Discovery Channel "Planet Earth" is amazing

[Steve Carlton]

I just saw the first episode "Pole to Pole" and was simply blown away. In a nutshell, they spent 5 years making this 11 part series in High Definition with stabilized cameras on planes, helicopters, and trucks. I've never seen such good quality shots of wildlife, skies, and landscapes. Simply breathtaking! A lot of stuff has never been filmed before, as they are frequently apt to mention.

There's a scene where a polar bear mom comes out of her hibernation, poking her head out of a hole in the snow. Then she just slides down the hill about a hundred yards on her side, enjoying the ride. Stunning. Then her cub comes out and has to chase her down to get some milk.

Another scene shows a pack of dogs hunting antelope in Africa. From above, you can see the pack split up to surround the faster prey. They peel off like fighter planes in a well-organized sequence. Amazing intelligence!

Check it out. It's playing several times a week on Discovery. It also seems to be available on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray DVD for $50-80.

[geechie]

The shots of the Great White, airborne with a seal in his mouth are almost unbelievable. The rest isn't too shabby either.

George

[Steve Carlton]

Forgot to mention that. Probably the most stunning sequence I've ever seen! A one-second clip in slow motion through a high speed camera stretched out to 45 seconds. I had no idea Great Whites caught air like that.

Got a big kick out of that bird dancing in the rainforest to impress the lady, too!

[Dirty Doug]

Steve,
Thats nothing. You should see George dancing in the pits trying to impress the............ well I better not go into detail. The Pegster might read this.

K-Rider
Doug

[Ed K]

Thanks for the tip Steve... will check it out...

[Gord]

Steve - you have caught my attention! I will definitely check it out. These days I feel so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff surging at me via the cable, that I quite often give up watching the tube for weeks on end (except for watching my Maple Leafs of course! Or LOST! Which I think is a highly entertaining piece of writing!). So thanks for the recommendation. I will tune in!

[isiahstites]

I have been watching the shows as well and they are amazing!

[DJ Down Under]

Thanks Steve..I've just ordered the box set..it's due for release later this month..the trailer vid on the Amazon site looks amazing.

DJ

[Steve Carlton]

Looks like the complete box sets are of the original BBC version, narrated by David Attenborough. They also include 90 minutes cut from the US version for timing and commercials. I've been enjoying the job Sigourney Weaver did very much, but this looks like a win-win. Watch the US version on TV first, then watch the BBC version later.

The US version is starting to come out on DVD. 3 of the 11 episodes per disc for $12 each (if they'll all be on on sale):
http://pedvd.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

A striking clip from the BBC version of "Shallow Seas"...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHnS8_0da6A

[R4R&R]

I've been recording them on my HD-DVR and love watching them. I'm not deleting them until I can buy the whole set on DVD. Really amazing stuff.

[R4R&R]

Looks like the complete box sets are of the original BBC version, narrated by David Attenborough. They also include 90 minutes cut from the US version for timing and commercials. I've been enjoying the job Sigourney Weaver did very much, but this looks like a win-win. Watch the US version on TV first, then watch the BBC version later.


Our paper (The Washington Post) had a small review on the series right before it started and said it was good stuff but Sigourney Weaver's narration was 'sleepy' and boring compared to David Attenborough. I don't think she did all that bad, it's not like we have the other version to compare her to. I'd like to see the BBC version though.