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Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]
 
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Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

David Attenborough (Actor), Sigourney Weaver (Actor) | Rated: NR (Not Rated) | Format: HD DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)

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PRODUCT ALERT:
• IMPORTANT NOTICE: This high-definition disc will only play in an HD DVD player. It will not play in a Blu-ray player or a PS3.

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Product Description

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As of its release in early 2007, Planet Earth is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced. Following the similarly monumental achievement of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home. The premiere episode, "From Pole to Pole," serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming--a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact. With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea's various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia's nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild.

That's just a hint of the marvels on display. Accompanied by majestic orchestral scores by George Fenton, every episode is packed with images so beautiful or so forcefully impressive (and so perfectly photographed by the BBC's tenacious high-definition camera crews) that you'll be rendered speechless by the splendor of it all. You'll see a seal struggling to out-maneuver a Great White Shark; swimming macaques in the Ganges delta; massive flocks of snow geese numbering in the hundreds of thousands; an awesome night-vision sequence of lions attacking an elephant; the Colugo (or "flying lemur"--not really a lemur!) of the Philippines; a hunting alliance of fish and snakes on Indonesia's magnificent coral reef; the bioluminescent "vampire squid" of the deep oceans... these are just a few of countless highlights, masterfully filmed from every conceivable angle, with frequent use of super-slow-motion and amazing motion-controlled time-lapse cinematography, and narrated by Attenborough with his trademark combination of observational wit and informative authority. The result is a hugely entertaining series that doesn't flinch from the predatory realities of nature (death is a constant presence, without being off-putting), and each episode ends with 10-minute "Planet Earth Diaries" (exclusive to this DVD set) that cover a specific aspect of production, like "Diving with Pirahnas" or "Into the Abyss" (the latter showing the rigors of filming the planet's most spectacular caves, including the last filming ever officially permitted in the "Chandelier Ballroom," a crystal-encrusted cavern found over a mile deep in New Mexico's treacherous Lechuguilla, the deepest cave in the continental United States.)

With so many of Earth's natural wonders on display, it's only fitting that the final DVD in this five-disc set is devoted to Planet Earth: The Future, a separate three-part series in which a global array of experts is assembled to discuss issues of conservation, protection of delicate ecosystems, and the socio-economic benefits of understanding nature as a commodity that returns trillions of dollars in value at no cost to Earth's human population. At a time when the multiple threats of global warming should be obvious to all, let's give Sir David the last word, from the closing of Planet Earth's final episode: "We can now destroy or we can cherish--the choice is ours." --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

137 Reviews
5 star:
 (102)
4 star:
 (19)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (8)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (137 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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73 of 74 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A film of enourmous proportions that shows the majesty and mystery of our planet, July 6 2007
By 
Torval Mork (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Planet Earth: The Complete Series (DVD)
It is hard to find a starting point in reviewing a film series that has set such a high standard of achievement. I frequently found myself pausing, rewinding and replaying multiple segments of each eposide, fascinated with the extent to which these expert filmmakers went to capture such amazing footage. What sets this "nature documentary" apart from all that have come before it is the expert utilization of a multitude of filmmaking tools reserved for big budget TV commercials, music videos and feature films. Examples can be seen right from the first episode, where the use of a motion control rig and time lapse photography shows the full, month long transition between seasons on the arctic tundra, and long distance, high speed lenses capture the frolicking of a polar bear and her cubs. The African wild dog hunt segment made use of a high-tech helicopter HD camera mount, formerly used exclusively by the military. Even small clips that take you into the next act are amazing, unparalleled photographic achievements.

Photographic and technical wizardry aside, the mandate of this series was to show the planet and it's non-human inhabitants as they've never been seen before. In this respect, the producer, Alistair Fothergill, and his team of hundreds have far exceeded their goal. This did not come about without putting in a mammoth amount of sweat equity. In watching the 10 minute diary segements after each episode, one sees the drive and determination of the crew, sometimes up to three years of hiking and filming, to capture a few minutes of rare footage. A previous reviewer has referenced the snow leopard and shark footage, I would like to add the pirhana feeding frenzy and stork migration over Mount Everest as truly awestriking segments as well.

The narration by David Attenbourough adds a gentle backstory and a few exclamation points to footage that could stand alone without it. A 5.1 soundtrack, and BBC Orchestra score give a compelling reason to turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy the HD glory of this absolutely flawless presentation. This is a must see series for children and adults alike... awesome... awesome... awesome!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Where's the bonus material?, July 14 2008
By 
Emmet (Montreal, QC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Planet Earth: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
This series is outstanding. Great cinematography and just mind boggling natural beauty.
The only question I have is why does the product description mention a 5 disc set when the product image clearly states 4 disc set, like the one I own. Was there a re-release of this product?
Where is the fifth disc? Where are those 10 minute behind the scenes clips for each episode? I don't have any of that on mine. In fact my version is bare-bones episodes, no special features. For my first blue-ray purchase that's a little disappointing. My friend has the regular dvd's and they do have all the special features and extras...
Why would the blue-ray version have less?
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72 of 75 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This version is with David, Mar 29 2007
By 
This review is from: Planet Earth: The Complete Series (DVD)
This is a great series; you will fill like never before when you watch the series. And don't worry because Sigourney Weaver, the narrator of the discovery's planet earth version in the USA, will not narrate this DVD set. This set will contain the original version with David Attenborough's narration. Is just an error of Amazon listing Weaver as the narrator in this set. I can confirm this because I have seen many sources that confirm this. The version with Weaver is on sale on the Discovery's store and it has a different cover. I hope you buy this set and not the discovery's because I have heard Weaver's narration and Attenborough's narration, and Weaver's is nothing compare to Attenborough's. I hope you enjoy this set as I did.
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