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The Trials Of Life [DVD] [1990]
 
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The Trials Of Life [DVD] [1990]

DVD ~ David Attenborough
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: David Attenborough
  • Directors: Michael Gunton
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 3
  • Classification: Exempt
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 16 Sep 2002
  • Run Time: 500 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00006G9VQ
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 89,828 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

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



Special Features

English
Region 2
The Making Of
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Only half the trials, 20 Oct 2003
The Trials Of Life, the third and final part of David Attenborough's Life Trilogy, was a masterpiece of broadcasting that deserved 10 stars (out of 5).

Unfortunately, what you're getting here is a cut-down version. The 12 original episodes each ran for 50 minutes, here they run for 30. This means that over 4 hours has been omitted. The start and end credits have also been removed.

What's particularly galling is the packaging clearly states "The complete series". How is leaving a quarter of the material out "complete"? Trade descriptions act, anyone?

On a technical level, there's nothing wrong with this disc at all. Sure, it's 4:3 ratio, but it was made in 1990 - 8 years before widescreen broadcasts were even available. It was also one of the first programmes to be made with stereo sound, which had just become available.

Overall though this was a huge disappointment, and gross mis-advertising on the BBC's part. One can only hope that the BBC re-release this as a genuine "complete series" and offer a free replacement to anyone who's bought this.

However, this is the only part of the Life Trilogy that has been butchered in this way. The recent releases of "Life On Earth" and "The Living Planet" are, indeed, complete.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars something's missing, 28 Feb 2004
After watching Life on Earth, the Living Planet and the Private life of plants this DvD is truely awful. We have been gripped by all the other Attenborough offerings and are 3/4 of the way through Life of Birds (which is superb) with Life of mammals waiting in the wings.

I saw the reviews here and thought I could live with the cutting of this series but I can't. Each episode feels hurried and there is no pleasure for me in watching them. Sure the series itself is probably worth 5 stars but not in this horrid butchered state. Buy all the full 'Life of' DvDs 1st and get this last (if you really have to).

I would dearly love the full series to be released but I don't think I'll ever look at the edited version again. Avoid.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The only chance for me ..., 9 Jun 2004
By K. Alway (Österreich) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
without leaving Austria to watch this suburb DVD-Set is here.

And maybe these series shorten - over here there is so seldom british series in TV I'm happy about every minute I can get!

Imagine Fawlty Towers only played twice ever, Yes Minister and The Thin Blue Line only once and Blackadder never !!

And such pictures as presented on these DVDs are just perfect and many thanks to D.A. for explaining ...

Buy it, it's worth!

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5.0 out of 5 stars awesome
this series confirms that david attenborough is untouchable when it comes to capturing the beauty, comedy and often violence that goes on,from the biggest down to the smallest of... Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2003 by Martin P Fothergill

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