Customer Reviews

Discovery Atlas Set

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a breathtaking panoramic tour of Italy this Blu-Ray dvd is.From the picturesque country side to the Grand canals of Venice a true vision of beauty.A remarkable horse race that has to be seen to be belived.This is truly an indepth look into Italy.A real "tour du force".From the Caesars to da Vinci and the cathedral of the Pope its all there.Paul Barrington.

Though the blu-ray version is gorgeous, I wasn't familiar with this series and expected much more scenery, perhaps based on the title alone. There are some great visuals of Italy's natural beauty but as a whole the footage is too minimal, and instead the documentary focuses (intently) on a select number of personalities as each follows their chosen career aspirations. (The risk is the viewer may be completely disinterested in one or all of these individuals.) Though the professions profiled are well connected to Italy (gondolier, race car driver, fashion model etc.), I would have preferred more scenery and a broader representation, even with talking heads of past and present, to give a better overview. Though some footage is momentarily spectacular, narrator, Isabella Rossellini adds drama (bordering on melodrama) to the often repetitive script, in an attempt to build the viewer's interest in the events. (run time is a lengthy 1hr. 40min.) More interesting are the blu-ray extras which include a making-of HD, behind-the-scenes, trailers for other titles in the series, and photo gallery.