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Amazon.co.uk Review
It started as David Attenborough's most ambitious wildlife project, and ended as something really big. First came Life on Earth (1978), then The Living Planet (1984), but when The Trials of Life (1990) arrived the already epic individual series became "The Life Trilogy", collectively the most impressive documentary achievement in the history of television. The intervening years had seen rapid developments in wildlife film-making, including smaller cameras and faster film. The result is that the images often surpass those from previous programmes - just one highlight being the unforgettable scene of a whale pursuing its prey right onto the beach. Rather than focus on evolution or geography, the emphasis is on animal behaviour, from courting and mating, to giving birth and raising the young, hunting, flight and fighting, finding shelter, and migration. This immediacy makes The Trials of Life the most accessible of "The Life Trilogy" for younger children, and with Attenborough's enthusiastic commitment to natural history, every type of creature, from ants and giraffes to hamsters, moose and peacocks, are informatively and entertainingly presented. Nothing less than a television masterpiece, David Attenborough would go on to make The Private Life of Plants and The Life of Birds. --Gary S. Dalkin
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Trials of Life started as David Attenborough's most ambitious wildlife project, and ended as something really big. First came Life on Earth (1978), then The Living Planet (1984), but when The Trials of Life (1990) arrived the already epic individual series became "The Life Trilogy", collectively the most impressive documentary achievement in the history of television. Unfortunately the epic has shrunk here, as not only have the credits been removed, but each of the 12 original episodes having been cut from 49 minutes to 28 minutes (though the scene everyone remembers--a whale pursuing its prey right onto the beach--survives).
Rather than focus on evolution or geography, the emphasis is on animal behaviour, from courting and mating, to giving birth and raising the young, hunting, flight and fighting, finding shelter, and migration. This immediacy makes The Trials of Life the most accessible of "The Life Trilogy" for younger children, though the abridgement makes it play like a superior schools programme. This short-attention-span version of a television masterpiece simply makes one wish for a fully restored, extra packed special edition of the complete series. David Attenborough would go on to make The Private Life of Plants and The Life of Birds. --Gary S Dalkin
On the DVD: The Trials of Life has a good though slightly soft and grainy 4:3 picture that would benefit from remastering from the original elements. The stereo sound is a clear improvement over the originally broadcast mono, but a full 5.1 DTS remix would have brought out the best in the atmospheric natural location recording. The only extra is a 49-minute "making of" documentary, "Once More into the Termite House", originally shown as a companion to the series. Given a DVD all to itself, this programme offers a real insight into the challenges of making such a vast programme, while David Attenborough is as affable as ever. There are optional English and Greek subtitles on all three discs. --Gary S Dalkin
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
uncut - at last!,
By
This review is from: David Attenborough - Trials of Life [DVD] (DVD)
this is the uncut version of david attenboroughs masterpiece. 12 aprox. 45 min. episodes (not only 30 min. as in the previous edition available). picture quality is crystal sharp, sound is fully stereo. a pleasure to watch, highly recommended for any "fan" of david attenborough and his way of writing and presenting documentaries about nature.
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Check which version!,
By Bryan "beedee" (London, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: David Attenborough - Trials of Life [DVD] (DVD)
Buyers, check which version your seller is offering.The technical details above refer to the 4 disc 583min full version released in 2004, but many sellers will only have the 3 disc 358min cut version released in 2002.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My patience rewarded,
This review is from: David Attenborough - Trials of Life [DVD] (DVD)
At last the full, uncut version is available. What was the BBC thinking with the first release? Nevermind that though - this is one of David Attenborough's finest series. The wealth of information, the beautiful photography and the sheer reverance for the natural world which David Attenborough exudes makes this and his other BBC natural histories second to none. From the termite 'mansions' (my favourite) to the open ocean, we are given a perspective on the natural world which is awe-inspiring. David Attenborough gets attacked by birds, braves caves and clifftops and much more besides to bring us this unique portrait of our world. Unforgettable.
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