This travel video gets off to a promising, albeit slightly commercial, start as staff members of the Western River Expeditions welcome a new group of rugged travelers who want to experience the thrill and joy of having their bodies knocked all over creation on a downriver rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. A narrator gives an interesting overview of Major John Wesley Powell's 1869 discovery of the canyon, and delves further back into history to discuss the early Indian cave dwellings that dot the base of the canyon walls. By this time the expedition has embarked on the 275 mile journey. And then something very strange happens... The narration continues talking about the "group", but all of a sudden these'80s people are sporting beehive hairdos and crewcuts. The telltale 16mm squiggles quickly solve the mystery: these are not the same people. What follows is truly one of the most schizophrenic film experiences available. Two distinctly different sets of people are referred to by the narrator as one group for the duration of the video. This bizarre structure might escape the notice of the Lowenbrau crowd, but most patrons above the age of three are going to catch on. This type of editing might be fine for a Monty Python skit, but for an informational video (that registers about a 4.7 on the commercial video Richter scale), this kind of blithe sloppiness doesn't cut the French's. Not recommended. (See CARIBOU: NEWFOUNDLAND TO MAINE for availability.)
Experience Grand Canyon!
(1987) 58m. ,$19.95. Western River Expeditions. Public performance rights included. Vol. 3, Issue 9
Experience Grand Canyon!
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