Beautiful Planet: Germany & Austria Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

Beautiful Planet: Germany & Austria Blu-ray Movie Review

Poor narration disrupts an otherwise appealing travelogue.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 30, 2012

Much as with cinema, there are degrees of excellence of the Geographical/Natural Documentary. There are the big boys -- the staple series like Planet Earth -- and then second-tier titles like Grand Canyon Adventure. Fluffier material such as 3D Safari Africa and strictly educational fare such as the National Parks Exploration Series round out the top two-thirds where the great-good-watchable-worthwhile material exists. Near the bottom but not at the absolute lowest level is a program like "Beautiful Planet." This is a point-and-shoot series that tours locations from France to Portugal, England to Germany. Rather than highlight the places everyone knows about, "Beautiful Planet" instead tours lesser-known but historically and architecturally-rich cities that aren't always highlighted on tourist maps but that have a lot to offer the curious traveler, burgeoning scholar, or armchair sightseer. The program deals largely with architectural style and history. There are some wonderful visuals to behold, but the series is nearly ruined by astoundingly awful narration and dry scripts that, along with bland lower-grade HD video photography, nearly eliminate all of the other positives.

One of the many locales seen in this edition of the "Beautiful Planet" series.

Kudos to the "Beautiful Planet" series for taking audiences to hotspots not normally highlighted, but the series certainly has much, much room for improvement. Photography is of the unimaginative variety, with static shots and slight pans defining the entire experience. Either light classical music or cheesy elevator tunes play in the backgrounds in support of the visuals and under the narration. Speaking of, that narration is a program killer. The "Beautiful Planet" series has been negatively defined by its truly awful narration, and these Germany and Austria segments are no different. There are three different speakers, the first of whom sounds robotic and unnatural. She's difficult to understand at best. There's no flow, a terrible cadence, and an obvious lack of understanding of English pronunciation and nuance. There's odd emphasis on various words and syllables and a general lack of clarity, which becomes even more problematic when pronouncing foreign words and complex names. Audiences will tire of this narration in early goings. The second and third speakers improve on the first considerably, but still speak with a rather dry, lifeless cadence. The plus side is heightened intelligibility and clarity. There are some truly fascinating places to see and things to learn in the series, but "Beautiful Planet" definitely needs a new narrator and a better script.

Below is a glimpse into some of what's to be seen in the Germany and Austria segments.

Germany (1:58:07): The program begins at Reichenau Isle, a center for European culture and politics. Much of the area's rich history has been preserved, including the critical monastic tradition. The area is home to vineyards and vegetable gardens. Since 2001, it has been a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) heritage site. Highlighted is the work of founder St. Pirmin and the history of the churches on the island. Next is Würzburg, situated on the Main River. It's a Central German city in a rich wine producing area. The location combines old architecture and modern comforts. This segment looks at the history of the churches in the city, its wine production, a famed local fortress, and more. The city of Bamberg is the next stop. The film again examines the old town and its 1,000 years of architecture and history. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Heavily examined is the "Little Venice" area and the history of the local churches and their construction and design. Last is Speyer, an ancient imperial city on the Rhine. This segment focuses almost exclusively on the history of the landmark Speyer cathedral.

Austria (54:24): Film two begins in the Central Austrian city of Hallstatt, a riverside community in the Alpine region of Austria. The area is known for its scientifically important natural landscape. In 1997, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The film examines the town's 150-year-old museum which houses important artifacts from the area. Next is Schönbrunn, the head of the Royal Hapsburg Empire. Examined is the massive palace of the same name, a UNESCO Cultural Site. Studied is the palace's construction, furnishings, history, art, and grounds.

Beautiful Planet: Germany & Austria Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beautiful Planet - Germany & Austria features a workmanlike high definition transfer. The image is usually soft and not particularly vibrant. The HD video photography doesn't really impress or do justice to the locations. It's rather sterile and flat, uninspired and only really looks good in those close-up shots of heavily textured stone, brick, and wood elements. Medium and distance shots never quite find much in the way of complex detailing. Manmade elements hold up well enough, but natural greens and vegetation look smeary and indistinct. Colors never truly impress, looking a hair faded and hardly brilliant even in the most colorful stretches. There's some noise, blocky backgrounds, and scattered edge halos. This is hardly the cream of the Blu-ray crop when it comes to Documentary product, but considering the overall poor quality of the release, the mediocre video presentation is one of the best attributes.

Beautiful Planet: Germany & Austria Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Beautiful Planet - Germany & Austria arrives on Blu-ray with a bland Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. There are merely two elements to this track: narration and music. The former is more a victim to the sometimes unintelligible, oftentimes unbalanced narration. The track delivers said narration as it is spoken; clarity is more dependent on the speaker than the quality of the track. Music plays with fair space and accuracy, whether famed classical pieces or out-of-place elevator music. It's overwhelming at higher volumes; most listeners will want to crank the sound down from their usual spot for this one. Both the dialogue and music can be boomy but never absolutely unkempt. Basic clarity remains intact throughout, but this is a simple, no-frills sort of soundtrack and nothing more.

Beautiful Planet: Germany & Austria Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Beautiful Planet - Germany & Austria contains no bonus features.

Beautiful Planet: Germany & Austria Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beautiful Planet - Germany & Austria -- and the entire series -- offers audiences some interesting, if not grossly over-detailed, accounts of the history and architecture of some of the world's most interesting places that aren't exactly on the A-list tour guide sheet. Unfortunately, low production values, dry scripts, and awful narration hinder what might otherwise be a serviceable series. It's too bland for classroom use; even art history and architecture professors would be hard-pressed to stay awake for this series. As for watching it for fun? The narration makes that nearly impossible. Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Beautiful Planet - Germany & Austria features acceptable video, low-grade audio, and no supplements. Skip it.