably yes.

Most of the Attenborough and BBC collaborations are expensive. For example, 'Planet Earth' and 'The Life of Mammals' both retail at £29.99 from Play.com. True, these dvds contain several hours of documentary, while you are paying £6.99 here for the equivalent of just one programme, but none of the series I have seen contains an episode to rival the overall quality of the wildlife special, 'Tiger'.

Others titles in this series are : Leopard, Eagle and Serpent. 

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