Volcanoscapes 3: Living On The Edge!

Stunning cinematography of the beautiful yet destructive lava flow from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano highlight this gripping narrative--the third in a series--of Kilauea's relentless eight-year attack on the Hawaiian coastal communities. The third volume focuses on the events of 1990 when, during the summer, the community of Kalapana was daily threatened by the encroaching flow. 82-year-old Walter Yamaguchi, a store owner, takes an optimistic approach in April, believing that Pele (the name for the Hawaiian Fire Goddess) will spare the community. But one by one the houses are engulfed in flames, as the lava crosses county roads, fields, rock walls--virtually any obstacle in its path. Interviews with local inhabitants reveal a wide range of responses to the eruption: philosophical, stoic, miserable, unruffled. Some of the homes and buildings are saved when community members pitch together to move the houses and treasured landmarks to new locations. Expertly mixing good narrative storytelling with mesmerizing video which examines the lava from all angles and perspectives, VolcanoScapes 3: Living on the Edge! is superb. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Tropical Visions, 62 Halaulani Place, Hilo, HI 96720.)