California Whitewater; Canon: The Grand Canyon; Wilderness Rivers

I suppose if I had a strongly developed death wish, I'd be attracted to whitewater boating. But I've always felt that one of the prime benefits of civilization is that, unlike our forebears, we don't have to let nature beat the crap out of us (in bygone days, by contrast, this is what people did for a living). Still, these three beautifully filmed programs from Camera One Productions almost made me want to go out and experience nausea while swallowing voluminous amounts of water--i.e. ride the rapids. While California Whitewater and Wilderness Rivers share much in common, including some of the same footage, California Whitewater, the more recent production, is much more environmental-minded than the earlier film. Citing the present situation of over 1200 dams on California rivers, the filmmakers head out for some of the prime spots left: the Stanislaw River, the north fork of the Uba River, an exciting 18-mile run down Scott River, the upper Klamath, and the Salmon River, among others. Along the way, whitewater professionals and tour guides offer insights about their jobs and relate the joys of tackling the whitewater rapids. Wilderness Rivers begins in California and then works east, stopping to view the Anasazi Indian ruins on the Delores River, riding the famous rapids of the Chattooga (of Deliverance fame), and visiting the inappropriately named New River in West Virginia (believed to be the second oldest river on Earth). As in California Whitewater, plenty of whitewater enthusiasts offer funny stories, and both programs, needless to say, are filled with exceptional action footage of whitewater rafting. Canon: The Grand Canyon, while retaining the focus on whitewater rafting, goes beyond sporting to paint an excellent overall historical and cultural picture of the Grand Canyon. Combining a wide variety of techniques (anecdotal narration, interviews, nature music video, historical film and stills) within the overall frame of a 225-mile trip down the Colorado, Canon is consistently engaging, informative, and fun. Canon: The Grand Canyon is highly recommended; California Whitewater and Wilderness Rivers are recommended. All three programs are very attractively packaged. (Available from: Camera One Productions, P.O. Box 75556, Seattle, WA 98125.)