No comments about Chinese Culture: Chinese Paper-cuts / Chinese Kites.

No comments about Discoveries...America, Tennessee.

1 comments about Take A Tour Of Nashville Music City.

1. This is not a DVD but a DVD-R and poorly mastered with a non-functional special features menu.
   
   The producers and directors of this film managed to make a very interesting city, like Nashville, seem boring.
   
   Despite this poor DVD about Nashville, my wife and I are still keeping our plans to spend the weekend there on our 10 year anniversary.
   
   I wish the tour highlighted the inside of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, but it did not. Some scenes from inside the Grand Ole Opry as well as a focus on the General Jackson show boat dinner cruise would have been nice, as well.

5 comments about National Geographic: Surviving Everest.

1. This DVD was, frankly, a disappointment. Very little of it is about Mt. Everest or Sir Edmund Hillary's climb. A better description of the main feature would be "What Sir Edmund Hillary did AFTER he climbed Everest". It is about the culture of the people who lived around the base of the mountain, and how Sir Edmund has helped them by building schools and teaching them about conservation. VERY LITTLE of the main feature is about his climb of the mountain.

   There is an extra featurette called "Surviving Everest: First hand accounts" where individuals who have climbed Mt. Everest talk about their experiences and there is a fair amount of footage on the mountain. However, the quality of this footage is not as good as I had hoped. If you want to see major mountain climbing footage, look elsewhere. The IMAX DVD has gotten mixed reviews, so I don't know what to recommend. You may want to wait for "The Conquest of Everest" the movie made of Sir Edmund Hillary's first ever climb of Everest. I have never seen this, but it must have more climbing footage than this DVD did.

   One other bone to pick, the main feature and the "extra" interview with Sir Edmund specifically mention that he had a cameraman with him and they got some amazing pictures on his first climb - BUT, these were sadly left out of the too-small "Photo Gallery".

   So far, the other two National Geographic DVDs I have are pretty good: Battle for Midway (incredible battle footage) and Secrets Of The Titanic.




2. The DVD quality is poor. It feels like an old VHS tape. Most disappointing, considering this is from National Geographic! Collector's Edition my foot.

   The title is misleading. This dvd has nothing to do with Everest. It mostly discusses Hillary's social endeavors in Khumbu region-- which is nice, but not what I purchased it for. If you want to see anything about surviving Everest, watch the Nova series: "Everest: The death zone".




3. The DVD quality is poor. It feels like an old VHS tape. Most disappointing, considering this is from National Geographic! Collector's Edition my foot.

   The title is misleading. This dvd has nothing to do with Everest. It mostly discusses Hillary's social endeavors in Khumbu region-- which is nice, but not what I purchased it for. If you want to see anything about surviving Everest, watch the Nova series: "Everest: The death zone".




4. This movie plays out like a dry cultural movie of the Nepalese people and Edmund Hillary's life. The movie focuses on all that Hillary has done since he first climbed Everest, and how he has dedicated his life to helping the Sherpa people. All this is fine, but the title: "Surviving Everest" implied that the movie has something to do with the climbing of Everest, when in actuality it's just a half-baked biography / cultural lesson.
   
   It is rather slow, and contains no exciting parts. If you're goal is to find out more about the mountain, the other NG movie "50 Years on the Mountain" is actually about the mountain and is a pretty well-produced film. I also thought "Above All Else" was pretty good, especially for its price.



5. Sherpas of Nepal are the people who live in the mountaineous regions near Everest. Following his successful climb of Everest, Hilary asked the Sherpas how he could thank them. The result: he had bridges, schools and hospitals built throughout their region. Later he also brought other major benefits such as reforestation. Because of this, the Sherpa region began to thrive. Anyone who has climbed or trekked in the Everest region has benefitted from the many well constructed foot bridges across torrent rivers. I met Hilary in the high country during one of my 4 climbing trip to Nepal and saw how honored he was among the Sherpas working with our expedition. This movie is about the rich little known culture of the Sherpas and the tremendous humanitarian work Hilary performed among them before his death.

5 comments about Hearst Castle - Building the Dream (Large Format).

1. The film talks mostly about Hearst than Hearst Castle. It is a very short film (only 38 minutes) and less than 8 minutes were used to show the Castle. If you expect to tour the castle, you will be greatly disapponted.



2. Saw this movie at the IMAX/IWERKS National Geographic Theater at the Hearst Castle visitor's center. Take the time to view this movie first, either by buying this or seeing it at San Simeon and then tour the castle. To really understand why W.R. Hearst/Julia Morgan built this "ranch house" you must go back in history and hear the story of his mother, Phoebe Hearst. While no movie is ever going to give you the full impact of seeing the house in person....this will remind you of it!

   P.S. I highly recommend the evening tours! Got to see the Castle at nighttime!




3. The misleading title of this DVD borders on outright fraud. The majority of this whopping 38-minute film is a re-enactment of Hearst's childhood told in a style appropriate for kindergartners. After 20 minutes, we adults awaken from our slumber to see actors playing Hearst and Julia Morgan pantomiming discussion about the castle while the insipid voice-over drones on. The final few minutes of this turkey re-enact a weekend at San Simeon in the most irritating way possible. Cameras sweep briskly through a few rooms of the monumental castle without pause or significant comment, as if this brief part of the movie were just a trivial afterthought.

   A disaster, an embarrassment, and a major disappointment. Avoid, avoid, avoid.




4. If you are looking for a detailed tour of the Hearst Castle, this DVD will be slightly disappointed. What you might enjoy is the story leading up to the building of the castle, although far too much time is spent on the details and far too little time is spent on the glorious castle.
   
   While there are quite a few black and white photos, the only areas this DVD really focuses on is the swimming pool, dining hall, one or two main rooms and one bathroom. Yes, this is very sad for anyone who was dreaming of a tour of San Simeon, as I was.
   
   The "aerial footage" is similar to seeing a beautiful woman 5 miles down a beach. Look, they just don't get close enough for you to fully appreciate the castle.
   
   Now, I must say, the trailers for the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Hawaii and "Whales" looked absolutely stunning. I will definitely take a look at all those movies.
   
   The one to three star votes are unfortunately very accurate. I'll give them a three stars for effort, but I'd like to give them one star for the disappointment I felt at not really seeing much of the castle.
   
   Look, if you are just interested in the events leading up to the building of the castle, this might be a good choice. If you are looking for a movie to watch while you drink a cup of tea, this movie will at least keep you company.
   
   Personally, I'd rather be swimming in that amazing pool. Now there is something to write home about and someone does. The swimming pool is perhaps the most interesting part of this movie. Don't blink. You might miss it.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



5. This is an enjoyable film, but you must take it in context. The film was made to enhance your visit at Hearst Castle by showing viewers what motivated Hearst to build his ranch house.
   
   Some of the other reviewers are disappointed the film doesn't show as much of the castle's interior. Well, that's what the tours are for! The film shows you what the tours can't, it shows the making of the castle! Hence the title, "Building the Dream". I'm sure they'd have called it "Tour of the Interior" if that's what the movie was about.
   
   So, see the movie, and enjoy the tours!

1 comments about Global Treasures Salzburg Austria.

1. RIP OFF! ALL GLOBAL TRESURES DVDS ARE LESS THAN 10 MINUTES LONG! RIP OFF! SHAME ON YOU AMAZON FOR NOT DISCLOSING THE RUNING TIMES OF THE DVDS YOU SELL US!

No comments about Global Treasures HAVANA La Habana Cuba.

1 comments about 7 Days MALTA.

1. All the history and information you could need for a trip to Malta and/or Gozo. You will find these islands to be fascinating and full of historical things to explore, as well as modern day excitement. Beautiful filming.

No comments about Magic Harbour.

No comments about Global Treasures Trinidad.