Alaska. Spirit of the Wild IMAX [Blu ray] :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Alaska

2008-07-03
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild (IMAX) [Blu-ray]

This is an excellent nature video and is has a very good images in blue ray.

WAY TOO SHORT...

2008-07-01
Why on earth - espicially with Blue Ray - do these specials fail to go longer than 60 mins? I think this one struggles to make 40. Wait until it's reduced before getting it.

Excellent decision maker material

2008-05-12
If you are trying to give yourself a reason to visit Alaska, this dvd will do that trick.

Alaskan Travelog

2008-05-08
This is a well done travelog of Alaska, with beautiful photogragh and narration by Charleston Heston. Anyone interested in "The 49th State" will find this a welcome addition to their film library.

Beautiful Alaska.....

2008-04-21
Great documentary, a little short but worth the price. The rendering on my TV (Panasonic 42", 1080p) is absolutely amazing. If you like these type on documentaries you might want to look at Planet Earth. I also own it and it is an amazing documentary, a bit pricier than this one but well worth it. If you like Alaska, you are on a budget and want to see how a blue ray DVD looks on your TV, buy this DVD.

great photography, but NOT High Def

2008-04-09
Go far beyond even the highest definition with this Academy Award nominee for Best Short Documentary. Originally presented in IMAX Theaters, Alaska Spirit of the Wild is a visual masterpiece.

Good but not betten than the DVD

2008-04-08
I have the DVD version of this film and think it is great, I live in Alaska and think it does a great job of showing what Alaska is about. So I decided to buy it on Blu-ray. When we watched it on Blu-ray, I could not tell a difference in quality than the DVD version. I have watched other blu-ray movies and see a huge difference, so I know its not the way I have things set-up. It was the video.

"a place shaped by ice and solitude"

2005-06-15
The spectacular scenery and fascinating wildlife of Alaska are seen at their most intriguing in this film, which was nominated for a Best Documentary Academy Award. The history of the land from the height of the last great ice age 18,000 years ago is also explained, showing in some well made graphics how man and beast were able to cross into Alaska on the Bering Strait from Asia. With marvelous aerial photography, as well as some underneath a stampeding caribou herd, and underwater for the hatching of the salmon and swimming seals. Other animals seen hunting and at play are the brown, black and polar bear, bison, musk ox, eagle and red fox. Beavers building their homes, whales in unison making bubble circles to catch herring, sea lions, and their predators, the Inupiat (Eskimo), who survive their year around existence in the harsh environment eating seal and whale meat.

It follows this great "land of extremes" from spring to spring, a land that took the lives of hundreds of men seeking wealth during the gold rush, as well as their pack horses, shown here in some historic still photographs.
Directed by George Casey, and written by Mose Richards with clarity as well as an almost poetic grace, it is narrated by Charlton Heston, who is gifted with a voice that is always a pleasure to listen to.
Educational as well as glorious to look at, this is an excellent documentary on America's least explored state.
Total running time is 40 minutes.

Alaska: Spirit of the Wild

2003-12-07
I wasn't sure what to expect when I purchased this and now, having watched it, I'm so glad that I did. A:SotW is entertaining and enlightening... with breaktaking scenery and unexpected humor, courtesy of the Alaskan wildlife. (there's a scene with a black bear that's absolutely hilarious.) Charlton Heston's narration doesn't annoy or interfere with the scenes as some narrators do... I highly recommend this DVD become part of your collection, if only for the sheer beauty of the Alaskan landscape that is shown.

This is as true as possible

2003-11-05
I am an aerial/landscape photographer living in Alaska and some aerial scenes in this movie remind me of my photoshoots and fights through steep valleys. In IMAX format, it's almost spellbounding! With the size of Alaska as large as 1/2 of the contiguous 48 lower states, it's hard to document everything 'wild' about Alaska in a short 40+ minute film. However I will give the film-makers credit for doing a fantastic job of showing the audiences the differences of seasons while integrating the wildlife aspect of this great state. This film will do wonders for the eco-tourism of Alaska. The aerial scenes taken from Denali National Park via K2 Aviation (the red small aircraft) are especially inspiring. Come on up and visit us in Alaska everyone and get ready to be inspired like you've never been inspired.