Best of Europe: The British Isles Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Best of Europe: The British Isles Blu-ray Movie Review

Jolly good.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 6, 2011

Despite the obvious affinities and long forged bonds between the United States and the United Kingdom, there’s still a shocking lack of knowledge about the two countries shared between natives of each land. Traveling to the UK and discussing what state you come from, especially if it’s not a “biggie” like California or New York, may bring looks of consternation from British “cousins.” On the other hand, it’s no secret that Americans are fairly sanguine about their ignorance of the various ins and outs of British history, and in fact few aside from history buffs would probably be able to discuss with any thoroughness the history of the British Empire or even the various countries that make up the United Kingdom. Rudy Maxa is there to help on this latest Questar release which is made up of individual episodes of his Travels with Rudy Maxa television series, here repackaged under the catch-all title Best of Europe. Best of Europe: The British Isles compiles four Maxa episodes that visit a number of interesting locations, including London and environs, Scotland and Ireland. Maxa manages to work in interesting bits about the culture and history of each land within the general context of his acting as tour guide for spots of interest that any tourist would want to check out. Incredibly scenic at times and almost always interestingly informative, Best of Europe: The British Isles will act as a nice refuge for armchair travelers unable to journey themselves as well as a great introduction for those who may be about to hop across the pond to visit ancient lands and cultures.

The four episodes included on this Blu-ray are:

London

Maxa’s take on this episode is that London can rightfully be described as the near perfect combination of old and new. That combo gets off to a fun filled start as the staid old boat tour moves into the 21st century with a jetboat journey up the Thames. Though London is rightfully thought of as one of the world’s leading centers of finance and culture, and boasts a population of many millions of people, Maxa concentrates on the various neighborhoods that make up the city at large. Each neighborhood is like its own separate village in many ways. Maxa tours everything from Soho on the west to Camden Town on the north, as well as central London itself. One of his more interesting segments deals with the London Eye, the gigantic Ferris Wheel-like object that was constructed as part of the millennium festivities that were part of the huge European celebration of the dawn of the 21st century. Interestingly, the architect team who built the Eye had actually lost the official contest to erect some sort of monolith commemorating the celebration, but they decided to proceed with the project themselves, encountering both logistical difficulties and funding headaches. The eye weighs an incredible 1600 tons and stands 443 feet high. Maxa also reviews the devastation caused by the Great London Fire and how that resulted in the entire city being rebuilt out of brick and stone, hopefully to help ward off any future calamities. That leads Maxa to Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral, which eschewed the then traditional Gothic style for one modeled more after the late Renaissance. Wren’s decision to cap the cathedral with a dome rather than a steeple was something of a scandal in its day, though now of course it provides London with one of its most iconic structures. Maxa also visits the buildings in and around Westminster, discussing the houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands

Maxa journeys to Scotland for this beautiful episode, which begins with a great ride aboard the Jacobite Steam Train. If the train looks familiar, it’s because it was used as the model for the Hogwart’s Express in the Harry Potter films, and Maxa avers that riding it is indeed a magical experience. The train itself is incredibly beautiful, but it moves through an awe inspiring series of landscapes, stunning lakes and heather filled hills and dales. Maxa, in moving through this evocative landscape, repeats the legendary words of Scotland’s poet laureate Robert Burns, “My heart’s in the highlands wherever I go.” The train’s name leads Maxa into a brief overview of the Jacobite rebellion, a group of Catholic believers who wanted to return Scotland to Catholic Stuart rule, something they of course wouldn’t have minded had it spread to England as well. They were defeated and many of them were exiled from their native land, with wealthy Protestant sheep farmers moving in to take over their ancestral lands. The highlands boast a population of a mere average eight inhabitant per square kilometer, so it is a land of open spaces, many of which are caught beautifully in this episode. Maxa also visits a Highland Games tournament, where a variety of odd but interesting competitions are under way. On his way to Edinburgh Maxa drops by the Eilean Dolan Castle, which film lovers may recognize from any number of films, including Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The last part of this episode is devoted to Scotland’s glorious capital city, Edinburgh, which has an iconic castle built on a volcanic outcropping towering over the city. Every day at one o’clock a cannon is fired from the castle, a practice that was initially started so that ships could accurately set their clocks. The episode closes with a fun look at the world’s largest celebration of the arts, the Edinburgh Festival, which features all sorts of street performers taking over the streets of the ancient city.

Ireland’s West Coast

Maxa quotes the old adage “A little bit o’ heaven fell from the sky one day” to describe the celestial wonders of western Ireland, and this episode is indeed one of the prettier outings on this set. Maxa’s journeys this time take him from Galway to the famous Aran Islands to the eerie outpost of Burren to the forests of Killarney and then finally on to the Dingle Peninsula. This episode features everything from pounding surf crashing into ancient cliffsides to calmer locales filled with gorgeous green fields and lush flowers. The long and troubled history between the English and the Irish rears its ugly head in something as seemingly banal as the founding of Galway. In the 13th century fourteen Anglo-Norman families, now known as the Tribes of Galway, moved in, forcing the native Irish out, and building a huge wall around the city, vestiges of which still can be spotted around the city. Galway is now a city of incredibly brightly painted buildings and it is also home to the Galway Irish Crystal Heritage Center, where we get to see some lovely cut crystal glasswork, as well as some glass artisans working on various works of art. From the urban center of Galway Maxa takes a huge step backward in time to the Aran Islands, a remote location where tradition is still alive and well. Many of the islanders still speak Irish, live in thatched huts and get around the island with horse drawn carriages. One of the more interesting locations visited by Maxa on the islands is the ancient stone fortress of Dun Aengus, a gigantic structure whose origins are shrouded in mystery. In a land filled to the brim with living history, Maxa also visits a number of ancient sites, some natural and some manmade, including Aillwee Cave and Bunratty Castle.

Out of London

This episode actually bears the title English Countryside, but either way, this is a nice overview of a few locations within easy driving distance of London, including Stonehenge, Oxford and Winchester. Along the way Maxa also visits Hampton Court, Cardinal Wolsey’s home which he ceded to King Henry in an attempt to gain back the King’s good graces. King Henry ended up with the mansion, where he lived with Anne Boleyn, but Wolsey suffered a more ignominious fate unfortunately. Hampton Court features the oldest surviving Tudor kitchens in existence and they are fully fitted with wares that would have been used in King Henry’s time. Maxa then moves north to Oxford, home to the oldest university in England. Oxford got its name because in days of yore it was where oxen used to ford the Thames River. Maxa, who starts this episode by recounting famous names of English literature and their love for the British landscape, spends a little bit of time in Oxford discussing Lewis Carroll. He also visits the candy shop where the real life Alice Liddell used to buy her sweets. Maxa then moves on to one of the most iconic structures in the whole world, let alone Britain: Stonehenge. Maxa gives a very quick overview of the structure, detailing its history and the various competing theories about how it may have been utilized by ancient religious groups. Maxa closes out this episode with a visit to the City of Winchester, nicknamed the City of Kings. In fact in the time of Alfred the Great, Winchester was in fact the royal home, and it continued to hold that prestigious claim through William the Conqueror’s era. King Arthur is also discussed in this sequence as Winchester is home to a mysterious round table which may in fact have been part of Camelot.

Best of Europe: The British Isles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Despite being an interlaced presentation, Best of Europe: The British Isle's AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1 looks really nicely sharp and detailed almost all of the time. The many splendid locations Maxa visits are rendered with sometimes astounding color and a wealth of detail, especially with regard to close-ups of the floral life. There are some niggling moments of aliasing here and there as well as a bit of crush to report in some dimly lit scenes, as in several taken inside dark locations like caves or pubs, but otherwise this is a largely artifact free presentation. The image is sharp and clear, with amazing depth of field in the shots of wide vistas.

Best of Europe: The British Isles Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As has been the case with other Best of Europe releases, this Blu-ray is fitted with only a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. The track does fine as far as it goes, but these episodes are filled with a variety of great music, including some wonderful Irish bands, and it sure would have been great to have been able to hear these sequences in the very least uncompressed stereo, if not an actual surround track. Otherwise, though, this is largely a narrated or on-screen voiced affair, with Maxa and occasional interview subjects offering their commentary on various locations. As such, the Dolby Digital 2.0 track suffices perfectly well. It's certainly not exciting, but it will do until something better (and lossless) comes along.

Best of Europe: The British Isles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements per se are included on the Blu-ray. As is standard with most Questar releases, a DVD and digital copy are also included.

Best of Europe: The British Isles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Best of Europe: The British Isles is another engaging outing with affable host Rudy Maxa, and this compilation of four television episodes is further elevated by featuring some incredibly scenic locations. Questar Blu-rays are still feeling their way, and so there are some awkward authoring elements, including having to exit to the main menu after each episode, and not being able to chapter skip through the last segment of each episode or the unskippable "also available" trailer that appends each episode. Lossy audio is something else that may put off potential consumers. But for those wanting a gorgeous and informative tour through several really fascinating locations, this is an excellent disc, and with the above caveats noted, is Recommended.