This three-part PBS-aired documentary from the BBC’s Natural History Unit focuses on a few of the globe’s greatest mountain ranges—the Rockies, Himalayas, and Andes—exploring each area with eye-popping visuals that focus not only on geographical magnificence but also on unusual flora and fauna. While these mountain regions might be heavenly in terms of height and boast an extraordinary range of wildlife (and hearty humans), they can also very quickly turn dark and deadly. In the Rockies, for example, extensive footage is given over to salamanders who turn cannibal as their food supply dries up, as well as mountain lions and grizzly bears seen bringing down their helpless prey, while in the Himalayas, shepherds bring their flocks into their homes when predators appear. On the lighter side, the series looks at some exciting human action, such as extreme skiing and BASE jumping in the Rockies, as well as a hotly-contested horse-racing relay competition among Native American tribes. Kingdoms of the Sky is hardly groundbreaking—the material is presented in conventional nature-documentary fashion, appealing to viewers’ interests by emphasizing the peculiar, inspiring, dangerous, and even slightly repulsive—but the excellent cinematography makes this a very worthwhile journey to highly photogenic locales. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Kingdoms of the Sky
(2017) 165 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR), Blu-ray: $29.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video (www.teacher.shop.pbs.org). SDH captioned. ISBN: 978-1-5317-0399-8 (dvd), 978-1-5317-0400-1 (blu-ray).
Kingdoms of the Sky
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