Product Description

The inspiration for Darwin's theory of evolution, the Galapagos Islands are a living laboratory, a geological conveyor belt that has given birth to and seen the death of many species of plants and animals. As the western islands rise up from the sea offering a chance of life, the eastern islands sink back beneath the waves guaranteeing only death. Between the two are the middle islands; fertile, lush land in its prime that contains an incredible diversity of life. Nowhere else on the Earth are the twin processes of creation and extinction of species so starkly apparent... see it all unfold before your eyes in this stunning series filmed entirely in high definition from the BBC and the National Geographic Channel.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16957 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-02
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 150 minutes

Amazon.com
While its title may be superfluous, Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World is a beautifully filmed journey into "the islands of the tortoise." Located due west of Ecuador, the Galapagos islands are full of gorgeous scenery and exotic wildlife. And this 150-minute documentary shows it all, thanks to stunning cinematography shot from all viewpoints--the air, sea and, of course, land. The collection is both soothing and exhilarating as it allows viewers to peek in on mating albatrosses (which are monogamous), penguins fishing, and surprisingly graceful giant tortoises swimming in the ocean. The filmmakers also manage to capture a ferocious volcanic eruption that is amazing in its clarity. The problem with many documentaries lies in the narration. A documentary filmmaker hits the jackpot when he is able to get someone like Sigourney Weaver, whose crisp narration fits in beautifully with the sweeping footage in Planet Earth. While Tilda Swanton lends a relaxing quality to Galapagos, her voice at times is a bit too lulling to hold the viewer's interest. The writing also borders on melodramatic, with talk of the simmering sea and such. With visuals as stunning as this, hyperbole is unnecessary. Charles Darwin has described the Galapagos as a world within itself, and it is said that the islands were one of his inspirations for his book The Origin of Species. While the film doesn't clearly explain why the Galapagos are unlike any other place on earth, it does showcase a destination that is unlike what most of us know. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

Great footage, great HD content, a bit repetative though.
Having bought, and viewed planet earth 3 times, I found this HD DVD to be of equal, excellent, quality. The BBC represent the pinnacle of educational viewing on the planet in terms of content and execution; usually. This one is a 4 star and here's why:

I felt that the Galapagos series was 2 episodes stretched into 3, spoiled I feel, by some of this content having been very similar to footage found on planet earth.

My advice would be watch this one first, then planet earth. This is why I only give it 4 stars.

If you can buy it on HD DVD. I own both players and my 3rd gen Blu Ray exhibits all manner of artifacts when there is action/motion that the HD A20 does not. It's a shame sony seem to be winning the hi def war, their product is not mature, even now..

Breathtaking
Transformers might be a flashier title to show off your Hi Def setup to your drooling neighbors, but Galapagos will blow them away. Short of buying the "Planet Earth" box set, I have yet to see images on any other HD disc that are as pristine as these. The "Beeb" knows how to do it right. Of course, your taste will dictate as to how much you enjoy documentaries such as these, but you couldn't get a better look at nature without being there live.

One of the best nature documentary in High Definition
After viewing BBC's Planet Earth, I did not think that any other title would ever match that title. I was wrong. This Galapagos HD DVD is at least equal to Planet Earth. In some respect, its narrow focus makes it even better.

Lets start with the technical details. This 30GB HD DVD was shot in 1080p and encoded in VC-1. The 1.78 aspect ratio makes it perfect for use with the 16:9 HDTV screens. The audio is rendered in Dolby Digital Plus 2.0 Stereo. It does not have any supplements but none is needed.

There is nothing exceptional about the audio but it gets the job done. The video quality however is second to none. The video quality is on par with Planet Earth. There is probably none better out there as of this writing.

The impact of Charles Darwin short visit to the Galapagos continues to reverberate till today. This video allows us to visit and experience Galapagos far better and far deeper than Charles Darwin ever did during his stay.

We view the Galapagos from the sky with satellite like shots, breath taking rushes from helicopters, panoramic views from mountain tops, incredible underwater shots. We are able to see Galapagos in ways that even a visit to Galapagos itself will not provide unless one is willing to spent as much resources and time as the producers of this feature.

Narrated by Tilda Swinton, the features provides tremendous educational and entertainment value. The feature is visually very engaging and with little effort, imparts a great deal of scientific information in an entertaining manner for all people from all ages. I highly recommend Galapagos.