Appealingly narrated by Sudha Bhuchar, this three-part BBC presentation follows the Ganges River, which begins in the Himalayas and wends its way through India (the world's second most populous nation). Regarded as a goddess (described as the nexus of the natural and spiritual worlds) and variously known as “The Daughter of the Mountains,” “The River of Life,” and “Ganga Ma” (Mother Ganges), the Ganges is fed by streams, snowmelt, glaciers, and rain as it makes its way westward across the plains of the Indian subcontinent before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Along the way, the river passes through holy places such as Rishikesh and Varanasi, the teeming metropolis of Calcutta, and the forbidding delta forest known as the Sunderbans. Viewers will also see an incredible variety of wildlife: snow leopards, hawk-like lammergeiers with their ten-foot wingspans, mahseer (the world's largest carp, weighing up to 110 pounds), peacocks, otters, cranes, tigers, bears, rhinos, and monkeys (the Hindu reverence for nature is constantly apparent, especially in a village where deadly cobras roam freely in the streets, mostly ignored by the residents, who consider themselves virtually immune). Shot in high-definition, Ganges is a fascinating documentary travelogue boasting astonishing cinematography (particularly gorgeous on the Blu-ray version). DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette and deleted scenes. Sure to appeal to fans of Planet Earth, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Graham)
Ganges
(2008) 150 min. DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray: $29.98. BBC Video (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4198-6505-6 (dvd), 1-4198-6500-5 (blu-ray). Volume 23, Issue 5
Ganges
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