Yellowstone isn’t the sort of natural history documentary to challenge your perceptions, but it is another of the BBC’s thoroughly well-produced programmes which is a pleasure to kick back and enjoy. The park’s geology produces a weird backdrop of hot springs, savage winters, vast panoramas filled with wild elk, wolves and bears. There are three 50-minute episodes, one each for Winter, Summer and Autumn, demonstrating the savage extremes which the Yellowstone wildlife must endure. Snow as deep as houses settles for six months, the wild-fires spread in summer. All of this is filmed in gorgeous clarity and detail, demonstrating how the plants and animals cope with one of the harshest environments on the planet which swings between such complete extremes. Yellowstone has also revised some of my opinions about different animlans; sheep, for instance. The Big Horns which survive throughout the bitter winter in the park are nothing like the tame creatures we see in the UK; the short sequence of the males engaging in their annual ferocious pre-breeding fights is astonishing. They’re aggressive, no-holds-barred fighters — not at all woolly-minded!
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the series is, ironically, the ten minute fillers which concentrate on the people who work and spend time i nYellowstone. The people who watch geysers are a curious bunch, and the guy who clears the snow from rooftops for six months at a time must really like his own company! Similarly, a chap who swims (in a crash helmet) in the Yellowstone river gives a radically different perspective of life in the surrounds — and the unhappy effects of introducing foreign species for sport fishing.
Yellowstone underlines the global importance of the National Park, especially now that increasing urbanisation touches almost every wild area in the world. It’s an easy series to like, and enjoyable to watch again. Would be really stunning in Hi-Def, too. 8/10
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This review is from: Yellowstone [Blu-ray][Region Free] (Blu-ray)
This is an excellent Blue Ray, my copy has 1 disc not 2 as indicated and includes the Yellowstone people diaries. Favourite chapter is Winter the photography is sublime with crisp sharp images favourite shot the fox diving through six foot of snow for a mouse. Makes you want to go and buy a plane ticket and just go there. Envy the “Snowman” on the Yellowstone people who spends all winter removing snow from buildings can see why he loves it. Just buy it, it’s the BBC at it’s best.
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In this age of LCD Digital TV, this documentary about Yellowstone Natinal Park is probably the best ever produced. The photography is simply stunning, as is the stereo sound. It is almost as good as being there in person. One easily gets the ‘feel’ of the park, and the magnatude of it. The naration is excellent too, with just enough information to explain the picture, never talking down to the audience, or talking above their heads. But the most impressive aspect is the photography. I particularly found the snowfalling in the first part to be the most stunning visual display I have ever seen on my 32″ LCD TV. I may never get to Yellowstone in person, but I feel that I have ‘been there’ and probably seen more of it than if I did actually visit in person. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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Fabulous visuals, interesting info. Easy watching,
Yellowstone isn’t the sort of natural history documentary to challenge your perceptions, but it is another of the BBC’s thoroughly well-produced programmes which is a pleasure to kick back and enjoy.
The park’s geology produces a weird backdrop of hot springs, savage winters, vast panoramas filled with wild elk, wolves and bears. There are three 50-minute episodes, one each for Winter, Summer and Autumn, demonstrating the savage extremes which the Yellowstone wildlife must endure. Snow as deep as houses settles for six months, the wild-fires spread in summer. All of this is filmed in gorgeous clarity and detail, demonstrating how the plants and animals cope with one of the harshest environments on the planet which swings between such complete extremes.
Yellowstone has also revised some of my opinions about different animlans; sheep, for instance. The Big Horns which survive throughout the bitter winter in the park are nothing like the tame creatures we see in the UK; the short sequence of the males engaging in their annual ferocious pre-breeding fights is astonishing. They’re aggressive, no-holds-barred fighters — not at all woolly-minded!
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the series is, ironically, the ten minute fillers which concentrate on the people who work and spend time i nYellowstone. The people who watch geysers are a curious bunch, and the guy who clears the snow from rooftops for six months at a time must really like his own company! Similarly, a chap who swims (in a crash helmet) in the Yellowstone river gives a radically different perspective of life in the surrounds — and the unhappy effects of introducing foreign species for sport fishing.
Yellowstone underlines the global importance of the National Park, especially now that increasing urbanisation touches almost every wild area in the world. It’s an easy series to like, and enjoyable to watch again. Would be really stunning in Hi-Def, too.
8/10
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|Sublime BBC Blu Ray Nature,
This is an excellent Blue Ray, my copy has 1 disc not 2 as indicated and includes the Yellowstone people diaries. Favourite chapter is Winter the photography is sublime with crisp sharp images favourite shot the fox diving through six foot of snow for a mouse. Makes you want to go and buy a plane ticket and just go there. Envy the “Snowman” on the Yellowstone people who spends all winter removing snow from buildings can see why he loves it.
Just buy it, it’s the BBC at it’s best.
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|Yellowstone experience,
In this age of LCD Digital TV, this documentary about Yellowstone Natinal Park is probably the best ever produced. The photography is simply stunning, as is the stereo sound. It is almost as good as being there in person. One easily gets the ‘feel’ of the park, and the magnatude of it. The naration is excellent too, with just enough information to explain the picture, never talking down to the audience, or talking above their heads.
But the most impressive aspect is the photography. I particularly found the snowfalling in the first part to be the most stunning visual display I have ever seen on my 32″ LCD TV.
I may never get to Yellowstone in person, but I feel that I have ‘been there’ and probably seen more of it than if I did actually visit in person.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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