| Galapagos [Blu-ray] | ![Galapagos [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5170OxqhJwL._SL500_.jpg)
| Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.99
Buy New: $18.95
You Save: $10.04 (35%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $18.95
Avg. Customer Rating:   (29 reviews)
Sales Rank: 541
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: Blu-ray
Running Time: 150 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 4137
UPC: 794051413727
EAN: 0794051413727
ASIN: B000T28PWY
Release Date: October 2, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
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
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Not full HD June 27, 2008
Not full HD only 1080i - but looks great nevertheless. In fact I'd say it looks crisper than some of my full HD titles. I don't think Tilda Swinton has the right sort of voice for it, but it's only a minor gripe. Where was David Attenborough that day?
 ok Blu-ray DVD May 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This Blu-ray DVD is good quality. But it is not worth so much more than DVD. It is just like watching the Discovery Channel. No surprises.
nothing short of perfect! this is Bluray at its finest! May 23, 2008
Friends, i rarely write movie and disc reviews on amazon. After witnessing this splendor, i was pulled, compelled, overwhelmed to write anything on this title! it deserves 20 Stars! BBC HD has done it again.
As others have pointed out, if you watched Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray], GALAPAGOS take you to the next level! The narration, visual photography, the sound and the context of the entire idea is just mesmerizing.
To show how much i was into this, i had just come back from a 16 hour shift (this week has been like this all 5 days) i came back and found this amongst other amazon goodies. I was looking forward to it but was not expecting what i saw. I played it in and there i was moved for the next 2 hours until my body and brain could not take it anymore. i had to sleep due to exhaustion! but rest assured i continued when i got back the next day. I had no idea how much beauty and life still exists on this planet despite us plundering the earth's resources.
This title only can be appreciated fully on Bluray! i don't want to make this a DVD Format discussion but anyone watching this on a 92'' diagonal HD Projection screen can appreciate what this disc has to offer.
I have other productions of nature like films also on Bluray but nothing compares to this title. If you love your theater setup and want to push the visual boundaries of any setup, get this disc! (possibly even Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray] as well!) i also got Alaska: Spirit of the Wild (IMAX) [Blu-ray] but will review it after a while.
happy watching everyone!
Brilliantly conveys the magic of nature. April 16, 2008
This film has some of the most beautiful and remarkable footage I've ever seen. Understandably, there are many comparisons to Planet Earth, since both productions do such a fantastic job of capturing the magic and wonder of the natural environment. Galapagos adds something particularly special, though, since it is able to concentrate on one specific region. In doing so, the film gives the audience a better sense of a fragile, interdependent, and remarkably beautiful ecosystem. There is plenty of content, although, after having watched all of it, I wished there had been more. I guess it's time to go visit the islands.
Very good HD documentary April 14, 2008
I showed this documentary to my mom who went to Galapagos before she got married... she really liked the HD images, she was very impressed with the underwater shots of the sea lions while playing below the waves. This BBC documentary is very good, I fully recommend it for any biologist or teacher who wants to share a little piece of the whole picture of nature, even this HD documentary is amazing, living those experiences in real life can not be compared; so this blu-ray title is for the rest of us, this how closer we could get before buying tickets, equipment etc... to visit Galapagos.
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