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BBC’s Life Blu-ray Announced (Update 2)
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Posted March 11, 2010 04:30 PM by Juan Calonge
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  Warner Home Video has announced the release on Blu-ray of the BBC documentary series Life, from the BBC's award-winning Natural History Unit, the producers of Planet Earth, with a street date of June 1. This ten-part series presents "130 incredible stories from the frontiers of the natural world." Its premiere episode airs across six of Discovery's networks starting, Sunday March 21, 2010. Remaining episodes air on the Discovery Channel with the finale on April 18.
Note that this US edition will feature narration by Oprah Winfrey. The BBC is also exclusively bringing to retail the original UK version, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
From left: the versions of Life narrated by Oprah Winfrey and David Attenborough.
The UK edition, released in November 2009, was narrated by Sir David Attenborough; it is region-free, but the video is encoded in 1080i at 50 Hz.
PRESS RELEASE:
With the Emmy® winning Planet Earth, the BBC and the Discovery Channel brought you the world like never before and set records as the #1 cable television event of 2007 and the #1 best-selling documentary on DVD of all time. This spring, the BBC takes natural history to a whole new level with the DVD and Blu-ray release of Life. More than four years in the making, filmed over 3000 days across every continent and habitat, with narration by Oprah Winfrey, Life is an epic BBC/Discovery Channel production that illustrates the extraordinary tactics animals and plants use to stay alive. Life tells 130 incredible stories from the frontiers of the natural world, 54 of which have never been filmed before. Life arrives at retail June 1 for the suggested retail price of $59.98 for DVD ($74.98 in Canada) and $69.99 for Blu-ray ($87.48 in Canada). The BBC is also exclusively bringing to retail the original UK version, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The premiere episode of Life airs across six of Discovery's networks starting, Sunday March 21, 2010. Remaining episodes air on the Discovery Channel with the finale on April 18.
Since Planet Earth, several key advances have been made in wildlife filmmaking techniques which allow the viewer to witness, closer than ever before, how creatures, under extreme pressure, can overcome challenges from adversaries and their environment. Production firsts include the yogi cam, developed specifically for Life, which allowed a camera to track smoothly alongside migrating reindeer and elephants, intricate cable rigging which enabled the crew to "fly" a camera through thousands of monarch butterflies in Mexico and high-definition low-light cameras that allowed for time-lapse underwater filming.
Filmed entirely in high-definition, Life is packed with excitement, revelation, entertainment and a myriad of awe-inspiring feats. The four-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets feature all 11 episodes from Discovery's broadcast, including the spectacular The Making of Life, showcasing the exhaustive, remarkable and record-breaking efforts by the Life filmmaking team to bring this remarkable series to the screen. Exclusive bonus features include deleted scenes, a "music only" viewing option, and Life on Location, a collection of ten astonishing production video diaries further documenting the extraordinary lengths the film crew took to capture the footage in Life.
The BBC is the world's largest producer of natural history programs and for over 50 years has produced such notable titles as The Blue Planet and Planet Earth. BBC Earth is the global brand for all of this natural history content available on television, digital, DVD and merchandise.
Life – TV firsts and highlights
New animal behaviors
- The first filming of a humpback whale mating contest called a heat run - the largest animal battle on Earth
- Three cheetah brothers hunting together to bring down ostriches twice their size
- Stalk-eyed flies 'growing' their eyes out on long stalks
- Dolphins filmed from the air 'mudringing' - creating circles of mud to entrap fish
- Giant starfish devouring a dead giant Pacific octopus, filmed in time lapse
- Komodo dragons bringing down an animal 10 times their size – a real life drama that lasted over two weeks
- A pebble toad rolling down a mountain, bouncing like a rubber ball, to escape a tarantula
- Thousands of pink starfish, urchins and monster nemertean worms feeding on a dead seal under permanent ice in Antarctica, filmed over a month in tracking time lapse photography
- The male Vogelkop bowerbird building an ornate seduction parlor that lures in a willing mate
- A mass spider crab molt where thousands of crabs come to mate and shed their too-tight shells
- Capuchin monkeys cracking open palm nuts with rocks, while the young ones slowly learn the method from the adults
- Probably the largest gathering of polar bears ever filmed, they confront one another around a huge whale carcass
- Tiny goby make an epic journey up Hawaiian waterfalls, 400 feet high, to lay their eggs in safe pools
- Greater bulldog bats hunting fish - filmed at 2000 frames per second
- Shot at night, massive numbers of Humboldt squid cooperatively hunting for sardines
Filming techniques
- The Heli-Gimbal - the HD Heli-gimbal produces rock-steady aerials from a lens with a zoom range from 10-800mm (equivalent to 1100 mm lens with a super 16mm camera). This allowed the Life team to film a spectacular range of aerials and dramatic "zoom outs" that take viewers from intimate close-ups of individual animals to massive wide-angle scenics and allows previous unfilmable behavior to be shot from the air
- Extreme High-Speed Photography - There are now extreme high-speed digital cameras that record images at very high resolution at speeds as high as 1,000 frames per second. The main advantage of these cameras compared to high-speed film cameras is they work directly onto a hard disk which is continually recording. Previous high-speed film cameras were really only practical in studios, but these new digital cameras can be taken out into the field, allowing the Life team to record animal behavior in a totally fresh way
- Low Light Photography - Extremely sensitive color HD, low light cameras can now provide new images and insights into nocturnal behavior
- Underwater Time-Lapse Sequences - New rigs that allow HD time-lapse underwater filming in natural environments (rather than tanks) have never been possible before and deliver stunning footage of new and natural behavior in the oceans
- Macro Photography - Chip-in-the-tip cameras, remote control "Ant-cam," and super-sensitive video cameras allow new insights into the world of the smaller creatures. With full depth of field and eye-level viewpoints, they give images that no longer look like traditional macro
- Additional Breakthrough Imaging Systems - New types of microscopy, infra-red, and ultrasonic imagery took the Life team into unexplored realms, from the deep ocean to the subterranean world
Bonus Features
- Life on Location – A collection of ten production video diaries showing the extraordinary lengths the film crew took to capture the footage in Life
- Deleted Scenes
- "Music Only" viewing option
Episode Synopses
The Challenges of Life
Introducing the extraordinary things animals and plants must do in order to survive and thrive. Witness capuchin monkeys smashing open palm nuts with stone 'hammers', hippos launching from the water into the air and chameleons stealing prey from a spider's web. Sprint with cheetahs as they band together to tackle ostriches; watch dolphins form perfect rings of mud to trap fish and swim with a seal as it struggles to escape attacking killer whales in the ice of Antarctica.
Reptiles and Amphibians
From icy wastes to arid deserts, reptiles and amphibians have used their ancient, cold-blooded body plan along with sophisticated behavioral innovations to master the harshest environments on the planet. See Komodo dragons hunting buffalo, sea snakes with one of the most toxic venoms in the world that breed in caves, the seemingly suicidal leaps of a waterfall toad, the tender giant African bull frog that digs water channels to save not only its own young, but that of others too; and lizards that can walk on water.
Mammals
New filming techniques reveal behavior that was previously impossible to capture in extreme locations. Fly among one of the largest migrations on Earth, as more than ten million fruit bats leave the Congo basin and converge in a few special trees in Zambia to feed, sprint with the tiny, extraordinary-looking sengi as it escapes a predatory lizard, see 30 polar bears gather to feed on a bowhead whale carcass and witness the biggest fight on Earth - male humpback whales battling for a female.
Fish
Fish can fly, sense electricity, swim at over 100mph and even walk on land. From the open ocean to coral reef and storm-ravaged surf to the freshwater springs of Kenya, swim with sharks, mudskippers and convict fish. See the hilariously named "sarcastic fringe-head" fighting for its home territory; hunt with sailfish; glide with flying fish; enter the secret world of courting sea-dragons; and even join the epic journey of the tiny, cliff-climbing goby.
Birds
Birds are supremely adaptable, capable not only of flying at phenomenal speeds and covering great distances, but of displaying a murderous nature, running on water in pursuit of love and even of building intricate structures. Using aerial camera techniques, Life flies with the birds and explores their incredible diversity and behavior: dodging the piratical frigate birds; soaring with the lammergeyers; dancing with a thousand flamingos in the lakes of Africa; and witnessing the extraordinary displays of spatula-tailed hummingbirds, western grebes and bowerbirds as they all attempt to attract a mate.
Insects
Insects are the most diverse animal group on the planet. The key to their success is their unique ability to reshape themselves. They possess fearsome weapons, yet can display surprising tenderness and sophisticated behavior. Take to the skies with millions of monarch butterflies in Mexico, see a beetle spray boiling chemicals at its enemies, witness giant bees fight to the death over females, join the marching columns of grass cutter ants and spend a jeopardy-filled day with damsel flies.
Hunters and Hunted
Every day, in the jungles, grasslands, deserts and frozen wastelands, battles are won, fought and lost between carnivores and their prey. See cheetahs join forces to bring down an ostrich, a tiny stoat take on a rabbit ten times its size, elephant seal pups snatched from their nursery pool by a killer whale, the antics of a squirrel as it outwits a rattlesnake and at an amazing 2,000 frames per second, the strike of a bulldog bat flying at 60 mph.
Creatures of the Deep
Using specially developed underwater tracking time-lapse techniques, Life takes a journey to the unchartered corners of the ocean. It's here the newest discoveries are being made and the strangest creatures live, from huge spider crabs which gather in their thousands, seeking safety in numbers as they shed their protective shell, to cross-dressing giant squid. Join a 250-strong pack of Humboldt squid on a hunting expedition, see the ultimate self-sacrifice of a Pacific giant octopus mother who starves to death tending her young and dive under the permanent ice of Antarctica to see a seething carpet of starfish as they devour a seal pup carcass.
Plants
The drama of the plant world is impossible to view with the naked eye. But using the latest time-lapse technology, all is revealed: how a Venus flytrap snaps shut and imprisons its prey and how the animal-like grasping hooks of the cat's claw creeper and the sticky pads of the Boston ivy help in their fight for light. Fly with the seed that inspired the design of gliders, watch the fastest growing plant on Earth rocket up two feet a day and discover the water-trapping abilities of the bizarre dragon's blood tree, which oozes red sap from its branches.
Primates
Primates are uniquely intelligent - engaging in problem solving, communication, tool use and intimate social interplay. In the Congo, meet a tightly bound group of western lowland gorillas led by an ancient silverback, whose chest-beating sends shockwaves more than a mile through the undergrowth. See grey Phayre's leaf-monkey mothers in Thailand battling for the privilege to babysit bright orange newborns, encounter the violent disputes of a thousand hamadryas baboons and join chacma baboons shark egg hunting on the coast of South Africa.
The Making of Life
This special behind-the-scenes episode showcases the exhaustive, remarkable and record-breaking efforts by the Life filmmaking team to bring the breathtaking images of intimate animal and plant behavior to the screen.
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Source: Blu-ray.com |
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Blazinty
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Mar 11, 2010
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This is complete and utter crap. Im not going to import something I can't play but I am also not going to listen to Oprah Winfrey. Complete and utter disapointment. Bad move warner should have used Attenborough's naration for this. Was Planet Earth a complete flop or something? |
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goforwand123
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Mar 11, 2010
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Amazon.com has the BBC version with Sir David Attenborough available for preorder, though no release date is yet given. You are right, I am very disappointed in Discovery Channel. You know, nobody would watch it unless there is a well known person as narrator like Oprah. And I hear she will be announcing that everyone watching gets a new car one of the nights it is broadcast. I can't stand her. |
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wesslan
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Mar 11, 2010
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UK is the only way to go. Never want to miss Attenborough and most modern displays do 50Hz today. |
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BluBrown
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Mar 11, 2010
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This isn't much of an announcement.....or am I just missing something. When the hell does it come out? Not that I really care I guess because I'm gonna import the UK version now....to hell with Oprah. She is the worst! |
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PossumPete
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Mar 11, 2010
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Thanks for the link, ian. This way I won't have to mute the whole thing. |
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ian-b
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Mar 11, 2010
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I would like to reassure those who are worried about the commentary on this release. the version being released here, is the David Attenborough version. The Oprah winfrey version is being released separately, from the Discovery Channel shop website.
The BBC america Blu-ray release is the same version as released here in the UK. Incidentally, this item is advertised on amazon.com as the "David Attenborough version"
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Narrated-David-Attenborough-Blu-ray/dp/B002UXRGM0?tag=bluray-029-20 |
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PossumPete
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Mar 11, 2010
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Yeah cause Oprah and Obama both start with the letter "O". Don't get me started on the bastards over at Overstock.com. |
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liquidice
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Mar 11, 2010
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I think they will have a version with Atten-whats-his-face available in the US. I'll wait for that. |
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ian-b
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Mar 11, 2010
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The BBC UK release of "Life", is 50 Hz. But the US BBC release (with David Attenborough) is NOT 50Hz. The US version is 60Hz, but all of the episodes, features, and narration are the same as the UK version. |
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Steve46
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Mar 11, 2010
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Thanks Ian. I'll definitely be picking this up. |
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RBBrittain
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Mar 11, 2010
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Shame on all of you who insisted this was the Oprah-narrated version before the post was updated to clarify. If you knew Planet Earth (which this project is related to), you'd certainly have known the BBC release (even the U.S. version, which obviously won't be 1080i50) has the original Attenborough narration; only the Discovery Channel version--broadcast OR their disc--has the celebrity narrator (Sigourney Weaver then, Oprah now). I know that, and I don't even own Planet Earth.
(Edit: Yes, I agree it's confusing; but that's because the Beeb's announcement coincides with its Discovery Channel premiere. They still have to promote the Oprah version on cable while selling the Attenborough version on BD.)
Not to mention those who turned Oprah into political commentary; that itself is inappropriate. This site is about Blu-ray, not politics. |
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JurassicMass88
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Mar 11, 2010
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So this is just like the whole Planet Earth Blu-ray. If you want the best version, with the best narration (David Attenborough), then make sure you buy BBC's Life on Blu-ray from anywhere except Discovery Channel's Store. End of story.
By the way, it is an extra $20 (on the Discovery Channel Store Site) for the Oprah narrated version...which sucks anyways...so save your money and go with Attenborough. |
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RBBrittain
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Mar 11, 2010
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@JurassicMass88: Exactly, assuming the Discovery Channel doesn't try to release its version to other stores, which probably would violate their deal with the BBC. Considering how Planet Earth turned out, I'm sure the Beeb wants most of the BD revenue for itself; the way to do that is with Attenborough, since the BD market will buy it because of Planet Earth. Discovery Channel, OTOH, needs to bring in the unwashed masses to watch it (and its commercials) on cable; that's why they need celebrity narrators. |
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Dicmatic
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Mar 11, 2010
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"Not to mention those who turned Oprah into political commentary; that itself is inappropriate. This site is about Blu-ray, not politics."
Thank you RBBrittian... |
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tomrowe125
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Mar 11, 2010
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I might have missed this in the press release- will this have a lossless soundtrack? Dolby Digital did sound nice on Planet Earth- but TrueHD/DTS HD MA would be even better for Life! |
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reidw
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Mar 11, 2010
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Hello from Canada:
I've become a member of this site because I want to let my American friends know about this new series. It played in Canada last fall shortly after it premiered in the UK. The word to describe it is magnificent. If you thought Planet Earth was good then you're going to blown away by this series. Image quality is even better than Planet Earth. It's a more intimate look than Planet Earth with more emphasis on closeups rather wide panoramic shots. I don't know what kind of lenses the BBC used but they are just amazing for their clarity and detail. This series is a high def treat. Sadly, it is also rumoured to be Attenborough's final documentary for the BBC.
I envy all of you who will be seeing it on Discovery for the first time. Enjoy! |
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iraino
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Mar 11, 2010
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I always like the Discovery Channel art better than the BBC art like on Planet Earth. I rather hear Oprah narrate than David Attenborough. Although, I rather hear Sigourney Weaver narrate the series than both of them. I'll be picking this up when it goes on sale! |
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