The Life of Mammals, Vol. 1-4
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DVD details
Actor: Life of MammalsBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 500 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Reviews of The Life of Mammals, Vol. 1-4
DVD Review: In the same Class as humans
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the 7th entry in the David Attenborough Life series following The Life of Birds. The groundbreaking first series Life on Earth was based on evolution and started with bacteria making its way up to modern humans over the course of 13 episodes. The Living Planet was 12 episodes long and dealt mainly with adaptation over a wide range of environments that also incorporated more Earth science along with the life science in terms of geology and environments. The Trials of Life was 12 episodes long and all about animal behaviour. Life in the freezer was 6 episodes long and specialized on the Antarctic. The Private life of Plants was another 6 episode series and focused entirely on botany. The Life of Birds was 10 episodes long and is one of the best documentaries about birds ever made.
With Life in the Freezer and The Private Life of Plants Attenborough made a new move to specialize instead of following the 12-13 episode discipline that started with Clark's Civilisations and Bronowski's The Ascent of Man and birthed other great series like Sagan's Cosmos. Attenborough, after deciding to detach from the shorter episode format of Freezer and Plants (an such as was in previous non-life series such as The Tribal Eye, The First Eden and Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives) and after going for a higher number of 10 episodes instead of 6 for a specialized theme on birds, goes for mammals for what will be the last of his longer running shows in the Life series as he would afterwards cut back considerably for the remaining ones.
Apart from the extremes of Life in the Freezer, Mammals maybe his most dangerous production. Skunks spray. Grizzly bears are hungry. Big cats are filmed in close-up hunting, not to mention that Attenborough does all this at 76 years of age. The series requires that they fly to and visit multiple places around the world. Because mammals are warm-blooded the producers make full use of the latest night vision and heat sensitive technology. Attenborough looks at why mammals have evolved and why the mammalian design works. He covers insect hunting mammals and plant predators, herbivores, before turning to rodents and how they chisel their food. Then we get carnivores meat eating and the opportunistic feeders that take advantage to also eat plants, the omnivores. Mammals have also evolved to return back to the water so a large part of the series is marine based. Then we turn to the trees for the final few episodes concentrating on primates and their social structures before finally veering to man with special emphases on the extinction of other civilisations and why we must conserve the diversity of life.
Overall this is some of the best of Attenborough's incredible life series. Some of the most memorable scenes are whale mating and the indigenous bushmen of the Kalahari Desert going on a long endurance hunt, not to mention the sheer scope of the social behaviour of primates that is investigated. This is an utterly fantastic and unbeatable view of mammals. Attenborough does it yet again.
DVD Review: As good as Planet Earth and Blue Planet
Summary: 5 Stars
As somebody who loved Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, I would definitely place this 10 part series close to the level of quality that those two achieved. Of course, this isn't going to be in HD, but it still looked pretty impressive on my 60 inch DLP TV. Unless you sit two feet from the screen, you are not going to notice any problems with picture quality.
What sets this series apart from Blue Planet and Planet Earth is creator David Attenborough's direct involvement with the source material. Almost every episode opens and closes with Sir David standing face to face with an animal to featured in the episode. You get a true appreciation of Grizzly Bear salmon hunts when the host is literally standing 10 feet away and narrating as it is occurring. Some casual fans of Planet Earth may not like this, as it grounds the documentary and prevents it from reaching the near art-based quality of some of the BBC's more recent productions. Personally, I love seeing how excited Sir David gets when he finally sees a Blue Whale, or as he explains how monkeys react to leopard decoys he places in the African rain forest. Although I would highly recommend all of his "Life of" DVDs, the massive variety of animals featured in this set will likely be appreciated by all.
DVD Review: The Life of Mammals
Summary: 5 Stars
David Attenborough presents a fascinating look at life on earth. The photography is stunningly beautiful and gives an intimate look at many animals most of us have never before seen. I first viewed it as a rental but soon felt I absolutely had to own this beautiful set of DVDs. Definitely worth every penny!! DVD Review: Fantastic!
Summary: 5 Stars
Great footage of various mammals in water, air, on land and in the soil. David Attenborough at his best! Wonderful themes and subjects. I use it in my college-level mammalogy course.DVD Review: Exellent film for students
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this film for my grandson, who is studying zoology at Michigan State University. We watched it together and found it to be an excellent reference for his studies. Throughly enjoyed by both of us and well worth the investment.
Description of The Life of Mammals, Vol. 1-4
In ten parts, the award-winning David Attenborough (2002 Emmy winner for The Blue Planet: Seas of Life; The Life of Birds) introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on Earth, from the smallest - the two-inch pygmy shrew, to the largest - the blue whale; from the slowest - the sloth, to the swiftest - the cheetah; from the least attractive - the naked mole rat, to the most irresistible - a human baby. The Life of Mammals is the story of 4,000 species that have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth. With bodies kept warm by thick coats of fur and their developing young protected and nourished within their bodies, they have managed to colonize every part of the globe, dry or wet, hot or cold. Their adaptations for finding food have also had a profound effect on the way they move, socialize, mate and breed.General DVDs
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