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A major BBC documentary, Russia sees Jonathan Dimbleby attempt to put across the largest nation on Earth over the course of a 10,000 mile journey. The end result fills up five 60 minute episodes, each of which you’ll find in this DVD set.
And on the whole, it’s a very strong release. Billed as the first television look of its type at the nation, Dimbleby takes us via road, rail and foot as he undertakes his adventure, and his look at Russia certainly tucks away many of the stereotypes you may be used to seeing.
At its best, Russia is a fascinating, brilliant piece of documentary television, genuinely unearthing new and interesting things, as well as a plethora of individual stories. Dimbleby is perhaps not the most obvious host, sometimes putting a little bit too much of himself into the mix rather than focusing on the nation he’s there to show us, but on the whole he does a commendable job.
Yet inevitably, it’s the nation of Russia itself that’s the main attraction here. And while you can’t help but feel that this documentary only scratches the surface of the nation, it’s still a welcome and thorough introduction to a once-mysterious country. More like this please, BBC. --Jon Foster
DVD Description
In television's first comprehensive journey through the vast and varied landscapes of Russia, the resourceful Jonathan Dimbleby makes an epic journey from one end to the other, killing cliches and revelling in the unpredictable. Across nine time zones and through all extremes of weather, Dimbleby seeks out the people of this strange and extraordinary land.
From the Arctic Circle where the summer sun never sets to the subzero wastes of Siberia, from white witches to hirsute masseurs, from oil wells to shamans, Dimbleby's journey by boat, train, truck and foot is heart-warming, entertaining and compelling. From outside, Russia is both forbidding and enticing. Inside it becomes an exhilarating adventure.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Russian Journey,
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This review is from: Russia - A Journey With Jonathan Dimbleby : Complete BBC Series [DVD] (DVD)
To the people who still have the 'cold war and USSR' view of Russia, this journey through the varied parts of this, the largest country in the world, will be fascinating and a revelation about the people and the culture. This DVD in my opinion shows for the first time the true facts about this complex land with people who have been through so many difficult times during the dramatic changes before and after the Revolution. Having visited Russia and stayed in St Petersburg, Moscow and Tomsk I can only congratulate Jonathan Dimbleby and the BBC on a superb and accurate overview of the transitions which have led to the present Russian Federation. The locations picked to show the people in the sometimes stunning scenic views were inspired and in my opinion an essential part of this educational programme. I would recommend this Series to any thinking person who wishes to discover a relatively unexplored country whose reserves of minerals, oil and gas will have a great impact on the Western way of life in the not too far distant future. When you get off the Transaero 737 from Moscow to Tomsk at 6.10am with deep snow everywhere and a temperature of minus 46degC you know you have arrived in Siberia. However the traditional Christmas trees and decorations with the great local Xmas cheer and spirit (in my case a lifesaving glass of brandy)make you feel at home.
George G Brown, Bristol, England
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked It,
By C. M. Cotton "Chris Cotton" (Europe and USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Russia - A Journey With Jonathan Dimbleby : Complete BBC Series [DVD] (DVD)
This series, which was first shown on BBC1, consists of 5 episodes which are 1 hour long. To call a series Russia and then only give the series 5 hours of air play, is a total injustice to this enormous, complex and intriguing country.
I have travelled to Russia and Siberia many times, yet have only seen a tiny part of this vast country. The series does suffer from being far too selective in what Jonathan Dimbleby visits. He visits a City like St. Petersburg, but is too busy interviewing Russians about the past and future political movements to take in the Hermitage or Winter Palace. He goes to a large gold mine in Siberia and interviews the owners and asks them about domestic politics, which they refrain from answering. I would have preferred to have seen more of some great City than a gold mine. To do justice to a country that is so large, with so many fascinating regions and Cities, the BBC should have allowed for a longer series or asked the producer to focus less on politics and more on the country. The series is so selective in what it looks at and is loaded with the political bias of Dimbleby, who is clearly no friend of Putin. Several times Dimbleby interviews Russians and instead of allowing them their opinions, he jumps in with his own subjective narrative about what he thinks is right. I suppose he is a political journalist and simply cannot help himself. This style could be a problem for some viewers who are looking for a pure travel documentary. I would have preferred to see more of Russia and less of this political analysis. Jonathan Dimbleby is no Michael Palin who is the master of these type of travel documentaries. Dimbleby doesn't seem to be as relaxed as Palin and when he does try to be amusing, such as the dance at the Tartar wedding, he just looks awkward. Apart from quibbles about his style and series scope, I did enjoy this DVD documentary and would say that it is a good series, so long as you are not looking for a definitive guide to Russia and can accept Dimbleby's bias and political questions. Enjoyable but could be improved.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK but rather superficial,
By
This review is from: Russia - A Journey With Jonathan Dimbleby : Complete BBC Series [DVD] (DVD)
This is quite good and Dimbledy interviews some interesting and very engaging people--but it's also disappointingly superficial and often unsubtle,and though he clearly is fascinated by this extraordinary country and its mosaic of cultures, he carries a few too many western prejudices in my opinion--including the one that tries to make out Europe is only about Western Europe, so that even St Petersburg is spoken of as though it's not part of Europe, unlike say Paris or London. And Dimbledy has a tin ear when it comes to talking to Russians about democracy, for instance. But overall it's interesting enough even if I'd have liked more depth and subtlety.
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