Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #255784 in DVD
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Running time: 40 minutes

Amazon.com
The Greatest Places begins by noting that Earth is "the most diverse planet in the solar system," and impressive computer-generated graphics depict the very early history of the planet, showing vividly how geological events formed the continents. Particular sites around the world (the "greatest places" of the title) are then visited, and some dazzling cinematography displays the exotic locations spectacularly. A trip into the jungles of Madagascar demonstrates how the island, isolated as it was for 40 million years, developed unique wildlife, including many species of lemurs. High atop the Tibetan plateau, nomads are seen herding yaks and Buddhist pilgrims are filmed against the stunning peaks of the Himalayas. A "holy lake" in Tibet dissolves into a shot of the mighty Amazon River, and the ecosystem of the South American jungle is explored. And the world's largest island, Greenland, is scanned by cameras that linger on the sheer enormity of glaciers as well as on the native peoples who manage to live at extreme low temperatures. Near the end of the film the narrator notes that "life is a reflection of the landscape." And the breathtaking film shot in these remote but magnificent locales does demonstrate beautifully the awesome diversity of both landscape and life on Earth. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

A Short Tour Of Planet Earth
An Imax film with no real plot or story, its a short tour of some of "The Greatest Places" on Planet Earth. (I would have given the film an extra star if there had been some sort of "connection" for the audience). There are some truely stunning wildlife and location images in the films 40 minutes and because of that it really needs to be seen either at an Imax cinema or on a large sceen TV, but even on my TV at home it looked incredible. The film visits the Amazon, Namib, Greenland, Okavango, Greenland, Tibet, Iguazu and Madagascar spending differnt amounts of time at each. Some of the places visited deserved a bit more time spent on them while others could have been a bit shorter. An interesting feature of this DVD that I'd like to see more of is the seperate Music and Ambiance track. You can turn off the narration, (which is a bit corny at times), and just listen to the music and natural sounds. The only problem with this feature is that the music decreases in volume where the narration would be then comes up again when the narration stops. (Also features a description track for the blind). Dispite this the music and natural sounds are excellent. Well worth repeated viewing for the armchair tourist.

A way for people to travel without spending alot of money
I don't get to travel, so this is my way of experiencing other lands and cultures. I have a friend who has a large screen projector home theater system. This DVD was excellent for this type of viewing and listening experience. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the DVD movie. It was like taking a space ship to another world and having a narrator explain it to you. Colors were clear and vivid, background music was soothing, I found it to be relaxing, and a way to escape the stresses of life.

A big disappointment. Best watched in silence.
"The Greatest Places" has a syrupy and cloying narrative. I often used MUTE in order to endure it.

I give it 1 star. If Avery Brooks could only have had laryngitis that day ... this movie could have earned a 3 instead (without *any* narration). The low grade for the movie really isn't Brooks' fault, although he does a superb job of melodically drawing out each sappy line with his highly skilled voice. At the end, watching the credits, I cursed the writer.

Moving on to the cinematography: Some of the images were, as you should expect, quite breathtaking! I was especially engaged by Madagascar and Namib. But the power of this imagery was consistently undermined with choppy editing and many dozens of abrupt cuts (every 15 to 20 seconds) from panoramic landscapes to adorably cute animals and other close-ups.

Arrggghh ... how frustrating! Each time that amazing scenery sweeps over you with its awesomeness and spectacle, it's crudely jerked away and replaced with something to make a first grader go "awww that's cute".

What's the movie about, anyway? Is it supposed to be Places (geography, landscapes) or biology (cute animals and closeups of flora & fauna)? I'm not sure the creators of Greatest Places had a clear idea about their concept.

The frequent changes in scale -- from viewing aerials of miles of landscape and switching to face-shots of baby animals -- are enough to give you vertigo, or at least a headache.

The movie began with a valid concept. But together with a horrible writer, Brooks' outstanding saccharine execution of a juvenile narrative, and "gotta get a little of every shot in here" editing, the entire movie was lost. I wouldn't watch it again (but I would order some 16 x 20 color prints from the movie's imagery.)

For more on "Greatest Places" check it out at Internet Movie Database ... which currently rates it at 4.2/10 with 9 votes).