Am a big fan of nature documentaries, especially the work of David Attenborough. Having been recommended 'Wild Brazil' through Amazon and here with the high rating, it was instantly put down on my list as a must see. Also heard nothing but praise for it, which has nearly always been a good sign, so that further sparked interest, as well as having loved a lot of the BBC 'Wild...' series.
'Wild Brazil' is as good as others on Amazon have said, once getting past what is said about the subtitles, and there is not much to add, actually feeling much more than just a documentary. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where at its absolutely best one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. To me 'Wild Brazil' is completely deserving of its praise, should have lasted longer than the mere three episodes it lasted.
It is a shame that the subtitles on the DVD are distracting, but there is really not much to fault here.
It is hard knowing when to start with the praise. 'Wild Brazil' for starters looks amazing, reasons enough to make book a trip to see the more naturalistic parts of Brazil. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals and humans), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life. The rich colours just leap out and the scenery from this part of the world has rarely looked more beautiful. The music here is a remarkably good fit, throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them and there is an authentic flavour to it.
What of the narrative and information aspects? Can't fault 'Wild Brazil' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful with lots of insight, a tremendous respect for the subject and an intimate approach that works just right.
From start to finish, 'Wild Brazil' managed to intrigue and illuminate, and there is a freshness to the material, not feeling derivative of anything. The narration is delivered articulately, there's an enthusiasm and precision about the delivery and it never feels preachy and always lets the scenery and such speak for itself.
The wildlife themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable and the dangerous, and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. There is a good deal of suspense and emotional impact. There are some scenes where one is amazed that they managed to be filmed in the first place.
In all the three episodes, 'Wild Brazil' feels much more than a series and it doesn't feel episodic or repetitive. The episodes instead feel like their own story, without being too reliant on that approach, with real, complex emotions and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.
Overall, excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox
