Galapagos
(BBC Home Video/Blu-ray/HD-DVD/DVD-Video)
Picture:
B+/B+/C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B
After the
huge across the board success with the David Attenborough-narrated Planet Earth (2006) in Blu-ray, HD-DVD
and DVD-Video, BBC Home Video has moved fast to unearth another nature program
produced in HD and their choice is the more than worth Galapagos. It is a
mini-series in three parts. They include
Born Of Fire, Island That Changed The World and Forces Of Change.
It turns
out that these are the islands that Darwin used as his proof that evolution
exists and that so many key discoveries were made here centuries ago that they
advanced natural science in extraordinary ways.
In its 150 minutes, chosen from many hours of priceless footage of all
the animal life there, the documentary is very rich in the history, locales,
species and environment that make them up and so vital to the world. Once again, HD makes a subject some may have
trouble finding involving suddenly very involving and interesting. The narration is written very well, matched
by great research and images that combine to be so palpable that it sometimes
feels like you are visiting.
If they
keep making nature programs this interesting, the BBC might just launch a new
cycle early in HDTV that delivers the promise of what HD can really give its
audience. In all three formats, the
program’s playback is very entertaining.
Let’s hope it is as much a hit as Planet
Earth.
The
program was shot in 1080p (and maybe some 1080i) HD presented in 1.78 X 1 on
all three formats released in 1080p except for the 480 of the anamorphically
enhanced standard DVD. Though there are
the shots that look soft and substandard, they are far less common than on the Planet Earth set, so fans of that set
will be happy on that point. The Video
Red still has its limits, but this looks really good for an HD shoot
overall. Then there is the sound, which
is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo in all cases, with the “Plus” dubbing once again missing
on the HD-DVD. The sound is pretty good
in all cases, do not differ much, but it is not as good as the 5.1 on Planet Earth. The sound effects on location are decent,
while Tilda Swinton is well-spoken doing her narration, though the 2.0 in all
cases has some minor issues resoling her voice at time. There are no extras, though subtitles are
available.
For more
on Planet Earth, you can read about
it on all three formats at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5514/Planet+Earth+(BBC/Mini-Series/Blu-ray
- Nicholas Sheffo
