Product Details
Format : NTSC
Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0794051251428
Product Group : DVD
Release Date : 2006-05-02
Studio : BBC Warner
UPC : 794051251428
ASIN : B000EBD9W6
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Editorial Reviews
From Amazon.com
By getting up close and personal with Life in the Undergrowth, this extraordinary BBC series sets a new standard of excellence in wildlife cinematography. Hosted by veteran nature expert David Attenborough and utilizing the latest advances in macrophotography, the five-part series is dedicated to bugs of all shapes and sizes, from microscopic gnats to cave-dwelling millipedes so large they can capture bats in mid-flight and feast for hours thereafter! The patience involved in filming such previously unseen marvels must have been grueling (as confirmed by producer Mike Salisbury in a splendid bonus interview), but the results are nothing less than astonishing, with a parade of sequences so impressive that even insect-haters will pause in amazement. With an emphasis on reproduction and mating behaviors, each program focuses on a different, generalized group of creatures, many of them never filmed before, so that lay-persons and entomologists will be equally enlightened by discoveries made in the process of filming.
As always, Attenborough serves as an expert witness, cordial, fearless, and quintessentially British as he explains what we're seeing, from the nocturnal fluorescence of scorpions (glowing at night in ultraviolet light, they perform a mating dance playfully described as "a nuptial pas de deux") to the mysterious, 17-year life cycle of the cicada. Throughout, we see everything, both frightening and beautiful, from an intimate, bug's-eye view, in detail so vividly colorful that you'll never view the insect world in quite the same way again. (Likewise for the diverse variety of critters on view in episode 3: "The Silk Spinners," which according to Salisbury is capable of curing arachnophobes from their irrational fear of spiders.) Just when you think Life in the Undergrowth couldn't get any more fascinating, it does: episode 4, "Intimate Relations," shows how many insects symbiotically depend on other species for food, shelter, or completion of their reproductive cycles, and episode 5, "Supersocieties," focuses on the social complexities of insect colonists like ants and termites. Enough to give you the creeps for days, you say? Think again, for after seeing Life in the Undergrowth (a perfect companion piece to the Nova episode "The Unknown World"), you may find yourself in the garden, on your knees, eager for a better look at the countless millions of tiny creatures that surround us every day. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Camera Angles - Wow! (2008-01-28)  It is absolutely amazing how they have cameras tucked into niches and burrows. They also use time lapse filming alot. You can see an entire beehive be built in 30 seconds. My son loved this DVD. From gross and nasty, to beautiful and amazing. Good film for those who love creepy crawlies!
In praise of David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit (2007-03-01)  What could I say that Michael Plato has not said already? Thank you Michael, keep spreading the word.The BBC Natural History Unit consistently turns out viewing that is extraordinary, informative and captivating - in a class of its own among natural history documentaries. Because it is always just that, well-resourced and researched documentary that is thoroughly engaging, without the imposition of named characters in recognisably 'human' narratives. These films engender inquistive respect for, not syrupy trivilisation of, the natural world. What a model Attenborough is to us. I wish I owned them all - I'm working on it. I don't even wait to see the release on TV anymore, I just trust that I'm going to be thrilled and wowed.If you do not yet know the pleasure of viewing BBC Natural History series, any of them are fine introductions. I recently introduced my Canadian partner to "Life on Earth," who was shocked that she hadn't grown up with this quality televsion. And even though Attenborough's dress style and the filming technology is obviously dated, the story of the evolution of life is aging well. (Want a thorough and sound balance to Creationism for your kids? there it is...)
Blows away Microcosmos! (2006-05-07) We've all seen bugs on TV before... Queen bees, spiders spinning webs at high speed, ants building a colony. They're all here in this series, but that and oh so much more! Like the film Microcosmos, which gets up close and personal, as it were, with the bugs, this series gives you an almost over the shoulder into insect life. And with the film technology that much better from the time of Microcosmos, the images are even more astonishing and unbelievable. Remarkably, many of the discoveries presented in the series are quite recent. As the producer says in the extras, one particularly creepy scene (involving bats and an enormous centipede) was based on a research paper that hasn't even been published yet. Another plus to the series is host Attenborough, who explains things with both wit and enthusiasm. But none of that hyper-active enthusiasm you get from hosts of reality shows. Watching how he gets himself into an encounter with a dangerous or inconveniently placed insect is almost as interesting as the insects themselves. For some reason only a Brit can host a nature show and he's possibly the best. Can't wait for his next series. Own them all if you can.
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