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Life [DVD]

David Attenborough    Exempt   DVD
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
Price: £10.44 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • Life is also available in crisp, shiny, high-definition Blu-ray.


  • Find Life, Planet Earth and many more breathtaking documentaries in our brand new BBC Earth store.



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Life [DVD] + Africa [DVD]
Price For Both: £30.44

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Product details

  • Actors: David Attenborough
  • Format: PAL
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Classification: Exempt
  • Studio: 2entertain
  • DVD Release Date: 30 Nov 2009
  • Run Time: 600 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B002KSA4FG
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,859 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

This enthralling BBC series examines "the lengths living beings go to to stay alive," in the words of Sir David Attenborough. Aided by breathtaking high-definition cinematography, the makers of Planet Earth explore the more colourful strategies the world's creatures employ to procreate, evade predators, and obtain nourishment. Cameras travel though the air, under the water, and right into the faces of insects, like the alien visage of the stalk-eyed fly. Except for "Challenges of Life" and "Hunters and Hunted," each episode covers a different category, such as mammals and birds. Among the more memorable images: three cheetahs move with the relentless rhythm of mobsters, a school of flying fish glides through the air with the grace of ballerinas, and a Jesus Christ lizard skips across the water, like, well, you know. The strangest sights range from a pebble toad bouncing away from a spider like a rubber ball and brown-tufted capuchin monkeys pounding palm nuts with stone tools like the apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Witty writing and skilful editing, which distils thousands of hours of footage, make the learning go down easy (at one point, Sir David references Jurassic Park, which featured his brother, Richard).

If the sound effects seem overamped, George Fenton's score is always on the money, adding humour and suspense at crucial moments (martial drums for the mud skippers, woozy brass for the Darwin's beetle). Nonetheless, delicate sensibilities may find some sequences disturbing, as when Komodo dragons feed on a water buffalo or when a leopard seal dines on a penguin (according to Attenborough, the Komodo siege caused the camera operators "emotional turmoil"). More often, the filmmakers capture the moment of impact before moving on. --Kathleen C. Fennessy, Amazon.com

Product Description

Discover the glorious variety of life on Earth and the spectacular and extraordinary tactics animals and plants have developed to stay alive. Packed with excitement, revelation and entertainment - and stunning screen firsts' - this breathtaking ten-part blockbuster brings you 130 incredible stories from the frontiers of the natural world.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
182 of 196 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Sir David Attenborough- The BBCs greatest asset 29 Nov 2009
By Red on Black TOP 50 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
I sometimes despair of the BBC under current management with there huge salaries and 70p car parking claims! That said I can forgive Mark Thompson almost anything when it comes to squeezing every last drop of wisdom and learning from one of the greatest Britons of this century Sir David Attenborough. The words "national treasure" is overused but what we are witnessing is the development of the most remarkable "database" of natural history which will last through the ages but which also comes with a serious warning about our impact on the climate. Sir David and his partners the brilliant BBC natural history unit based at Bristol have generated one of the great bodies of research work of the past hundred years and a miraculous advert for intelligent television and quality programming.

You also sometime recoil when you consider what a wasted medium television has become. Bruce Springsteen once sung of "57 channels and nothing on" and surf that remote on any day and you sometimes long for the days of 4 firecely competitive channels who had to major on quality and not the lowest denominator. Quite how we have managed to debase the genre in this way is worrying and astounding. Yet before we lose faith there is always oasis of quality and in the case of Attenborough's programmes the standard never dips.

In this current programme "Life" there is so many highlights it is difficult to single them out. But one thinks of the filming of the tense and pitiful portrayal of the first footage of komodo dragons hunting a water buffalo and stalking the animal for weeks as the poison they have injected through bites disable the creature. The tricks of Dolphins to catch mullets by stirring up ocean mud and the killer whales coming to shore to catch seals are equally memorable. Although the stars series are the three Kenyan cheetahs.

Another review on this page suggests that "Life" has a quality of De ja vu and has been done better in the series "Blue Planet" or "Planet Earth". A churlish argument in my view since much of Attenborough's work is complimentary and while I accept that the two aforementioned series are magisterial, "Life" stands in its own right as a thrilling addition to his oeuvre. This is the only programme that my children will actively leave various X Boxes and Play stations to sit down and watch. They will also not complain if it clashes with some celebrity nonsense or trivia on another channel. Attenborough's programmes challenge, stimulate, provoke and most importantly make you think. They are also populist, intelligent, hugely watchable and thus viewed by millions across the the world. He has done broadcasting a massive service and we all owe him the most profound debt.
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57 of 62 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Nature In All Her Glory! 1 Dec 2009
I am watching the series each week & bought the dvd the day it was released. There are so many wonderful scenes it's all but impossible to pick out just one. But if I had to choose a favourite, it would have to be those young meerkats falling asleep standing up.

'Life' is filled with such gems, those clever dolphins, that selfless octopus, the stalk-eyed flies, the elephant family, that incredibly cute little shrew, that young ibex outwitting a predator it's never seen before, the cheetahs working together to bring down an ostritch, etc, etc, etc,.

This is definately one for the dvd shelf!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful life 8 Feb 2011
By Amanda
This DVD set is so wonderful,I bought it as a present and my boyfriend loves it we have watched it time and time again, alittle piece of the world .
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Watched the series on TV last year and enjoyed it even more on DVD, fantastic images and interesting back stories.
Published 5 days ago by Paul Stockham
5.0 out of 5 stars Good old Mr A
Up to the usual standard of anything with Mr Attenborough involved in it, informative, colourful, intriguing, energetic and thought provoking.
Published 1 month ago by Concise
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener on the creatures around us
Absolutely first class production and setting the standards of programmes that the BBC and David Attenborough are known for. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. K. Sanders
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
My son enjoys anthing that David Attenborough has produced and can't seem to get enough of these documentaries. He loved it and can't wait now for more!
Published 1 month ago by Mrs B R Vincent
5.0 out of 5 stars LIFE
Everything David Attenborough touches turns into pure gold. He hasn't put a toe wrong and the world is wealthier than it realizes for any one of his works, never mind the glorious... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Doreen Langmead
5.0 out of 5 stars Many hours of pleasure watching animals, birds, insects and plants...
I can watch it and watch it over and over again. Those guys out there filmed sublime pictures and stories. Read more
Published 1 month ago by LiV, London
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Great TV box set and perfect for when you're bored of soaps! arrived in great time, in perfect condition and wasn't too expensive!
Published 1 month ago by Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars Attenborough at his best
David is excellent no matter what he does and over the years he gets better and better. This is a wonderful production and the photography is exceptional. Read more
Published 2 months ago by dougieduck
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to the family :)
I have been a die hard fan of Sir David Attenborough since as long as I can remember.

His manner of educating us has by literally taking us places and showing us things... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Picky Shopper
5.0 out of 5 stars good choice
my daughter got me to buy this for her boyfriend as a gift he loved it very good value for money 1st class service
Published 3 months ago by NYCgirl
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