Galapagos [Blu-ray] | ![Galapagos [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5170OxqhJwL._SL500_.jpg) | Studio: BBC Warner
List Price: $28.99
Buy Used: $14.74
as of 7/30/2010 22:18 CDT details
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Seller: arrow-media
Rating:  109 reviews
Sales Rank: 2,436
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 0
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Running Time: 150 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: WARBRE4137
UPC: 794051413727
EAN: 0794051413727
ASIN: B000T28PWY
Release Date: October 2, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Bluray Disc
Amazon.com
While its title may be superfluous, Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World is a beautifully filmed journey into "the islands of the tortoise." Located due west of Ecuador, the Galapagos islands are full of gorgeous scenery and exotic wildlife. And this 150-minute documentary shows it all, thanks to stunning cinematography shot from all viewpoints--the air, sea and, of course, land. The collection is both soothing and exhilarating as it allows viewers to peek in on mating albatrosses (which are monogamous), penguins fishing, and surprisingly graceful giant tortoises swimming in the ocean. The filmmakers also manage to capture a ferocious volcanic eruption that is amazing in its clarity. The problem with many documentaries lies in the narration. A documentary filmmaker hits the jackpot when he is able to get someone like Sigourney Weaver, whose crisp narration fits in beautifully with the sweeping footage in Planet Earth. While Tilda Swanton lends a relaxing quality to Galapagos, her voice at times is a bit too lulling to hold the viewer's interest. The writing also borders on melodramatic, with talk of the simmering sea and such. With visuals as stunning as this, hyperbole is unnecessary. Charles Darwin has described the Galapagos as a world within itself, and it is said that the islands were one of his inspirations for his book The Origin of Species. While the film doesn't clearly explain why the Galapagos are unlike any other place on earth, it does showcase a destination that is unlike what most of us know. --Jae-Ha Kim
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 109
 Just O.K. Too bad. June 1, 2010
Red Badge
Pro: Beautiful cinematography provides access to large areas of the Galapagos otherwise not available to tourists. Recommended for that reason alone. Very high-quality blu-ray video.
Con: 1) The script for each segment is written as if the viewer hasn't seen previous episodes so there is quite a lot of repetition. I hope to never hear reference to an "island conveyor belt" again. 2) Tilda Swinton's narration offers either one of two modes: flat, or kindergarten teacher. I found it tiresome. With good narrators available, why do we keep being subjected to the Sigourney Weavers and Oprah Winfreys? 3) As the series progresses it becomes one long sales pitch for evolution theory. While the natural evidence found in the Galapagos does present a logical argument for adaptation theory, I found the Darwinist "and the world was changed forever" drumbeat tedious.
Conclusion: Must-see footage of a fascinating archipelago. Too bad it doesn't come with a music-only track.
 1st and 3rd episodes are better April 2, 2010
Learner (Chicago)
I really enjoyed watching it, the 1st and 3rd episodes dive into the Galapagos in a way I've never imagined. The 2nd episode highlights Darwin, but to me it didn't really enhance the DVD...But it was a great watch
Brilliant production March 26, 2010
Christopher Vardas (Portland, OR USA)
Like the Planet Earth series, this production is equal in visual and content production values. The photography/cinematography is truly stunning, the dialogue informative and value as a learning piece is without peer. I cannot recommend this disc enough.
 Wonderful, but not perfect March 10, 2010
W. Paul W. (Amarillo, TX)
This continues the tradition of excellence with BBC nature documentaries; interesting information, very high production standards and stunning visuals accompanied by first class narration.
There are three shows in this mini series and each of them are worth watching. They manage to show us more than tortoises and marine iguanas--they also highlight the avian fauna of the island fairly well, including documenting a neat bit of hunting by the short eared owls. Very informative, covering the drift and history of the Galapagos as well as the flora and fauna. I do wish they'd gone into more detail about the effects of the introduced plants and animals, and I wish they'd shot another episode worth of content. It'd have been neat to get a more in depth view of the difference between the older and younger islands--what animals are only found on the younger vs older islands, differences in temps, etc. It covers some of the differences--it shows much more varied topography on the older islands, and implies they have a greater diversity of life, but more detail would have been nice.
Still, a great introduction into the Galapagos and very enjoyable to watch.
Won't play on all DVD players February 2, 2010
B. Sessions
0 out of 12 found this review helpful
Although I have no doubts that the content is excellent, I was unable to play it on my DVD player. It requires an HD DVD player. It will not play on a traditional DVD player unless you can update your firmware. I don't believe it will play on a Blue Ray disk player either. I tried it on video game systems as well as my new laptop, but was unable to get it to work. I plan to reorder this item in regular DVD format.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 109
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