I want to visit the mountains now! by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
7/07/2005
Shortly after returning from the Sahara, Michael Palin set out on a 2000-mile journey across the Himalayan mountain range. His route runs the length of the mountain range, starting in Pakistan, then journeying to India, Nepal, Tibet, Assam, Bhutan and finally into Bangladesh, where the mountains meet the water. Along the way he takes part in cultural traditions, and meets some interesting people.
I know Michael Palin as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe, and I had no idea he hosted a series of travel shows. His first show, "Around the World in 80 Days," aired in 1989, and he's followed it up with others; "Pole to Pole" (1992), "Full Circle with Michael Palin" (1997) and "Sahara" in 2002. He's extremely good at his job; he's to travel shows as David Attenborough is to wildlife shows.
The 3 disc set contains all 6 episodes and comes in a large Nexpak case. It also has a horrible photo of Palin; it looks as though it was taken from a video source and enlarged. Don't judge the set by the cover!
Disc 1 (1:58:15)
Program 1 (59:07)
Program 2 (59:08)
Disc 2 (1:58:17)
Program 3 (59:10)
Program 4 (59:07)
Disc 3 (1:58:20)
Program 5 (59:10)
Program 6 (59:10)
Video
BBC programs seem to be produced with very high standards. The whole series is shot on film, and the DVDs include an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) transfer. There's a bit of grain in certain scenes, but the shots are so breathtaking that it's hardly noticeable. The colors are also vibrant, and they show off the local clothing very well. There's a "play all" on each disc, but you can't skip over the opening of the episode.
Audio
The audio on this set sounds very good, especially considering the conditions it was recorded under. Everything was easy to hear, and the music sounded great. It's just a stereo track, but it's a good one.
Pre-Trip Interview (3:33)
Palin talks about the trip they have planned, and his excitement over the route.
Extended Scenes (2:05:14)
Extra scenes we didn't see in the original episode.
Program 1 - 10 scenes - 21:02
Program 2 - 10 scenes - 42:02
Program 3 - 9 scenes - 28:42
Program 4 - 3 scenes - 9:00
Program 5 - 5 scenes - 7:25
Program 6 - 5 scenes - 17:03
Exclusive Post-Trip Interview (29:53)
Palin talks about his adventure, and shares some of the memorable moments.
Trailers (4:32)
Trailers for Pyramid (0:47), The Blue Planet (0:44), Life of Mammals (2:30) and Walking With Cavemen (0:31).
Summary
This was a lot of fun to watch. The 6 episodes seemed to fly by; I started it this morning and had a few episodes done by lunch, worked on the site a bit and then finished it up in the afternoon and while I ate dinner. The deleted scenes, over two hours worth, are a treat as well, and they lend value to the set. I was going to prepare a list of cool things in the episodes, but halfway into the first episode I realized I was writing down almost everything he saw and did, so I decided to scrap the list.
If you like watching travel shows, or visiting other countries, then you should watch this show.
