The latest batch of travel videos take viewers from middle America, up to Ontario, around historic Richmond, VA, over to the Emerald City, and out to the islands of "paradise." Producer, cinematographer, writer, narrator, and composer John Chelette's guide to the islands of Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora flits from here to there in French Polynesia dropping one educational fact after another into the viewer's lap without much overall focus. The washed-out looking video offers a sickly green and bland blue picture of "paradise," while Chelette's verging on monotone narration alternates with that of a perky female narrator's to deliver a script that is laden with purple prose. Semantic constructions such as "warm trade winds, blowing from offshore, setting the tempo of the swaying palm trees and gently wafting the flowery scents about the island," drown under their own weight, while the wall-to-wall musical soundtrack competes for (and usually wins) the viewer's attention. While there are some interesting segments--such as the filming of a traditional Tahitian wedding--the overall cinematography is fair at best, and over-reliant on the zoom-out. Viewers will learn about a few bargain places to sleep, and be advised of some sights to catch, but the amateur quality of this production in a highly competitive field makes it an unnecessary purchase.North Central, on the other hand, is a well-lensed look at the sights of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. Like similar entries in the AAA Travel Video Series (such as Pacific Northwest and Alaska and Yukon Territory, reviewed in our September-October 1993 issue), North Central combines fine cinematography, interesting narration, and pleasant background music as it points out the best sights. Highlights include the Enchanted World Doll Museum with its treasure trove of over 4,000 antique dolls; the Deadwood cemetery, final resting place of Martha Jane Burke...better known as Calamity Jane (but best known as Doris Day); and Montana's Little Big Horn, where General George Armstrong Custer got his butt severely whomped in a no-contest encounter with neighboring Sioux and Cheyenne. a fine taster for travelers.Likewise Ontario, from the same series. Meaning "Land of the Shining Waters," the Canadian province of Ontario borders four of the five Great Lakes, is home to over 9 million Canadians, and features some of the most gorgeous scenery in North America. Mixing the naturally splendid with the culturally engaging, Ontario visits a number of sites, including: the Canada side of Niagara Falls, the African Safari Game Farm--where various animals come up to your car and poke their heads inside your window (if you are foolish enough to have it rolled down), and the acclaimed Art Gallery of Ontario (where viewers see some fine examples from the gallery's Henry Moore collection). But if anything gets me to Ontario, it's going to be the Canada goose--immortalized in a 2 ton statue that has a 19 ft. wing span. If I happened to be a marsh creature with a religious bent, this statue would be where I came to make my devotions. Another excellent travel video.Richmond: Historic Sights & Haunts takes viewers on a tour of nearly 40 mansions, museums, and monuments in Richmond, VA, dating from colonial to industrial times. Narrated by producer Vance Bridges, the tape (with footage shot in 16mm) opens with a close-up look at the great James River plantations (Berkeley, Shirley, Westover, etc.), moves to the ante-bellum homes found on Church Hill, stops in at the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, visits various Civil War landmarks (including Jefferson Davis' home), and takes a peek inside the Black History Museum. While the tone of the film is a bit too sonorous and solemn for my tastes, the narration does offer a sprinkling of historical anecdotes, the photography is nicely done, and the program ends with an extensive reading list. Occasionally, however, the narrative segues are annoyingly cryptic. Leaving the subject of writer James Branch Cabell for a stroll down Monument Ave., the voice-over says "his [Cabell's] meteoric career ended silently on a great avenue," leaving us to wonder whether he was struck mute by a vision, run over by a Ford, or received a scathing review which led to cardiac arrest, among other options. Still, the video does provide an often satisfying overview of a Southern jewel and is recommended for libraries with larger travel collections, who are willing to pay the slightly steep price (the video is being sold direct to consumers for $19.95).Step One to Seattle and Vicinity is more for re-locators than vacationers. Hosted by local news anchors' Dan Lewis and Kathi Goertzen, the 1993-1994 edition focuses on seven "lifestyle" areas: city living, city neighborhoods, established executive, lakeside living, commuter executive, country living, and island and peninsula living. Each of the areas is discussed in terms of housing styles available, local education, shopping and recreation facilities, medical care available, and commuting time (I wish someone would do a RBPW scale--Recorded Books Per Week--for outlying metro areas; having navigated Seattle rush hour traffic in the past, I can assure prospective emigrants that they will be able to get a college education faster by commuting from Tacoma to Seattle, than by matriculating at the University of Washington.) The pluses of honest talk about the weather and traffic congestion is somewhat offset by the minuses of numerous in-program commercials for KOMO TV, Group Health Cooperative, Home Lending Loans, and KOMO Radio. On balance, we would still recommend this helpful guide.In Search of Paradise is not recommended. North Central and Ontario are both highly recommended. Richmond Historic Sights & Haunts is recommended with reservations. One Step to Seattle & Vicinity is recommended. (R. Pitman)
In Search Of Paradise: French Polynesia; North Central; Ontario; Richmond: Historic Sights & Haunts; Step One To Seattle And Vicinity
(1993) 60 min. $24.95. Volition Productions. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 1
In Search Of Paradise: French Polynesia; North Central; Ontario; Richmond: Historic Sights & Haunts; Step One To Seattle And Vicinity
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