The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray] | ![The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJRhGkLkL._SL500_.jpg) | Director: Ken Burns;Dayton Duncan;Producer/Writer
Actors: Adam Arkin, Philip Bosco, Kevin Conway, Peter Coyote
Studio: PBS (DIRECT)
List Price: $129.99
Buy New: $71.98
as of 11/22/2009 02:21 CST details
You Save: $58.01 (45%)
New (6) Used (3) from $67.99
Seller: ttdakota
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 343
Format: NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Number Of Discs: 6
Running Time: 720 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.4 x 0.7
UPC: 841887010986
EAN: 0841887010986
ASIN: B002GWDK6Q
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The National Parks (six episodes, twelve hours) tells the human history of five of the nation’s most important and most heavily visited National Parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Acadia, and Great Smoky Mountains) and the unforgettable Americans who made them possible. Set against some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, each park’s story is filled with incidents and characters as gripping and fascinating as American history has to offer. Woven into the series will also be a broader, evolving story of the very idea of National Parks, as uniquely an American concept as jazz, baseball, and the Declaration of Independence as well as the expanding, constantly changing National Parks system (encompassing stories from other parks) and the growing role they all have come to play in our nation's sense of itself, its past, and its future.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
 Parks November 9, 2009
Christy A. Shannon
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Arrived as promised, but I have not viewed. did not realize that Blu-Ray doesn't play on regular players....
the National Parks: America's Best Idea November 8, 2009
Dolores Crowell
this is a wonderful documentary of the National Parks. We never realized all the hard work and dedication of our early pioneers like John Muir who fought to preserve the beautiful areas of nature that we now know as the National Parks. This has definitely made us appreciate much more the beauty that surrounds us. It has also given us the opportunity to see those parks that we may never get to. We highly recommend this video to everyone.
A Mountain Out of a Molehill November 7, 2009
Blitzkrieg (Outer Space)
What seems at the outset like a subject that should only take an hour to cover, becomes a myriad of stories and historical facts that encompass many many hours. Whether it is interesting enough to sit through depends on what your expectations are and whether you like learning about history. Personally, I think The National Parks is an incredible achievement in documentary filmmaking and is incredibly interesting through and through, especially on Blu-ray. I saw the first episode on TV and thought it was interesting, but I was a bit disappointed somehow. Then I rented the 2nd and 3rd episodes on DVD and found my enjoyment of the series increased and liked it enough to want to buy it. Going back through the episodes on Blu-ray, my enjoyment was furthered and I was captivated by everything, as if I'd never seen it before. When reflecting on my disappointment with the first episode when I saw it broadcast on TV, I realized the reason why. Presentation is everything!
The picture quality on the blu-ray is far better than the broadcast and a step or two above the DVD. The old photographs have so much intricate detail and texture, that they seem almost unreal. I love how they decided to shoot the entire documentary on Super 16 film. For the outdoor scenes, the film's stock emphasizes color and texture, making the shots look more like paintings, which seems to be what they were going for, especially when you see actual vintage paintings of the various landscapes. They blend together so well. I'm glad that they went that route, preferring an artistic viewpoint that blends the different visual pieces together rather than utilizing the BBC Earth style of capturing nature in intricate detail. To me, both styles are eye candy and both are excellent in there own right.
Another winner from Ken Burns and his team! I look forward to seeing his future documentaries and I hope that he and PBS decide to release past works (The War) on Blu-ray.
Ken Burns' best idea November 5, 2009
Lou H. (Jackson, WY USA)
Blu-ray is the only way to see this beautiful series. The all-American story is full of heartbreak, triumph, heroes and villains. The heroes of our national parks, from John Muir to Teddy Roosevelt, from Stephen Mather to Adolph Murie, match the glorious landscapes and animals they helped to preserve. The cinematography is fabulous, the history is fascinating, the production is superb. All Americans should cherish Ken Burns and especially The National Parks. Buy this!!!
Wonderful Series, Even Better in Blu-Ray November 4, 2009
Randi442 (San Francisco, CA USA)
I ordered these DVDs after my husband had watched most of the series already on TV. He switched to the Blu-Ray discs and was really impressed with the clarity. As usual, Ken Burns has done a wonderful job of telling "the story behind the story". I have been to many of the national parks featured, and learned a lot of new information about every one of them. If you like nature, history and beautiful photography, you owe it to yourself to watch this series.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
|
|
|
|
![Scenic National Parks: Glacier Banff & Jasper [Blu-ray]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B002DP0J6U.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
![Scenic National Parks: Zion & Bryce [Blu-ray]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B002DP0J6K.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
![Yellowstone: Battle for Life [Blu-ray]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B002EWD0D6.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
