Sunday, May 06, 2007
Planet Earth
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: Don't tell me you're suprised we purchased this series! Thank the gods, the version with David Attenborough narrating was available. Although we watched the series on TV when it aired on Discovery at the beginning of April (and immediately pre-ordered it), both of us had problems with Sigourney Weaver's narration. I didn't say anything until Mom spoke up and said, "That woman sounds like an old-time school marm! Couldn't they get someone better?!?"
Yes, they could and did.
Even if you're a veteran of animal and nature shows, as many Ancient Ones and their caregivers are, this series is a stunner. The addition of the three episode "Planet Earth-The Future" is oddly intriguing, since it involves interviews with died in the wool Greens and those who take issue with all the propositions included in the current global warming hysteria (yes, it is an hysteria, even if it turns out to be reliable), as a well as a smattering of people who are depressed by the realities inherent in trying to get humans to cooperate across the board in changing the ways we live on our planet.
I noticed that the script is, first, a little contradictory. In one place it mentions that glacial movement is the most devastating eroder of landscape. Then, in another episode, it states that moving water is. Granted, they both states of H2O, but their different states and properties have vastly different impacts upon the land. I vote for glacial movement. As well, I'm not sure how long this series was in development from the very beginning, but it inaccurately states, in the forest section, that a redwood is the largest living organism on Earth. A few years ago it was discovered that a mushroom was, in fact, the largest living organism. Truth is, we'll probably discover something that's even larger, one of these days.
Nonetheless, this series is a stunner. We watched it again tonight (which is last night, now). I know we'll watch it again. And again.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2006
The series was co-directed by Alastair Fothergill & Mark Linfield.
Labels: documentary1, film-art1, interview, mom-favorite1, political3, popcorn-and-soda3, science, sigourney-weaver, spectacle2, TV1
