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     The Galapagos Islands are home to the coolest, most spectacular animals in the world.  The majestic scenery, the incredible wildlife, and the stunning ocean are all beautifully realized and filmed in Galapagos: Les Iles Qui Ont Change Le Monde.  The DVD, available June 30th from Alliance Films, is in French only.  No subtitles, no English narration.  It’s too bad, really, because it couldn’t be too tough to get a different narrator to record a different track.  It’s not like there’s any dialogue in the movie.  Iguanas don’t speak any of our languages. 

     Then again, it doesn’t much matter what language is featured on the DVD, because it’s the pictures that tell the story, and they’re damn cool.  Also damn cool are the iguanas, albatross, penguins, giant tortoises, sea turtles, glow-in-the-dark sea creatures, owls, cormorants and boobies that populate the show.  No, not the good kind of boobies.  The bird kind.  The first disc on the set is called Born In Fire (or, Nees Du Feu, if you will).  This disc looks at the volcanoes and the geysers and the natural landscape dotted with crazy animals and a huge variety of plant life.  Spectacular.

     Disc two is the one that gives the DVD it’s name.  It’s called Les Iles Qui Ont Change Le Monde, or, The Islands That Changed The World.  Although I really hate documentaries that feel the need to do cheesy human re-enactments of historical events, and this is one, Disc Two is still the best in the set.  The cheesy human re-enactment here is of Darwin discovering the Galapagos islands and using the wildlife there to create his theory of evolution.  Darwin was a brilliant guy, and here we get to see him observing different varieties of buntings and finches and making surprised facial expressions.  “Oh my!” He seems to be saying.  “Look at the differences in their beaks!”

     But cheesiness aside, this disc features the best nature photography of the three, and the story of Darwin and how he observed the differences in the wide variety of creatures on the Galapagos islands to formulate his famous theory is fascinating.  The third disc is called Les Forces Du Changement (or Forces of Change).  It’s about the modern Galapagos islands, and the sad influence of human beings on this pristine and magical otherworld.  It’s depressing, but it’s important to know what we’re doing there.  It’s also important to know that the single biggest destructive force human beings have at their disposal are goats.

     And then there’s a fourth disc that’s a bonus disc, about a giant tortoise that is the last of its breed, and it’s 80 years old, and people are trying to keep it alive.  That’s fine, and it’s a nice story and a cool extra disc, but I would have appreciated something else in my special bonus features - an English option.  It doesn’t really matter to me.  I’ll watch this in any language, and I would still enjoy it in Portugese.  But not having that option there automatically leaves out about half your audience, and I would like more people to see this remarkable film.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 3:50 pm and is filed under 2008, Documentary, French, Nature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.