Arizona

Although called Arizona, this low-budget video devotes the opening twenty minutes to shots of plants in the Sonoran Desert (with no introduction about the state of Arizona), while the latter half is comprised mainly of scenes from the same company's Southwest Indian Art series (see Kachina Dolls in our March 1992 issue). Using mostly static shots of the various cacti and trees in the desert, the pacing is poor, with shots lasting much longer than the overlaid narration. In addition, the substandard video quality lends a washed-out look to what should be vibrant imagery, and the audio quality is poor (the narrator is too close to the mike, resulting in a lot of extraneous noise, and background voices are occasionally heard). Even though some of the commentary is good, and the scenes of Native Americans creating lovely rugs, Kachina dolls, and silver jewelry, are interesting, the substandard technical qualities make this unacceptable. Not recommended. (Available from: Mother Earth Productions, 542 S. Higley, #1, Mesa, AZ 85206; (602) 830-8424.)