Timeless

From the creators of the superb Wild Northwest (reviewed in the September 1991 issue), Timeless is another compilation of nature music videos, although here the emphasis is more on landscape than wildlife. The opening segment, "City Escape" is a visual stunner--it's a time-lapse journey through downtown Seattle that truly captures the amazing patterns of bustling humanity (and is very reminiscent of scenes in Koyaanisqatsi). This high energy opening drops during the next two pieces "Tideline" (piano) and "Ancient Forest" (acoustic guitar) which look at the coastline and the rainforest, respectively. The pace picks up again in "Starstreams" which features some excellent night photography capturing the moving canopy of stars overhead and closes with footage of the recent solar eclipse. "Riverine" features too much stationary camera footage of the river (time-lapse increases the visual appeal, but the long shots tend to drag). The final two pieces are quite strong: "Winter Storm" and "Distant Thunder" which feature exceptional footage of icicle-laden majestic trees and the awesome illumination of lightning strikes which split the sky. On the whole, Timeless is not as good as Wild Northwest (primarily because moving nature is generally more visually interesting than static landscape), but it is still a beautiful tape that will be widely appreciated. Highly recommended. (Available from: Camera One Productions, 431-A North 34th, Seattle, WA 98103.)