Am somebody who loves David Attenborough and his work and always will do. His best work is some of the best ever produced, in the documentary genre and overall, and he deserves to be called a national treasure regardless of how he feels about it. He is pretty much unbeatable when it comes to nature documentaries and documentaries in general and is one of my heroes.
Attenborough's filmography for me is a rare case of having nothing bad in it, something that is a rarity, and it is very difficult to pick a favourite when there are so many contenders for that title (still don't know what my favourite is). 'The Life of Birds' is still by any standards a masterpiece, in terms of documentaries about birds it's ground-breaking and it's a superb documentary in its own right. It has everything that makes so much of his work so wonderful and deserves everything great that has been said about it.
Dealing this time with birds dwelling in rivers and oceans and the methods they use to hunt and get food, "Fishing for a Living" does not disappoint.
"Fishing for a Living" as always for 'The Life of Birds' looks wonderful, done in a natural and intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the birds), way, never does it feel static. Its remarkably near-cinematic look makes one forget that it is a series. The editing flows smoothly and coherently and the scenery is gorgeous. Animation is also brought into the mix, not only does it hold up well it also is used sensibly, making an impact without being over-used and never jars.
Can't fault the music, it is never overly grandiose while never being inappropriately placed or over-bearing. There has been the issue with music being intrusive in some documentaries seen recently, Attenborough's work not exempted, but it was not a problem here.
Once again, "Fishing for a Living" does a wonderful job with the entertaining, educating and transfixing. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown, written and presented with sensitivity and tact. It is all well-researched and backed up, speculation and too much storytelling are traps easily fallen into but not fallen into here. Likewise with the different species themselves, with more lesser known ones to me than the previous two episodes, the information presented was illuminating and saw any familiar ones in a different light. Nice to see familiar ones such as the kingfisher, but the egret and skimmers were presented in a way that was new to me and it was a great sight seeing the dive-bombing shoals en masse.
Instrumental as to why his work is so popular and so highly regarded is Attenborough himself. He clearly knows what he is talking about and knows what to say, when to say and how to say it. He delivers sincerely and enthusiastically as always, is understated yet always riveting, never preachy.
The birds themselves are great to watch, whether more vulnerable or as predators, and their traits are wide ranging, that makes them interesting and rootable without making them too human, a good thing. The prey are not bland and the predators not too scary, the most impression for the latter being the darter. There is a lot of content and a lot is covered, yet it doesn't feel like there is too much content and too hastily paced, easy traps for anything of a short length.
There is a smoothness, cohesion and emotional impact and it doesn't feel episodic. The over-speculation and fact compromising in favour of telling a story without backing things up traps are not fallen into, and both are easily done and have been in documentaries.
Overall, brilliant as to be expected. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Attenborough's filmography for me is a rare case of having nothing bad in it, something that is a rarity, and it is very difficult to pick a favourite when there are so many contenders for that title (still don't know what my favourite is). 'The Life of Birds' is still by any standards a masterpiece, in terms of documentaries about birds it's ground-breaking and it's a superb documentary in its own right. It has everything that makes so much of his work so wonderful and deserves everything great that has been said about it.
Dealing this time with birds dwelling in rivers and oceans and the methods they use to hunt and get food, "Fishing for a Living" does not disappoint.
"Fishing for a Living" as always for 'The Life of Birds' looks wonderful, done in a natural and intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the birds), way, never does it feel static. Its remarkably near-cinematic look makes one forget that it is a series. The editing flows smoothly and coherently and the scenery is gorgeous. Animation is also brought into the mix, not only does it hold up well it also is used sensibly, making an impact without being over-used and never jars.
Can't fault the music, it is never overly grandiose while never being inappropriately placed or over-bearing. There has been the issue with music being intrusive in some documentaries seen recently, Attenborough's work not exempted, but it was not a problem here.
Once again, "Fishing for a Living" does a wonderful job with the entertaining, educating and transfixing. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown, written and presented with sensitivity and tact. It is all well-researched and backed up, speculation and too much storytelling are traps easily fallen into but not fallen into here. Likewise with the different species themselves, with more lesser known ones to me than the previous two episodes, the information presented was illuminating and saw any familiar ones in a different light. Nice to see familiar ones such as the kingfisher, but the egret and skimmers were presented in a way that was new to me and it was a great sight seeing the dive-bombing shoals en masse.
Instrumental as to why his work is so popular and so highly regarded is Attenborough himself. He clearly knows what he is talking about and knows what to say, when to say and how to say it. He delivers sincerely and enthusiastically as always, is understated yet always riveting, never preachy.
The birds themselves are great to watch, whether more vulnerable or as predators, and their traits are wide ranging, that makes them interesting and rootable without making them too human, a good thing. The prey are not bland and the predators not too scary, the most impression for the latter being the darter. There is a lot of content and a lot is covered, yet it doesn't feel like there is too much content and too hastily paced, easy traps for anything of a short length.
There is a smoothness, cohesion and emotional impact and it doesn't feel episodic. The over-speculation and fact compromising in favour of telling a story without backing things up traps are not fallen into, and both are easily done and have been in documentaries.
Overall, brilliant as to be expected. 10/10 Bethany Cox
