Search - Lewis and Clark and Other Great Adventures on DVD

Great adventures

Michael Eldicott | Cyprus,ex. UK | 02/27/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This series of 3 programmes is properly called "Wilderness Men", the "other great adventurers" being Shackleton and Humboldt. The stories of Lewis, Clark and Shackleton are well known (and well represented on DVD), but Humboldt is somewhat obscure, although he was famous enough in his own day. He was a German naturalist who spent 5 years from 1799 in the jungles of South America, studying plants and animals and their inter-relationships. Each programme lasts about 50 minutes and are informative (within the confines of ther playing time) amd entertaining (the dramatisations are well scripted, cast and performed). The format is the familiar one of dramatic recreations of certain scenes with photos and modern video of the locations backed by a narration, with contributions from experts, all done to the BBC's usual high standard. The programmes justify 4 or maybe 5 stars, but their presentation on DVD is marred not only by the incorrect name but advertising which can't be fast forwarded or jumped (an inexcusable device; when will DVD makers realise that advertising and self-laudatory sleeve notes serve only to cheapen the product?). It is to be hoped that the issue of this DVD (and Pompeii - The Last Day/Colosseum - A Gladiator's Story) marks a policy of releasing some of the BBC's lesser known programmes. I remember that many years ago they showed a great dramatisation of the life of Charles Darwin, and more recently dramatisations of the hunting down of man-eating big cats (a series I believe called "Manhunters")."

True heroes

Judith Johnson | Albany, NY | 10/11/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This three-part BBC docudrama was made in 2000 as Wilderness Men. It was released as a dvd in 2007 as Lewis & Clark and Other Great Adventurers which is the name I rented it under from Netflix. I ferreted it out because I wanted to see the segment with Christopher Eccleston Doctor Who - The Complete First Series as von Humboldt. It was so good I ended up watching the entire three parts in one setting.

It provides a fascinating look into the lives and works of three adventurers and explorers: early American geographer Meriweather Lewis commissioned by Thomas Jefferson to find the Northwest Passage; 19th century German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt who chartered South America and early 20th century British explorer Ernest Shackleton who attempted to cross Antarctica by boat.

All of the segments are a seamless blend of historic photographs, great location shots, and re-enactments by actors. Context is provided as commentary by scholars and other experts. Although I am a history buff and consider myself fairly knowledgable, I found each segment to be equally engrossing and informative. Plus each of these intrepid men's lives were tinged with personal or professional tragedies and that poignancy is what makes this memorable viewing."