NATURE: Okavango - River of Dreams

I GOT THE MOVIE A WEEK AGO BUT HAVEN'T GOT TO IT YET--I HAVE MANY MOVIES YET TO WATCH BUT IF IT IS AS GOOD AS MOST OF THE OTHERS I'VE SEEN RECENTLY, THEN WATCH IT--BUY IT, THEN WATCH IT...:)

This 160 minute PBS NATURE film (on a single DVD) was shot by Beverly and Derek Joubert in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa. The Okavango River in Southern Africa starts in the mountains of Angola and flows inland through Botswana before evaporating in the Kalahari desert. The miniseries follows the three distinct stages of the Okavango, as this river of dreams creates three different and unique ecosystems. This three program miniseries shows the relationships of the creatures and plants during the arrival, the flood and later the disappearance of the water in the Okavango Delta. I think this 2019 miniseries is the Joubert's greatest documentary, as it is a complete picture of all the wildlife in the Okavango Delta.

Dereck and Beverly Joubert, as many reading this might know, have produced a wildlife documentary collection which may never be equaled. It includes what might be the definitive profiles of lions (Eternal Enemies), Leopards (Eye of the Leopard) and Zebra (Zebra - Patterns in the Grass).This work, however, does not focus primarily on one or two species, but is a survey of the wildlife of the Okavango in Botswana, which along with adjoining Chobe National Park has been their spiritual and professional home for most of their careers. In their book "The African Diaries", Dereck cited Etosha: Place of Dry Water (a/k/a African Wildlife) by David and Carol Hughes as a major influence. It's hard not to imagine him envisioning doing for the Okavango what the Hughes did for Etosha with their masterpiece which still belongs in basic African wildlife collections in spite of it's age.The journey is themed to Dante's Divine Comedy. "Paradise" covers the river near it's source, water still abundant. "Limbo" covers the river in the middle of it's journey in the Delta, and "Inferno" covers it's end as it begins to peter out. The usual Joubert suspects are here - Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Hyenas, Buffalo - but there's no deep exploration of any one species this time. Instead, we just take in footage of the beautiful scenery and wildlife of the region as a whole. There's abundant footage of Lechwe, which are actually the most common large mammal of the Okavango, and unique footage of the only Wachwe (Waterbuck/Lechwe hybrid) ever committed to film. Of special note is the generous footage of birds - especially the charming Jacana. The only real complaint I have is the rather jarring use of a cover of the Eurythmic's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" as the trilogy's op/ed. The song which arguably epitomizes British New Wave music seems a bit inappropriate in context when we should be immersed in southern Africa.The Jouberts apparently have no intention of retiring in the near future, and hopefully still have a few more classics in them (finally Cheetahs, maybe?), but they could do worse than Okavango - River of Dreams as a culmination of their work.

One DVD disc contains all three episodes (Paradise, Limbo and Inferno, totaling 160 min., not 180 as Amazon’s description says). No closed captions; but not needed as excellent English subtitles (set from the menu, in yellow with black borders) are both non intrusive yet highly visible against any background; F. Murray Abraham’s clear diction as narrator almost obviates their need. Photography, composition, artistry and narrative-line by the Jouberts is all that one could expect. What more can one ask?

I loved this documentary. The cinematography is superb! I loved the scene when a male lion climbs a tree but is not able to get down from it . Is hilarious! This is a masterpiece that shows the savage beauty of the Okavango river area a reminder of our most sublime responsability: conservation of our planet and the animals habitat.

Saw on PBS & loved so much, bought for a gift. Very interesting.

Another wonderful video from the Joubert's. Amazing photography and so educational. if you have any interest in Botswana and the Okavango Delta, this is the video for you.

Amazing scenery and wildlife photography.

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