Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Planet Earth: Tooth and Claw
Next in the Blockbuster queue has been the BBC documentary series Planet Earth. Four DVDs I think. We've just seen the first and it is really something. The spectacular photography and skillful editing make the series one of the most beautiful nature series we've seen. That is saying a lot, because the general level of documentaries has risen in quality year by year. They have just learned how to do it.
One thing of note in this and many other nature series is the angle the producers take. Essentially they have defined the series as,
- go to a remote and beautiful locale
- show predator killing prey, or
- show young animal not making it in the wild — falling down that cliff… falling, falling…
What's up with that? We know: it is nature — might as well accept it.
Well, it is one aspect of nature surely, but you don't usually watch these series to watch predators rip into prey. It isn't as bad as some in this regard, but it still seems indicative of a certain mindset. It isn't clear if this is just a cynical attitude about the low attention threshold of the audience; or cynicism about what people are interested in; or immaturity on the part of the crew (my guess). They could instead have taken a cue from EO Wilson and given you a look at the flora and fauna in these might-as-well-be-on-another-planet locales.
In the “Diaries” afterward, one of the producers is devastated that the wild dogs didn't get the impala. I was rooting for the impala.