Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

Planet Earth - The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

Narration by

Sigourney Weaver
Discovery Channel

U.S. Region 1
Factory Sealed
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Genre:

Drama

Plot Outline:

As of its release in early 2007, Planet Earth is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced. Following the similarly monumental achievement of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sigourney Weaver and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home. The premiere episode, "From Pole to Pole," serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming--a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact. With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea's various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia's nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild. That's just a hint of the marvels on display. Accompanied by majestic orchestral scores by George Fenton, every episode is packed with images so beautiful or so forcefully impressive (and so perfectly photographed by the BBC's tenacious high-definition camera crews) that you'll be rendered speechless by the splendor of it all. You'll see a seal struggling to out-maneuver a Great White Shark; swimming macaques in the Ganges delta; massive flocks of snow geese numbering in the hundreds of thousands; an awesome night-vision sequence of lions attacking an elephant; the Colugo (or "flying lemur"--not really a lemur!) of the Philippines; a hunting alliance of fish and snakes on Indonesia's magnificent coral reef; the bioluminescent "vampire squid" of the deep oceans... these are just a few of countless highlights, masterfully filmed from every conceivable angle, with frequent use of super-slow-motion and amazing motion-controlled time-lapse cinematography, and narrated by Attenborough with his trademark combination of observational wit and informative authority. The result is a hugely entertaining series that doesn't flinch from the predatory realities of nature (death is a constant presence, without being off-putting), and each episode ends with 10-minute "Planet Earth Diaries" (exclusive to this DVD set) that cover a specific aspect of production, like "Diving with Pirahnas" or "Into the Abyss" (the latter showing the rigors of filming the planet's most spectacular caves, including the last filming ever officially permitted in the "Chandelier Ballroom," a crystal-encrusted cavern found over a mile deep in New Mexico's treacherous Lechuguilla, the deepest cave in the continental United States.) With so many of Earth's natural wonders on display, it's only fitting that the final DVD in this five-disc set is devoted to Planet Earth: The Future, a separate three-part series in which a global array of experts is assembled to discuss issues of conservation, protection of delicate ecosystems, and the socio-economic benefits of understanding nature as a commodity that returns trillions of dollars in value at no cost to Earth's human population. At a time when the multiple threats of global warming should be obvious to all, let's give Sir David the last word, from the closing of Planet Earth's final episode: "We can now destroy or we can cherish--the choice is ours."

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen Blu-ray

Details:

A five-year event in the making itself, PLANET EARTH elevates natural history filmmaking to extraordinary levels. In this 11-part amazing series narrated by award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver, witness never-before-seen animal behaviors against a backdrop of breathtaking locations captured on camera for the first time ever, using unprecedented high-definition production techniques.

Hailed by critics and viewers alike, explore the dramatic, captivating series that serves as a distinctive mark in the Discovery Channel mission to provide the highest quality programming in the world.

Blu-ray 4-Disc Set includes:

All 11 episodes
A behind-the-scenes look at the equipment, technology and danger that went into the making of this incredible series.

Part 1: Pole to Pole
Follow the sun as it touches the lives of creatures across the planet, bringing a fresh understanding of how the world is interconnected. From African herds migrating hundreds of miles in search of water to desperate animal hunts, “Pole to Pole” examines how the seasons produce the greatest spectacles on Earth.

Part 2: Mountains
Tour the planet's mightiest mountain ranges and meet the rare animals that inhabit them. From a never-before-seen hunt by snow leopards on the treacherous slopes of the Himalayas to a family of pumas struggling to survive the unstable weather of the Andes, “Mountains” reveals life on the planet's highest peaks.

Part 3: Deep Ocean
Explore the depths of the planet's oceans and discover some of this mysterious world's most spectacular species. From light shows performed by squids to the blue whale, the largest animal to ever exist, “Deep Ocean” investigates the waters that cover two-thirds of the Earth's surface, yet remain largely unknown.

Part 4: Deserts
Voyage to the world's harshest environments and learn how life manages to keep a precarious hold in every desert. From the llama-like guanacos of Chile's Atacama Desert that survive by licking dew from cactus spines to lions that scour arid Namibia for antelopes, “Deserts” unravels the secrets behind survival in unimaginable conditions.

Part 5: Ice Worlds
Venture to the poles of our planet and find the harshest wild lands, where seasonal change is extreme. From emperor penguins defying the coldest conditions on Earth to the polar bear emerging from hibernation with her new cubs, “Ice Worlds” explores an ecosystem in which few could survive.

Part 6: Shallow Seas
Dive into the planet's shallow waters where sunlight reaches the seabed and find an explosion of life. From the rarely seen cooperation between snakes and fish hunting for food to the journey of a humpback whale and her newborn calf traveling thousands of miles in search of food, “Shallow Seas” explores the rarely seen sights of the world's mighty oceans.

Part 7: Great Plains
Trek to the Earth's largest land habitats, where vast open spaces play host to the biggest groups of animals in the world. From the 2,000 mile migration undertaken by three million caribou in the Arctic tundra to a pride of 30 starving lions hunting elephants, Great Plains reveals the most impressive migrations and boldest hunts on the planet.

Part 8: Jungles
Delve deep into this ecosystem, beyond the flourishing plant life, and find an environment that tests each animal's survival skills. From the elaborate mating rituals of New Guinea's birds of paradise to the territorial battles of chimpanzees, “Jungles” examines an environment that occupies only three percent of the planet and yet is home to more than half the world's species.

Part 9: Fresh Water
Follow rivers as they course from mountain to the sea, nourishing unique and dramatic wildlife. From the world's deepest lake inhabited by the only species of freshwater seal to a stunning look at the world's highest waterfall, “Fresh Water” offers a unique perspective on the secret lives teeming in our purest waters.

Part 10: Seasonal Forests
Investigate these temperate regions and find some of the most elusive creatures and well-adapted plant life on Earth. From the giant sequoia tree ten times the size of a blue whale to the trackless Siberian forests where just 40 Amur leopards remain, “Forests” brings to life a seemingly familiar world that remains largely unexplored.

Part 11: Caves
Descend into the only habitat not directly driven by sunlight to discover some of the most peculiar creatures on Earth. From Borneo's Deer Cave where five million bats roost to cave swiftlets that build nests from saliva, “Caves” digs deep into an underground world few people have ever explored.

Cast Summary:
	Sigourney Weaver