| Life On Earth [1979] | ![Life On Earth [1979]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41V46MY90ML._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Actor: David Attenborough
Studio: 2 Entertain Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £34.99
Buy New: £11.76
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 2447
Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Exempt
Running Time: 715 minutes
Number Of Items: 4
Discs: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.7 x 1.2
EAN: 5014503123321
ASIN: B0000AISIQ
Theatrical Release Date: January 16, 1979
Release Date: September 1, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Despatched same day if payment is received before 3pm. Fast delivery from the UK. International delivery is available. A trusted long established Amazon seller.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Life on Earth (1979) is an epic 13-programme series, presented by David Attenborough, offering a chronological account of the flora and fauna of planet Earth over a period of 3,500 million years. Whether recounting the first journey from the sea to the land, the development of insects and flowers, or "The First Forests" and "The Lords of the Air", Attenborough's enthusiasm is infectious. He guides us through "The Infinite Variety" of life from microbes to marsupials, via an unforgettable meeting with mountain gorillas, to conclude with "The Compulsive Communicators", mankind itself. Three years in the making, involving 1.5 million miles of travel and featuring some of the most beautiful, breathtaking and ambitious photography then seen on television, Life on Earth was the first natural history blockbuster. It redefined TV by showing that an epic, serious wildlife documentary could be a massive success. As such, it remains a true television landmark and paved the way for Attenborough's The Living Planet and further entries in what became known as his "Life" series. On the DVD: Life on Earth is presented complete in this DVD box set, with a total running time of 715 minutes (13 x 55 minutes). --Gary S Dalkin
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
Simply brilliant September 18, 2008
My father videoed this series for me when it was 1st aired in 1978/79 (yes, videos were out then!), and I watched it time after time as a boy.
Even now, as soon as I hear that classical score by Edward Williams, and Davids narration, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Brings back great memories and is still compelling viewing. I now watch the DVD version with my own 5 year old Son.
A classic.
 Fantastic look at evolution February 4, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Only 4 stars because of three reasons:
I think that Attenborough's style has improved over time, in particular his voice has developed additional richness over time.
While the photography was undoubtedly cutting edge at the time it now leaves a little to be desired.
I think that the music used on this series is not quite as good as some of the later series.
Please don't be put off however by these minor quibbles, it is a stunning series and well worth it. It is especially good at showing the development of species over time and makes excellent use of fossils.
Iconic, Breathtaking, Brilliant... February 4, 2008
...add your own superlative here. This is television at its best- informative, amazing and full of sights and sounds to astound. David Attenboroughs presentation is note-perfect, and despite its age this program still ranks as one of the greatest programs ever made.
One of the first and the best by David Attenborough February 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw this series when I was 10 years old, and it was absolutely incredible. It is one of those programs that sticks with you, and even now (yes, it is a bit grainy on my plasma TV, and David Attenborough looks so young! :) I can sit and watch it with the sense of wonderment I felt all those years ago... Back then, it also prompted me to do several school science projects on scorpions, spiders, snakes, lizards and almost every other creepy crawly! I can't recommend this enough for all ages. Yes, Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Life in the Undergrowth etc. are mandatory viewing as well but this is one of the original and one of the best! Long live David Attenborough!
Education as entertaining as it is fascinating January 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Life On Earth is almost as old as me now and I need to say that its wearing a little better. Produced to be among the most comprehensive documentaries of its kind and presented by the incomparable David Attenborough it is a masterwork bringing science to the masses and making it interesting and entertaining.
When it starts up with the pompous music and the late 1970s graphics it all looks as if its going to be a bit rubbish. Then Attenborough appears and you're stuck by his relative youthfulness and confidence is further drained. By the end of the first episode, however, any fears are dispelled as the series starts to tell its fascinating tale of how life on our little blue orb came to be as varied and as fantastic. The series does this by taking small steps while drawing in broad strokes. Attenborough works up as the series progresses from single celled organisms and molluscs in the early episodes to mammals and even humans in the last. While pretty much every form of life you can imagine is discussed throughout the series it is all done in very general terms while cleverly focussing on the most important details. Its actually remarkable that a single episode details reptiles but manages to educate on the most important varieties and provide some great and vivid images.
There is some stunning photography (and some very poor graphics that do age the series) of everything from hunting lions to foraging platypuses and the attention to detail is magnificent. The whole thing is bound together by the near whisper of David Attenborough who always sounds trapped somewhere between awe and amusement but never, ever, stops sounding authoritative. There is quite literally no-one on television in the field of natural history who can capture the imagination of the population so intensely, largely because he knows how to project his seemingly boundless enthusiasm for his subject onto the viewer. He sounds as excited about the aforementioned hunting lions as he does about a frog leaping from tree to tree and that carries the viewer into the jungle or onto the savannah, watching as if they were there with him.
As tiny caveats, as stated above, some of the graphics look very dated indeed. It wouldn't have hurt for the Beeb to have replaced some of the animated sequences showing extinct animals etc with new state of the art graphics for the DVD release. I also would not recommend it for any fans of Creationism or Intelligent Design as Attenborough is clearly a firm believer in the scientific principles of Darwinism and natural selection. Overall though this is a fantastic and through nature documentary and a prime example of why we have a licence fee and reminds us that Attenborough is a national treasure.
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