Release date: 2003-02-03
Run time: 250 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.20
Review Life of Mammals Part 2 / 2 Entertain Video:The Life of Mammals is a thorough and entertaining overview of one of evolution's greatest success stories: the rise of mammals. In a clear and concise way, presenter David Attenborough and his team of wildlife cameramen introduce the viewer to many of the myriad species of mammals alive today. Following on directly from Part 1, the second instalment continues its study of the development of mammals. Omnivores are explored in "Opportunists"-mammals such as bears and raccoons whose varied diet allows them to occupy nearly any environment. "Return to the Water" discusses those mammals such as whales, seals and dolphins that have left behind life on dry land and adapted completely to life in the sea, existing at the top of the food chain. The last three episodes-"Life in the Trees", "Social Climbers" and "Food for Thought"-takes the viewer through the development of primates, eventually culminating in that most successful mammal: man. -Robert Burrow.
Release date: 1995-09-04
Run time: 58 min.
Price: £10.99
Review David Attenborough's World Of Wildlife 4 - Fox And The Wildcat / 2 Entertain Video:
Release date: 1997-05-19
Run time: 48 min.
Price: £9.99
Review BBC Wildlife Special - Aliens From Inner Space / The Fastest Claw In The West / Aliens from Inner Sp:
![Review Warner Home Video / Eyewitness [1970]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZT0GB1W5L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Peter Vaughan
- Tony Bonner
- Mark Lester
- John Hough
- Susan George
- Lionel Jeffries
Run time: 88 min.
Creator: Ronald Harwood
Price: £10.99
Review Eyewitness [1970] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Justin Chadwick
- Cameron McAllister
- Beth Goddard
- Michelle Collins
- Emily Woof
- Tyler Cravens
Creator: Caleb Ranson
Price: £9.99
Review Daylight Robbery 2 / Meridian Entertainment:
Release date: 1999-03-29
Run time: 50 min.
Creator: David Attenborough
RRP: £9.99
Price: £19.99
Review BBC Wildlife Special - Great White Shark, The Silent Stalker / 2 Entertain Video:
![Review Start Audio and Video / In The Wild - Toran The Dartmoor Pony [1985]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416G1YV9VDL._SL160_.jpg)
Run time: 60 min.
Price: £10.99
Review In The Wild - Toran The Dartmoor Pony [1985] / Start Audio and Video:
![Review Meridian Entertainment / The Flight Of The Condor [1985]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XWPV8AP1L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1997-05-19
Run time: 60 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £28.50
Review The Flight Of The Condor [1985] / Meridian Entertainment:
![Review 2 Entertain Video / Alien Empire - Inside The Kingdom Of The Insect [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71WBC6JFHJL._SL160_.gif)
Release date: 1996-02-05
Run time: 172 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £14.55
Review Alien Empire - Inside The Kingdom Of The Insect [1995] / 2 Entertain Video:
![Review 2 Entertain Video / Land Of The Tiger [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515TXY7JSFL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Thomas Skinner
- Dennis B. Kane
Run time: 290 min.
Creator: Barry Nye
RRP: £19.99
Price: £39.99
Review Land Of The Tiger [1998] / 2 Entertain Video:Not just tigers, but a wide range of indigenous creatures are the subjects of Land of the Tigers, a two-tape set. In a fascinating contrast with the curatorial reverence with which most narrators of wildlife programmes treat their subjects, the hyperanimated Valmik Thapar not only presents some superb footage of the wildlife of the Indian sub-continent but describes how these animals are regarded within Indian culture-sometimes deified and revered, or the subject of dance or art or part of daily life. Of course, one disadvantage of transferring nearly five hours of factual TV programming to video is that the continuity and the revisiting of key ideas and impressions can become grindingly monotonous if, as here, no attempt is made to edit the material into a single-package format. However, treat it exactly as it was first broadcast, by rationing yourself to one programme-sized chunk at a time and letting Thapar's recapitulations and lingering, revelatory moments happen as they were originally intended and, if you've any interest at all in the wild life and cultural heritage of the region, you won't be disappointed. -Roger Thomas.
![Review 2 Entertain Video / Walking With Beasts [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41T8G25PRPL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Delvin Opissinow
- Cory Generoux
- Karyn Drane
- Lorne Duquette
- Nigel Paterson
- Kenneth Branagh
Run time: 173 min.
Creator: Michael Olmert
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.60
Review Walking With Beasts [2001] / 2 Entertain Video:Walking With Beasts is an introduction to the animals (predominantly mammals) that roamed the earth from the extinction of the dinosaurs until the rise of early humans. The sequel to the BBC's acclaimed and highly successful series Walking With Dinosaurs, Beasts also uses a combination of clever special effects and computer-generated imagery to create a realistic world as it may have appeared millions of years ago. As to be expected from any BBC nature programme, the images are visually stunning; the prehistoric animals look impressively lifelike, interacting seamlessly with each other and their environment to create an entire world that could have been photographed only yesterday. Best of all is Episode 2, "Whale Killer", which follows a female Basilosaurus, an enormous ancient predatory whale, as she travels through shallow seas and along coastlines-the underwater images could have just as easily originated in the BBC's spectacular Blue Planet series. It's unfortunate, therefore, that Walking With Beasts is let down by its script and the often dubious science therein. Episode 3, "The Land of Giants", begins with an anthropomorphic statement better suited to a Disney film than a scientific documentary, referring to the featured animals as "The good [a herbivore or plant-eating animal], the bad [a carnivore or flesh-eating animal] and the ugly [a giant warthog which is, admittedly, pretty ugly]. " Still, Walking With Beasts has a host of little touches and flourishes that add to the feeling of realism (the animals knock over the cameras, pebbles hit the lens), which make this programme a success as a piece of pure entertainment and prehistoric escapism. A companion book and soundtrack CD is also available. -Ted Kord.
Run time: 50 min.
RRP: £10.99
Price: £2.99
Review BBC Wildlife Special - Gorillas In The Midst Of Man / 2 Entertain Video:
Release date: 2000-05-08
Run time: 60 min.
Price: £12.99
Review National Geographic Video - Those Wonderful Dogs / Quadrant Video:
Release date: 2000-01-24
Run time: 120 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £19.83
Review The Living Planet - Parts 1 And 2 / 2 Entertain Video:In 1979 David Attenborough presented Life on Earth, the first wildlife blockbuster series, a chronicle of three-and-a-half billion years of natural history. The Living Planet followed five years later, an equally ambitious 12-part documentary which spanned the globe with portraits of each of the major geographical regions which offer home to life. Attenborough demonstrates how even in the most hostile of environments, from the volcanic "Furnaces of the Earth" to "The Frozen World" of mountains and tundra, the Arctic and Antarctic, live maintains a foothold. He takes us to "The Northern Forests", the "Jungle", "Seas of Grass" and "The Baking Deserts", and ever the genial host, details how in all its endless diversity, life is ingeniously suited to its surroundings. With breathtaking imagery we meet our fellow inhabitants, from penguins to polar bears, lions to scorpions, oaks to eagles, and journey on to "The Open Ocean" and the "New Worlds" which mankind itself is rapidly fashioning through ever more radical technological change. The series ends with an impassioned environmental plea which rings even more urgent now than in 1984. The Trials of Life (1990) and The Private Life of Plants (1994) further detail The Living Planet. -Gary S. Dalkin Originally broadcast in 1984 The Living Planet followed five years after David Attenborough's first wildlife blockbuster series, Life on Earth. This was an equally ambitious 12-part documentary that spanned the globe with portraits of each of the major geographical regions that offer a home to life. [+]Attenborough demonstrates how even in the most hostile of environments, from the volcanic "Furnaces of the Earth" to "The Frozen World" of mountains and tundra, the Arctic and Antarctic, live maintains a foothold. He takes us to "The Northern Forests", the "Jungle", "Seas of Grass" and "The Baking Deserts" and ever the genial host, details how in all its endless diversity, life is ingeniously suited to its surroundings. With breathtaking imagery we meet our fellow inhabitants, from penguins to polar bears, lions to scorpions, oaks to eagles, and journey on to "The Open Ocean" and the "New Worlds", which mankind itself is rapidly fashioning through ever more radical technological change. The series ends with an impassioned environmental plea which rings even more urgent now than in 1984. The Trials of Life (1990) and The Private Life of Plants (1994) further detail the Living Planet. On the DVD: The Living Planet is presented complete in this DVD box set, with a total running time of 660 minutes (12 x 55 minutes). -Gary S Dalkin.
Release date: 1995-09-04
Run time: 58 min.
RRP: £10.99
Price: £19.75
Review David Attenborough's World Of Wildlife 2 - Great Apes / 2 Entertain Video:
Release date: 2001-10-08
Run time: 52 min.
Creator: Jimi Stewart
Price: £10.99
Review Oceana - Return Of The Dolphin / Imc Vision:
Release date: 1992-11-02
Run time: 148 min.
Price: £19.99
Review Natural History Collection - Realms Of The Russian Bear - / 2 Entertain Video:
![Review Contender Entertainment Group / The Year Of The Working Sheep Dog [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510NQCY6B5L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 2002-08-12
Run time: 85 min.
Price: £12.99
Review The Year Of The Working Sheep Dog [2000] / Contender Entertainment Group:A fascinating document of a fast-disappearing way of life, The Year of the Working Sheepdog is an examination of a living, working farm. Followed by cameras over the course of 12 months, shepherd David Kennard and narrator Christopher Timothy take the viewer through the seasons on Kennard's North Devon farm, accompanied at all times by his faithful set of Border Collie sheepdogs. With the Atlantic coastline forming a spectacular backdrop, the shepherd and his dogs demonstrate the incredible relationship between man and animal, a relationship rarely matched for sheer instinct and communication. With its low budget production and Timothy's enthusiastic narration, The Year of the Working Sheepdog is ever so slightly reminiscent of an old-style education film, but nonetheless paints a charming picture of a longstanding way of life. There is little evidence of the increasing mechanisation of the industry and the crises that would affect many farms, Kennard's included, but this is certainly recommended to those with an interest in the countryside and its unique ways. -Phil Udell.
Release date: 2002-11-25
RRP: £19.99
Price: £6.00
Review The Life Of Mammals - Part 1 / 2 Entertain Video:The Life of Mammals is a thorough and entertaining overview of one of evolution's greatest success stories: the rise of mammals. In a clear and concise way, presenter David Attenborough and his team of wildlife cameramen introduce the viewer to many of the myriad species of mammals alive today. Episode 1 begins with the basics in "A Winning Design", clarifying what makes a mammal different from reptiles and birds-no, it isn't egg-laying: both the platypus and the echidna are egg-laying mammals; it's their ability to adapt. And it's this adaptability that becomes the crux of the remainder of the series. "Insect Hunters" focuses on mammals who have specifically adapted to eating insects, from the giant anteater and the armoured armadillo to bats, which have evolved into complex and effective hunters. "Plant Predators" demonstrates the particular (and often peculiar) adaptations of herbivores; "Chisellers" is about those mammals who feed primarily on roots and seeds, ranging from tree-dwelling squirrels to opportunistic mice and rats; and "Meat Eaters" talks about the evolutionary arms race that exists between predators and prey, and the unique adaptations of both individual and pack hunters. The series continues in Part 2 -Robert Burrow.
![Review Meridian Entertainment / The Living Isles [1986]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514VWE6NBQL._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1996-06-24
Run time: 120 min.
Price: £9.99
Review The Living Isles [1986] / Meridian Entertainment:
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Life of Mammals Part 2, David Attenborough's World Of Wildlife 4 - Fox And The Wildcat, BBC Wildlife Special - Aliens From Inner Space / The Fastest Claw In The West, Eyewitness [1970], Daylight Robbery 2, BBC Wildlife Special - Great White Shark, The Silent Stalker, In The Wild - Toran The Dartmoor Pony [1985], The Flight Of The Condor [1985], Alien Empire - Inside The Kingdom Of The Insect [1995], Land Of The Tiger [1998], Walking With Beasts [2001], BBC Wildlife Special - Gorillas In The Midst Of Man, National Geographic Video - Those Wonderful Dogs, The Living Planet - Parts 1 And 2, David Attenborough's World Of Wildlife 2 - Great Apes, Oceana - Return Of The Dolphin, Natural History Collection - Realms Of The Russian Bear -, The Year Of The Working Sheep Dog [2000], The Life Of Mammals - Part 1, The Living Isles [1986] |
