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Russia - A Journey With Jonathan Dimbleby : Complete BBC Series [DVD]
 
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Russia - A Journey With Jonathan Dimbleby : Complete BBC Series [DVD]

DVD ~ Jonathan Dimbleby
3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £24.99
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Product details

  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Classification: Exempt
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 16 Jun 2008
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0015MTC2E
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,776 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in this category:

    #25 in  DVD > Documentary > Travel

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk
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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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Jonathan D. dvd RUSSIA, 13 Jun 2008
By Mr. Oleg Arbouzov "AV" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I think it is a very good attempt to show Russia to the West. Attempt - because you can never show it all as it is. Russia is and will remain a mystery. I am Russian and I have seen a lot of it and still there is something new and new and new and wonderful there. Of course there are drawbacks in that film and leaving aside poor translation - those are mainly those political views that John keeps pushing. That "democracy" fairytale of nowadays he seems to be believing in. Do it in the west first - before you can sell it to others! Put your own house in order! And leave Russia alone for at least a few years without attacks from outside world. And show Russia from different points of view. JD is not the only right way of seeing things and he DID NOT show a lot of Russia`s life and people. Even if all he did was a usual propaganda - still - through it - you can see and feel Russia! JD could not help to love it himself! Mother Russia is Mother Russia - WATCH it and see for yourself!God bless you.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars The 'contractual obligation' TV series..., 20 Nov 2008
I tried to stick with the TV series and, for the sake of learning something about this vast and epic country, i persevered but the vision of BBC boardrooms and rubber stamps for meeting their educational/quality quota for the whole 'Dimbleby does Russia' premise kept appearing before me.

It smacks of televisual filler that the BBC is forced to put out inbetween the cookery, quizzes & dancing programmes. Trains, stilted conversations, poor structure and Dimbleby is so out of his depth in some encounters with 'ordinary Russians' you just want to cuddle him in the comfort blanket of a studio and give him some talking heads to referee.

It's Palin-lite, which is lite TV in itself but at least has the humour of a man out of his comfort zone actually experiencing real life. Dimbleby never leaves his comfort zone and seems always detached from the subject. As a result we, the viewer, do not get the cultural interaction and reaction from Dimbleby necessary for us to feel affinity with his subject.

It's not so poor, in reality, and there is plenty to marvel at but it is wallpaper just as much as any dubious fantasy drama or Saturday night quiz. In fact, this is worse than that. TV fluff never aspires to be anything more than fluff, this is dumbing down dressed up with a big name. The only box it ticks is on a BBC spreadsheet to the Government.

It deserves only two stars because of how good an in depth documentary/travelogue on Russia should have been. This is not it.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A good idea , 9 Jun 2008
By Sally Wilton "Sally" (Bournemouth UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
I was really looking forward to this series by Jonathon Dimbleby. On the whole it is quite good with lots of views of a place few of us know much about. I do believe though that there should have been more research prior to the filming as often I found some of it bland and quite uninteresting. An example was the last episode where a Chinese migrant worker was asked 'why do you come here to work?' It was so obvious he doesn't work in Russia for the weather. Then there was the old gent with the Gold mine who was doing very well thankyou, Jonathon though,was trying to draw out from him a political view which he really didn't have as he is just a business man with no particular interest in politics, I found that rather silly. Too much focus on peoples political opinions and perhaps not enough insights into how people live there on a daily basis. Nevertheless it was a good idea to make this programme and I hope that it encourages further travelogues perhaps probing deeper into this massive country.

I have recently been reading Ryziard Kapuchinskis 'Imperium' a book crammed full of really fascinating stories and anecdotes about the former USSR. Jonathon and his team would have done better by reading a copy of this fantastic book by a great writer.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars dour but serious examination of world's largest country
Given the dearth of other material of this type about Russia, this documentary series is a relatively interesting introduction to the culture and history of the world's largest... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rajiv Kapur

5.0 out of 5 stars Dimbleby on Russia
This book is far more thorough and interesting than the TV series - it was disappointing that the TV series did not cover more of what he experienced (eg from the White Sea to the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jonathan Peel

3.0 out of 5 stars Making sense of modern Russia via a travelogue but lacks depth
Jonathan Dimbleby attempts to do the impossible: to get a sense of modern post Communist Russia in five episodes. Read more
Published 4 months ago by DF McCleland

5.0 out of 5 stars Stoicism and hope for Mother Russia
Russia DVD Jonathan Dimbleby

It is the story of a journey from Murmansk to Vladivostok. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr Micawber

1.0 out of 5 stars If Russia was this depressing nobody would go .....
I missed the series when it was on TV and bought the book and DVD to see what I missed. I have been to Russia several times and have a Russian wife and Mr Dimbleby must have gone... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Peewee-speaks-out

2.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to enjoy this but didn't
I enjoy travelogues and travel documentaries, my favourite being Michael Palin's series which ended with `New Europe' (although that was his least successful). Read more
Published 8 months ago by Pedr

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable
For those of us who won't be able to go to all the places that Jonathan Dimbleby (JD) travels in the vast Russian country, this series provides some very interesting insights,... Read more
Published 10 months ago by maximus

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable but Superficial
I must say that although I enjoyed this DVD set, I was ultimately dissapointed. It is much too short to give more than a brief glimpse of life in such a huge and varied country... Read more
Published 12 months ago by GeeJayBee

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore the poor reviews!
Ignore the poor reviews! Jon Foster's review for Amazon is spot on.To say that JD needs a psychiatrist is very childish.
Published 12 months ago by Francis Webster

1.0 out of 5 stars poor ambition
I am really in a big dilemma - should I bye the dvd, or not? The same question applies to the book - a real brick with an enormously high price. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bella Stone

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