No comments about Flying Scotsman Running The Legend.

5 comments about Beats of the Heart - The Spirit of Samba: Black Music of Brazil.

1. This IS an old film but it is a great documentary nonetheless. It's somewhat depressing in that it talks about and shows the inequities and censorship of that period in Brazil. But it has lots of good music.

   It has footage of some of the best Brazilian artists of that time and well worth seeing.




2. The key to understanding this tendentious hour-long documentary film is in its subtitle, and the dogmatic assertion that samba is a "black" music that has somehow been appropriated and exploited by Brazil's "white" population. Although the film has some good material, including sit-down interviews with Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque and Leci Brandao, the thrill of seeing them all in action is severely undercut by the grinding, joyless narration, as French director Jeremy Marre intones gravely about how samba is the music of the poor and exploited black underclass, etc. etc. etc. He cuts away from scenes of street parties and MPB concerts to military parades held by the dictatorship that was still in power when the film was made (albeit in its waning days; the military relinquished control of the country in 1985) and makes the seemingly contradictory assertions that Brazil's vast Carnival celebrations are merely a bread-and-circuses sop, a pointless bacchanal designed to placate the nation's poor, and, simultaneously, that samba has been stolen from the masses, and that they can no longer hear their own music. Second-string MPB star Luiz Melodia is shown singing a sexually suggestive song with a female co-star, as Marre instructs us that his music has been ruined by the influence of non-Brazilian pop, and that his songs "have no meaning." There are elements of truth to Marre's argument, but on the whole, he seems to be pounding static, lifeless square pegs into round, rhythmic holes. Marre's dogmatic political presentation betrays a startling ignorance (or willful disregard for) the dense complexities of Brazil's interracial, multilayered, ceaselessly fluid and profoundly syncretic centuries-long cultural heritage. Samba, which came into existence towards the end of the 19th Century, was one in a long line of admixtures of African, Amazonian and European influences -- it didn't come fully formed fresh off the boat from West Africa, as the film seems to suggest. And historically, it is a national music, not only enjoyed by all, but actually one of the key elements uniting this far-flung country. This same point is made constantly by the film's own footage: every time Marre sets out to show us some "exploitative" situation in which a poor samba artist is forced to play their music for a "white" audience, the crowd we see is invariably and emblematically of mixed race, and they generally seem to be having a pretty good time together. Try as he might to stack the deck, the director keeps running up against the contradictory nuances of Brazil's confoundingly multi-textured society. This film is worth checking out for a glimpse at the samba culture, but its message has to be taken with a grain of salt.



3. I completely agree with Amazon reviewer "Joe Sixpack" who stated that this DVD creates a bit of a false image about Brazilians and samba. The only reason why I gave this DVD a 4 star rating is because the actual musical performances were well worth seeing! Many of the artists performed in intimate settings and were interviewed before and after playing and told stories about their lives (ex: Gilberto Gil). However I was very upset that this DVD portrayed Brasil as being a very racially segregated society when it is far more diverse and racially mixed than any other country on earth, includuing the United States, which is far less integrated. The majority of Brazilians are in fact of mixed race so it is completely false for the director to put these color barriers between people. If the director wanted to talk about the hardships and lack of justice that was in Brasil during the early 1980's, he should have targeted class segregation instead of racial segregation. If the director wants to do a film about racial segregation he should come to the United States and do a documentary about American blues or jazz music.



4. Don't waste your time or money on this dog. More of pseudo-marxist diatribe than musical documentary. Bletch!



5. An excellent documentary. A diverce mosaic collecting a complex image of Brazilian society. Watched with the great interest. There is just enough of good music and dancing of all sorts. Interesting, that the more prominent the performers are, the less interesting their music and dancing is. I am dancing samba and I am interested in hystory of humanity. The film answered a lot of my questions not just about samba and Brazil, but about the course of our civilization development overall. Thank you, Igor Polk.

No comments about Karma Trekkers Ireland.

No comments about Globe Trekker: Ice Trekking the Alps.

2 comments about Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets.

1. Please don't spend your entertainment dollars on this video. It was a tremendous disappointment. The picture quality is not good. If this is the same film shown in IMAX theatres, I bet there were a LOT of unhappy customers. The views of the Grand Canyon are limited and the story line is weak, at best. I never found out what the "hidden secrets" were. I am a huge IMAX fan and I knew this would not be the same when viewed on my TV. That was an understatement. If this had been given to me it still would not be any better. Please enjoy images of the Grand Canyon from another source. This is NOT the way you want to do it.



2. This documentary is shown in the IMAX theater in Tusayan near the entrance of the Canyon. I like the opening line, "Man clings to the edge of eternity." The film focuses on human activity. The Anasazi were the first people in the Canyon. The Spaniards found it in 1540. John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran, navigated the Colorado River in 1869. I was waiting for geology. It never came. The producers aim for a big screen experience and ticket sales rather than trying to impart knowledge. I wondered about the film's subtitle. It seems the secrets might be the fossils buried in the Canyon walls.

No comments about America & the Passenger Train.

5 comments about Globe Trekker - Greece.

1. The first woman doing this DVD was disrespectful to Greek culture. She constantly laughed behind the locals backs, it was very unprofessional and rude. Overall, both sections failed to show enough of the country. In the beginning one gets the sense that a lot of historical sites were going to be reviewed, but so. Not a lot is going on in this DVD. It really failed to capture Greece's spirit and culture.



2. This is the second Globe Trekker DVD I have purchased (the other was Russia), and I find that the photography in both is quite good. But as with the Russia DVD, I found that the hosts (two in the Greece DVD) seem to feel that trying to be funny or silly will be entertaining. For these kind of documentaries, I prefer to have that part of it deleted and just concentrate on the country and the people being highlighted, letting them be the center of attention.
   
   That being said, I did enjoy the DVD. I would like to have seen more of the famous statues and monuments that are so much associated with Greece. However, the program kept moving and a lot of places were covered, including some of the islands. The editing was well done and the interaction with the locals was enjoyable and helped me to understand the people of Greece.



3. I thought that Christina Chang made an absolute fool of herself in this video. She moon walked on the Acropolis in front of the Parthenon, and spit out the mastic that she was offered on Chios. The Globe Trekker hosts need to be more respectful of the foreign countries they visit.



4. Either Greece isn't spectacular, or these hosts just didn't do a good job of presenting it to us. I was looking forward to watching this video, but was sadly disappointed. I hope that visiting Greece will change my opinion.



5. Christina Chang treats Greece and Greek culture in a very snide and condescending manner. If you want a immature kid for a guide - then this is perfect.

1 comments about Panorama Singapore.

1. THIS DVD COVERS MOST OF THR POPULAR ATTRACTIONS IN SINGAPORE. THE PRESENTER HAS A NICE APPROACH, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHY IS FIRST CLASS. IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO SINGAPORE THEN THIS DVD WILL HAVE YOU WELL INFORMED.

1 comments about Classic American Automotive Museums: Dragsters to Duesenbergs.

1. I was looking for more specific details about the cars shown. It just breezed through some of the museums. I found it less interesting than other Classic auto DVDs I've purchased.

No comments about Nature Wonders CANYON DE CHELLY U.S.A..