Anytime you read that this is the “best of” something, your mind expects some sort of rehash from a previous product. We wish that subtitle had not been used because this excellent video contains little footage from previous DVDs. OK, that marketing lesson aside, let’s get to the meat of the DVD.
First off, Marc is using part of the DVD proceeds to promote AIDS awareness and give aid to Africa. Anyone who has taken a safari in Africa will agree that the average camp assistant, tracker, or gunbearer in Africa is hard working and does his best to the safari a success. These people deserve our support. To help, Marc Watts has teamed with Opportunity Int. to administer help on the local level such by setting up businesses with microloans. Many of us doubt the effectiveness of African governments to administer any type of program to help their people, so we salute Marc’s efforts to do something about the devastation this disease has caused.
So what is in this movie? Marc and his longtime cameraman, Kappie, go to several countries over a period of sixty days in the bush: Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, and Botswana. They revisit old PHs with whom they had hunted before, and they also explore new areas that they have not yet visited. The list of localities and PHs is too long and would be boring to read, but suffice it to say the action is quick and well paced, so we always get a feel for the area, the game, and the people. As always the graphics, music, and introductory segments have a very professional and completed feel to them. Yes, CNN was a good teacher for Marc.
The game consists of several buffalo, a darn-nice leopard, lion, gemsbok, nyala, waterbuck, sable, zebra, and eland. The kill shots are almost always clearly shown, for Kappie does not flinch with the camera just like Marc does not flinch with his rifle. This DVD is four hours long, so we suggest that you break it down into two or three sessions over a couple of days. The price is high, but part of the sale goes to a very worthwhile effort, and for this reason we are not going to gripe about it. |
