Impossible Planet: Mass Movements

Briege Whitehead’s documentary is the fifth episode in a twelve-disc series about extraordinary phenomena on planet earth, with each DVD containing three chapters. This installment begins with a discussion of geysers, with visits to the two of the sites in the world most notable for them—the geothermal field in Iceland and Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Tourists are shown marveling at the explosions of water and steam while geologists, using animated sequences, explain the geysers’ origin in volcanic terrain and discuss their various properties. This segment is followed by one about the so-called Pancake Rocks located south of the village of Punakaiki on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The limestone structures, so-called because they resemble stacks of pancakes, were formed, as a scientist/guide explains, by the pressure of ocean waves on alternating layers of marine creatures and sediment, and are punctuated by blowholes where the sea bursts through spectacularly during high tide. Again tourists enthuse over what is a popular site on walkways that wind their way through the formations. The final segment focuses on the annual migration of red crabs from their homes in the forests of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean to the coast, where they mate in burrows dug by the males, after which the females crawl to the sea to deposit their eggs in the water, where the larvae hatch and attempt to survive. Biologists connect the timing of the migration with the coming of the rainy season and the phases of the moon, but what viewers will most remember is the sight of millions of the crabs making their trek to the sea, a scarlet swarm that stops traffic and brings ordinary life to a halt. Taken together, the three beautifully photographed, intelligently narrated chapters make for an engaging and informative, if episodic, nature documentary that will be of particular value in educational settings. The entire twelve-DVD set is also available ($2340); a complete listing of its contents can be found at filmideas.com. Recommended. Aud: P, J, H. (F. Swietek)