Knut & Friends (2007/Image Blu-ray)
Picture: B- Sound: B
Extras: D Documentary: B
It is amazing that there is not more of a movement to save
Polar Bears and the planet in general, but it is not from a lack of
interest. The huge potential is there
and a recent fanfare surrounding one Polar Bear in Germany shows the upside of the
interest. Michael Johnson’s Knut & Friends (2007) traces the
tale from the birth of the baby bear rejected by his mother to the Berlin Zoo
taking evasive action to save him. The
result is he survived and became an international sensation.
Knut (pronounced Ka-Newt) is a very appealing bear and an
amazing one. In a never-long-enough 86
minutes, we see his survival, care, reactions and playfulness that speaks
volumes about what a great species he comes from an why it and all species need
to be protected and preserved worldwide.
It can be argued that some political interests did what they could to
sabotage his popularity for political reasons, preferring to sabotage such
preservation efforts and their related movements, but this fine documentary
(never a dull moment here) extends to dealing with other bears and hat we can
have success if we work at it. A
pleasant surprise, be sure to catch it on Blu-ray ASAP.
The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is shot
on digital video (usually HD) and has its share of motion blur, but looks
pretty good and consistent considering the years the tapings were done. Color is consistent and we get some
interesting locations. The DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) lossless 5.1 is the other big surprise here with a nice music
score, well-recorded narration and warm soundfield that nicely incorporate
location audio that has few flaws. There
are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
