Discoveries…America: Alaska

“Seward's folly” indeed: in 1867, Secretary of State William Seward bought nearly 600,000 square miles of Alaskan wilderness from Russia at a cost of about 1.9 cents per acre, and the public thought Seward had been fleeced. Alaska, the latest addition to the popular Discoveries…America series, reminds us that Seward made quite a deal as filmmakers Jim Bennett and Kelly Watt focus their high-def cameras on America's 49th state to capture breathtaking mountain ranges (highlighting Mt. McKinley—the highest peak in North America at over 20,000 ft.), marine highways (including the famed Inside Passage, home to port cities such as Sitka, Ketchikan, and Juneau), the rail belt (with spectacular train routes throughout Alaska's interior), and several points of interest in between, ranging from an overview of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to a look at both Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Bay. Viewers meet artist-carvers of totem poles and ice sculptures, a water goblet player who performs a mean rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” a State Fair produce judge who talks about Alaska's bragging rights to nine world records for giant vegetables, and tour-guides galore who point out highlights for travelers. Watching the lovely shots of frolicking whales, bears fishing for salmon, and soaring eagles, one can't help but feel a sense of the bittersweet that this spectacular wilderness landscape may be endangered by the threat of extensive oil drilling. Recommended. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)