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The Life of Mammals

The Life of Mammals on DVD

For anyone who loves all those Discovery Channel documentaries about animals, we now have the definitive version, care of the BBC who also brought us The Blue Planet: Seas of Life and The Life of Birds.

Once again hosted by David Attenborough, we’re once again taken right into the line of fire to get a close-up look at the life of mammals. Breathtaking footage combined with Attenborough’s enthusiastic narration makes for a very entertaining and educational experience.

This four-disc set features ten 50-minute episodes, each focusing on different classifications of mammals. The first is called “A Winning Design,” and shows us the versatility of the warm-blooded creatures, and how we came to be the most dominant animals on the planet. We learn about the two most bizarre mammals, the echidna and the platypus, and some of the most fascinating, such as the kangaroo.

Episode two is called “Insect Hunters,” and centers on anteaters and their various relatives. Episode three, “Plant Predators,” shows us a series of herbivores, ranging from the very small (shrews), to the very large (elephants).

Disc two features “Chisellers,” “Meat Eaters” and “Opportunists,” and is probably the most interesting single disc. Disc three features “Return to the Water” and “Life in the Trees,” and disc four features “Social Climbers” and “Food for Thought.”

These are the kinds of documentaries that really make you think about Darwin’s theory of evolution. His theory never makes as much sense as when you’re watching all these zany creatures that have adapted so well to their surroundings. Case in point is the sloth, an animal that does nothing but sleep and eat leaves all day, and therefore has become very slow, both physically and mentally. It has no real predators, so it doesn’t need to get away, but it has developed very long, curved claws, so it can grab onto branches to make the leaves more accessible.

The visuals are stunning, often getting closer to animals than a camera has ever been, and sometimes – just sometimes – we even get to see mammals that have never before been captured on film. These docs make you appreciate the circle of life, even if sometimes we feel sorry for the poor little baby animals that get eaten.

If you’ve ever watched and enjoyed those animal documentaries you happen to catch on TV while flipping through the channels, The Life of Mammals is guaranteed to entertain. And who knows, you just might learn something, too.

Each of the ten episodes is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital Surround. Much like The Blue Planet, it’s very nice to see these done anamorphically, because not only does it prove that the BBC is with the times, but it also gives us a widescreen look at the animals.

The quality of the picture is excellent, with no grain or dust or, well…anything wrong at all. It’s important (for me, at least) to see the detail of the animals’ fur, or the color or their eyes (but maybe I’m just that much more of a nerd). The Dolby Digital Surround may not be 5.1, but I’m not sure the two rear speakers would have made The Life of Mammals more enjoyable. We can already hear Attenborough’s narration and the noises of the animals well enough, and the rear channels probably wouldn’t have been used anyway. So this is more than adequate.

Special features include fact files and photo galleries on each disc, as well as selections from the original score and a music video on disc one, and a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes on discs three and four. The featurettes are very well made, and give you a look at how some of the footage was filmed. The fact files provide a bit more information on various creatures, and the photo galleries feature some very nice still shots.

All in all, these are some excellent documentaries with some excellent DVDs to go along with them.

The Life of Mammals, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
500 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) 16X9 enhanced, Dolby Digital Surround
Written and presented by David Attenborough
Series Producer: Mike Salisbury
Hosted by David Attenborough

 

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