The Living Planet

The sheer scale of The Living Planet is quite breathtaking. Over 12 episodes David Attenborough explores all forms of life on Earth across many different terrains, from the highest peaks to the frozen poles and the bottom of the oceans.

The series is beautifully shot and contains many scenes to marvel at. It's also a stunning snapshot of how life on our planet was 40 years ago. The final episode, which focuses on the impact humans have made on the natural environment, can be a difficult watch, particularly as we've ignored so many of the warning signs that were apparent back in 1984.

Overall, it's a highly watchable series and stands up to any nature documentary made today. Only the episode on the oceans really pales when compared to modern documentaries, which is understandable given the advances in underwater filming techniques.

IMDb won't let me update this title, so it is complete. I also cannot figure out how to add information about the titles of the twelve episodes, so, I will put it here, in this thread:

The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 1, The Building of the Earth The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 2,The Frozen World The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 3, The Northern Forests The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 4, Jungle The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 5, Seas of Grass The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 6, The Baking Deserts The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 7, The Community of the Skies The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 8, Sweet Fresh Water The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 9, The Margins of the Land The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 10, Worlds Apart The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 11, Open Ocean The Living planet: A Portrait of the Earth. Episode 12, New Worlds

My library system has multiple copies of the series on both VHS cassette, where each episode is its own cassette; and on DVD, which consists of a total of four DVDs. It is a great series. David Attenborough is always good for the most pleasant and intense cranial massage, getting the brain going and thinking.

David Attenborough is nothing short of a national treasure. He may apparently dislike the term, but it is hard to not say that about such a great presenter who has contributed significantly to some of the best programmes (of the documentary genre and overall) the BBC has ever aired/produced.

It is really hard picking favourites, let alone a definite favourite, among what Attenborough has done because he has done so many gems, it is the equivalent of trying to choose your favourite ice cream flavour or your favourite operatic role (for examples) and finding you can't pick. To me though, 'The Living Planet' is not just one of Attenborough's best and most ground-breaking it's also one of the best documentaries of its kind ever viewed by me. It has everything that makes so much of his work so wonderful, hence some of the reiteration of my recent reviews for some of his work (being on a nature documentary binge in my spare time), and deserves everything great that has been said about it.

First and foremost, 'The Living Planet' looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the invertebrates), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic with some of the shots being unique for a documentary series, making one forget that it is a series. The editing is always succinct and smooth and the scenery of all the continents is pure magic.

The music score fits very well, never overly grandiose while never being inappropriate.

Again, like so many Attenborough nature/wildlife documentaries, 'The Living Planet' fascinates, teaches, moves, entertains and transfixes. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown, some facts being familiar to us while also dealing with very complex and very much relevant issues with tact.

Narration by Attenborough helps significantly. He clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more. The "behind the scenes/making of" scenes too gave some humanity to the series and allowed us to get to know those behind the camera as well as in front.

'The Living Planet' is not just notable for looking amazing and being informative. It also displays a wide range of emotions and found myself really caring for everything that was shown to us on screen. The conflict has genuine tension and suspense, there is some fun and a lot of emotionally powerful moments done with a lot of tear-jerking pathos. Found myself really caring for what we're told.

Like much of Attenborough/BBC's other work, each episode doesn't feel like an episodic stringing of scenes, but instead like the best nature documentaries each feels like their own story and journey, with real, complex emotions and conflicts.

Overall, awe inspiring and a requirement for Attenborough fans. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is without doubt one of the finest documentaries ever filmed. Through its 12 episodes, a person couldn't possibly think of natural history in the same way again. Sir David Attenborough explains complex issues such as geology and biology so that everyone can easily understand. In fact, this series is easily on the same plane as "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. The cinematography is beyond belief. Highly, highly recommended.