David Attenborough, in his long, distinguished and remarkably consistent career, has been nothing short of a national treasure. He may apparently dislike the term, but it is hard to not say that about such a great presenter who has contributed significantly to some of the best programmes (of the documentary genre and overall) the BBC has ever aired/produced and with an output where even lesser efforts like 'The Penguin King' are good still.
Like has been said before, picking favourites from a consistently good to masterpiece body of work from a national treasure with a long and distinguished career is very difficult. Is 'Life in the Freezer' among the best and most ground-breaking work Attenborough has ever done? No, but even when Attenborough was not at his very best he and the programmes in question still put most other documentaries to shame.
As brilliant 'Life in the Freezer' is, it doesn't end on as big a high that it could, and should, have done with "Footsteps in the Snow". On its own, "Footsteps in the Snow" is very well made, informative and engaging, covering its human exploration and everything with Robert Falcon Scott very well.
Judging it as a 'Life in the Freezer' episode, and especially for the final one, one can't help feeling let down. Was informed and engaged by it certainly, just didn't connect with emotionally as with the previous five episodes when it was focusing on the animals, different regions and struggles and adaptations to the different seasons. It also doesn't fit particularly well within the series' main theme, almost tacked on, and it would have fared better as a one off documentary.
That is not to say "Footsteps in the Snow" is a bad episode. As indicated already it isn't, it's very well done in its own right and has a vast majority of the strengths of what makes 'Life in the Freezer' so good as a series. It's just that it is hard to not have wanted much more in terms of feeling like a series finale (which it didn't really) and it being a good fit with the rest of the series.
However, "Footsteps in the Snow" looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (in a way where one feels closer to the animals) way and one actually has to check as to whether it was made for TV because the production values are so cinematic. The editing is always succinct and smooth and the scenery is stunningly majestic. The music also has a cinematic quality that doesn't overbear what's going on, instead enhancing the impact and sounding beautiful as music in its own right.
Again, like so many Attenborough nature/wildlife documentary series and individual episodes, "Footsteps in the Snow" fascinates, teaches, moves, entertains and transfixes. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown, some facts being familiar to us while also dealing with very complex and very much relevant issues with tact.
Narration by Attenborough helps significantly. He clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. 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. As hoped, what we're told is detailed, comprehensive and very honest.
Concluding, very good on its own, somewhat underwhelming as a last episode and in context of the series as an overall whole. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Like has been said before, picking favourites from a consistently good to masterpiece body of work from a national treasure with a long and distinguished career is very difficult. Is 'Life in the Freezer' among the best and most ground-breaking work Attenborough has ever done? No, but even when Attenborough was not at his very best he and the programmes in question still put most other documentaries to shame.
As brilliant 'Life in the Freezer' is, it doesn't end on as big a high that it could, and should, have done with "Footsteps in the Snow". On its own, "Footsteps in the Snow" is very well made, informative and engaging, covering its human exploration and everything with Robert Falcon Scott very well.
Judging it as a 'Life in the Freezer' episode, and especially for the final one, one can't help feeling let down. Was informed and engaged by it certainly, just didn't connect with emotionally as with the previous five episodes when it was focusing on the animals, different regions and struggles and adaptations to the different seasons. It also doesn't fit particularly well within the series' main theme, almost tacked on, and it would have fared better as a one off documentary.
That is not to say "Footsteps in the Snow" is a bad episode. As indicated already it isn't, it's very well done in its own right and has a vast majority of the strengths of what makes 'Life in the Freezer' so good as a series. It's just that it is hard to not have wanted much more in terms of feeling like a series finale (which it didn't really) and it being a good fit with the rest of the series.
However, "Footsteps in the Snow" looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (in a way where one feels closer to the animals) way and one actually has to check as to whether it was made for TV because the production values are so cinematic. The editing is always succinct and smooth and the scenery is stunningly majestic. The music also has a cinematic quality that doesn't overbear what's going on, instead enhancing the impact and sounding beautiful as music in its own right.
Again, like so many Attenborough nature/wildlife documentary series and individual episodes, "Footsteps in the Snow" fascinates, teaches, moves, entertains and transfixes. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown, some facts being familiar to us while also dealing with very complex and very much relevant issues with tact.
Narration by Attenborough helps significantly. He clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. 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. As hoped, what we're told is detailed, comprehensive and very honest.
Concluding, very good on its own, somewhat underwhelming as a last episode and in context of the series as an overall whole. 8/10 Bethany Cox
