Documentary

For many years, scientists stumbled upon evidence that even the tropics were covered with a thick layer of ice six hundred million years ago. All of this evidence of a so-called Snow Ball Earth was dismissed with the simple argument that the drifting of the continents through geological ages should explain such a phenomena.

This 2001 BBC Horizon documentary shows the evidences for the theory and how life - by the time only cyan bacteria and algae - could survive under such harsh conditions.

Although a great number of objections have been raised against the theory, there are still a number of scientists who agree some level of “snowball earth” effect occurred on the geological time covered.

Simple yet objective, the theories are explained with humor and a competent footage, and, although the scientists don’t agree yet about the theme, it’s a decent insight in how science is made and how the scientific process work.

Total Time: 50 minutes.

Recommendation: Good. 

A series of documentaries, presented by Nigel Spivey - Cambridge professor. The theory underlying the series is that not only we make art because we are human, but we are human because of art. There is an important shift of focus there which makes and breaks the show. The first episode “More Human Than Human” is irreproachable. A delight to view. Presented with humor and astounding amounts of information that had surprises even for me, someone who has studied Art History for years.

From then on the dreaded academic vice of making the data fit the theory sets on. Every episode from here to the last has at least one moment where you want to argue with the script. For instance he implies that the desire to create images led to the development of agriculture as if someone could say: “Oh, we want to paint more, let’s invent the unthinkable, instead of going after the grain we will throw it in the ground at the right time of the year and it will grow.”, obviously it’s the other way around: the economic influence of the recently discovered agriculture - being able to get much more food with the same effort - liberated workforce to create more or better images.

For picky viewers it’s a 8 of 10, for normal people, probably a 9 of 10. Beautiful images, humor, plenty of facts, lots of great didactic ways to show difficult concepts. Makes a great addition to an art teacher or art enthusiast collection.

Episode List

1. More Human than Human - Why do we crave images of the human body that are so unrealistic?
2. The day pictures were born - When and why the first images were created.
3. The art of persuasion - How images are used to manipulate opinions and where did it begin.
4. Once upon a time - The history of the development of techniques to tell a story visually.
5. To death and back - Morbid images and their power.

Other Resources:

• KCET / BBC Co-Production 2005
• Presented by Nigel Spivey - contact his agent
• Website

Total Time: 1 hour each episode.

Recommendation: Very Good.

In 1939, Commodore Henry Harwood commanded a small fleet of three cruiser ships in pursuit of the Admiral Graf Spee - the pride of German Navy - issued months before the start of World War II to patrol and attack allies’ ships on the shores of South America.

A very touching story about the sinking of Graf Spee, the most impressive pocket battleship at his time, this documentary was based on the letters and ship logs wrote both by the German and the British captains and testimonials of survivors of both sides involved in this nerves battle.

After sinking several British merchant ships Graf Spee is caught in a battle with three Royal Navy cruisers in the middle of the South Atlantic. Even have beating her three attackers the ship was badly damaged, and she set sails to Montevideo, the nearest seaport around for repair. The subsequent events are surprisingly moving. A history of how you, even fighting along the wrong guys, can be a decent human being and a soldier of honor.

Hundreds of average archive images of WWII sea battles and some recent footage at Montevideo, British Isles and Germany.

• Direction: James Hayes
• Production: James Hayes
• Narration: Michael Praed
• Historical Consultant: Dr. Eric Grove

Part of the Time Watch TV Series, 2006. Co-production of BBC / The Open University.
Distribution: BBC.

Total time: 47:44 minutes.

Recommendation: Must see.

We would be better off with less sentimentalism, but this is still an astonishing beautiful documentary about migrating birds. The narrative, always showing the birds view is beautifully illustrated by a handful of flying birds footage and some scarce data from the human narrator. Some scenes are among the most spectacular you will ever see on a documentary, namely those ones shot accompanying the migrating birds as a part of the migrating herd.

• Direction - Jacques Perrin
• Co-direction Jacques Cluzaud e Michel Debats
• Narration - Jacques Perrin
• Screenplay - Stéphane Durand e Jacques Perrin
• Production - Christophe Barratier e Jacques Perrin
• Executive Production - Jean De Trégomain

Total time: 85 minutes.

Recommendation: Must see.