The open ocean proved more difficult and over 400 days were spent in often unsuccessful filming trips. The camera team spent three years on standby, using a microlight to land on the water nearby when they finally caught up with the creatures in the Gulf of California. The producers were helped by marine scientists all over the world with state-of-the-art equipment.īlue whales – whose migration routes were previously unknown – were located by air, after some of the animals had been given temporary radio tags. Besides witnessing some animal behaviours for the first time, the crew also observed some that were new to science. The fact that most of the ocean environment remains a mystery presented the production team with many challenges. The series took almost five years to make, involving nearly 200 filming locations. Attenborough narrated this series before presenting the next in his 'Life' series of programmes, The Life of Mammals (2002), and the same production team created Planet Earth (2006).Ī sequel series, Blue Planet II was aired on BBC One in 2017. The executive producer was Alastair Fothergill and the music was composed by George Fenton. The series won a number of Emmy and BAFTA TV awards for its music and cinematography. The underwater photography included creatures and behaviour that had previously never been filmed. It is narrated by David Attenborough.ĭescribed as "the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world's oceans", each of the eight 50-minute episodes examines a different aspect of marine life. It premiered on 12 September 2001 in the United Kingdom. In short, wondrous.The Blue Planet is a British nature documentary series created and co-produced by the BBC and Discovery Channel. One roots for the animals, whether prey or predator. Instead, it feels like its own individual story with real, complex emotions and conflicts. Picking standout scenes is hard, but the abyssal plain/trenches stuff is fascinating (the DSV Alvin also provides interest) and the grey whale remains sequence is this episode's contribution to the emotionally shocking moments of the series. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more. Attenborough's narration helps quite significantly too, he clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. There are things already known to me, still delivered with a lot of freshness, but there was a lot that was quite an education and after watching the full series it honestly felt like the series taught me a lot, especially with the never captured on film Dumbo octopus and the hairy anglerfish. Can't fault the narrative aspects in "The Deep" either. Some of my favourite work from him in fact, coming from someone who's liked a lot of what he's done. It not only complements the visuals but enhances them to a greater level. George Fenton's music score soars majestically, rousing the spirits while touching the soul. Standing out even more is the photography, never before or since 'The Blue Planet' has there been more stunning underwater sequences. It has gorgeous scenery and rich colours, while the animals and marine life are captured in all their glory. Visually, "The Deep" is a wonder, same with all the series' episodes and Attenborough's work in general. All of that is present here in "The Deep". 'The Blue Planet' is the perfect example of a documentary, or anything actually, that transfixed, fascinated, moved and educated me when first viewed and still does. Like "Ocean World" received two awards for cinematography and music, "The Deep" was nominated for two Emmys for Sound Mixing and Editing, both more than worthy nominations. The sense of wonder seen in "Ocean World" can be seen just as much in "The Deep". To me, the series overall is wholly deserving of its acclaim and the individual episodes are rated far too low. As said in my reviews for the individual episodes of 'Frozen Planet', it is a shame that despite being one of IMDb's highest rated shows, the ratings here for each episode individually has such a wide divide between them and that for the show overall. It is also one of his most ground-breaking, in that it's the first comprehensive series of oceanic natural history and including and exploring creatures and their behaviour that had never been seen before. It leaves me in complete and utter awe every time, with how much is learnt about all the different seas and marine inhabitants and how it all looks visually. 'The Blue Planet' is one of my favourites of his. He has done so many treasures and even his lesser output of a long and consistently impressive career is still good. David Attenborough, as has been said many times, is wholly deserving of being called a national treasure, although it is a term he happens to not like.
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