First Eden (Repackaged) [DVD]

I awarded this vidoe five stars because David Attenborough has that wonderfull skill of communicating his feelings and knowlege. being very educated in your chosen subject is one thing, being able to put that over to others is another. David Attenborough has that ability.Although this series goes back a little, it is still a wonderfull insight into the the Mediterranean world, the people that lived and moved around it, and how the sea and the land around it, effected their lives.A very interesting and educational video.

Attenborough does it again. This is totally biased, as I am a great fan of his. This series was unknown to me, having never seen it in America. I found the relationships between the natural world and the ancient civilizations quite interesting. It really educated me on the evolution of the Mediterranean, and in a very entertaining way. Some beautiful photography and the usual superlative narrative.

I am not that big an Attenborough fan, but in this series from 1987 he does more than remark on natural history, but expands his insight and commentary to include man. There are four 55-minute episodes presented in their original 4:3 ratio.It is a shame that only five minutes is spent of the opening episode in explaining the geological creation of the Mediterranean. But Attenborough’s coverage of its flora and fauna covers virtually every part: from Morocco in the west to Turkey in the east; from Egypt in the south to France in the north; and many of the islands inbetween. All countries with a shoreline feature except three: Algeria, Lebanon, and Albania.Mammals, reptiles, birds, fish (indigenous and migratory) all feature, along with many examples of the Mediterranean’s flora. Each is of interest in their own right, but there is often a lack of cohesion as we move from one to another, especially in the opening episode, ‘The Making of the Garden’.Early man appears on the scene towards the end of this first episode. In episode two – ‘The Gods Enslaved’ – Attenborough muses on man’s husbanding of animal resources ten thousand years ago along with the subsequent rise of the first civilisations and their worship of the tamed bull. The cultivation of olives and wine and the harvesting of fish are also featured, but it is the cult of the bull that is predominant, remaining a feature of human life up to and beyond the arrival of Christianity. But where nature was once seen as divine, now it is man; and the natural world suffered.If the bull dominates episode two, it is the horse in the next, titled ‘The Wastes of War’, when the Mediterranean almost became an Islamic lake. This was a time when horsemanship was supreme, peacocks paraded in gardens, and pigeons were bred for food. But the wastes of war also witnessed the denudation of forests and woods by man in order to construct navies.The final episode is depressing. ‘Strangers in the Garden’ at first looks at new species introduced to the sea and its littoral, but the real pest is man. Not just the depredations of modern tourism – and Attenborough is here rightly scathing of the ludicrous forms modern tourism takes – but also the problems of overfishing, and of the pollution in myriad forms. Have things got better over the last twenty to thirty years? Alas, there are no extras on this DVD set to tell us.

I have been waiting for this series to be released for years, having the original hardback & paperback books. As well as an interesting biogeographical history of the Mediterranean, this series is a foray for Attenborough into anthropology, examining cave art and the changing role of animals in human society, from gods and spirits to objects of domestication.

Anybody who is interested in both History and Nature will find this series a gem! it is an old production, but that doesn't make it any less interesting to me. Subtitles are very welcome. An extremely interesting narrative, on the Med in particular. Attenborough has habit of making things interesting, and he doesn't talk down to you.

David Attenborough's work is incomprehensible due to an inaudible sound track and desintegrating images- Not the kind of quality to be expected from the BBC.!

Need I say any more than Attenborough? Have been a fan of his Natural History programmes since I was a small boy and his latest work just gets better and better. For delivery, enthusiasm and his keenness to inform and entertain the viewer there is simply nobody better.

The Med, has always been a seductive mystery to me. This series has been very insightful and has gave me a deeper understanding of the Med. It is now rather dated, though some facts still remain current. A remake of this series, 20 years on would be a great jewel - Call it The First Eden Revisited. With today, stunning High-Def photography, David would be able to give a great new life to this series.For example the Bald Northern Ibis, were actually thought be extinct right up to 2002-3, but has been recently found in 2006 and radio tagged. And to describe what the ravages of was in MidEast in 1990-91 and current wars are effecting the Med.

Parfait, seulement en Anglais

Un excelente documental, narrado de Sir David Attenborough de BBC para los que no le importa que es solo en INGLES. Lo pongo en mayusculas que lo tengan claro que es solo ingles, lo demas excelente t muy interesante.

Amazing documentaryPretty old but still very much enjoyableFor all those who love the Mediterranean history and nature