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Michael Palin: Full Circle [3-disc Box Set]

DVD - APPROX. 487 MINS. - 1997 - US Rating: NR

Main feature:

Release Oct 7, 2008
Video Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles English
Studio BBC Home Video
Year 1997
Genre Documentary, TV

Special features:

  • Presented on 3 discs
  • Includes exclusive interview with Michael Palin
  • PROGRAM EPISODES:
  • 1) Alaska and Russia - The first programme opens in the middle of the Bering Strait, on the tiny Eskimo island of Diomede which lies equidistant between Russia and the USA. Michael's first continental landfall is the goldrush town of Nome, whose Golden Sands still provide a living for youngsters and old timers who pan and dredge the beaches in the long Arctic summers. At Kodiak, Michael has a date with the US Coast Guard whose C130 supply aircraft will take him to the most distant island in the Aleutian chain, only a short hop from Russia.
  • 2) Japan and Korea - After crossing from Vladivostok to Niigata in programme two, Michael visits the famous Kodd Drummers in Sado, a remote island off Japan. Accommodation is in a ryokan, a traditional inn, where Michael is thrown in at the deep end with a 10-course kimono trying to contain his nerves and his giggling.
  • 3) China - China is home to a quarter of the world's population and, although its the biggest country on their journey, it is also the least understood. “But we have to try to understand it because, within 25 years, it will probably have the most powerful economy in the world”. As he travels by ferry to Qingdao, he admits to feeling both apprehensive and fascinated.
  • 4) Vietnam and the Philippines - Michael Palin arrives in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. To his delight, he finds a country filled with surprises and paradoxes, and one which is currently going through some massive changes.
  • 5) Borneo and Java - Zamboanga is one of the most colourful cities in the Pacific Rim, which lies on a sensitive frontier between the Christian Philippines and a Muslim South. The Sula Seas, between Zambo and Borneo, have long been a haunt of pirates and, latterly, guerrillas fighting for a separate Muslim state in the southern Philippines. Michael crosses the perilous stretch of water in a leaky old Japanese ferry, now owned by a charming Filipino family. Fortunately, the journey passes without incident, albeit in considerable discomfort.
  • 6) Australia and New Zealand - In the Northern Territory of Australia, Michael goes on a mercy mission with the outback flying vet; his first landing is on Bluey Pughs airstrip at Coolibah. Bluey has a crocodile farm and his chief breeding male has an abscess on the tip of his jaws.
  • 7) Chile and Bolivia - Michael and the team have arrived at Cape Horn. They disembark, courtesy of the Chilean Navy, which is responsible for the lighthouse on the Cape. Sailing through the storm-racked Beagle Channel, Michael travels on by boat through the glorious coastal scenery of Southern Chile, where there are no roads, eventually reaching the capital, Santiago.
  • 8) Bolivia and Peru - Lake Titicaca, in South America, provides the stunning opening scene in this episode. Michael visits a reed-boat builder on the edge of the Lake and drops in on an Englishwoman who is single-handedly restoring a British-built steamer which was carried up to the world's highest navigable lake more than 100 years ago, piece by piece on the backs of donkeys.
  • 9) Peru and Colombia - Michael and the team are now nearing the end of their 50,000-mile journey. Still in South America, they continue their Urubamba trip, travelling a route which few, except local traders and certainly no film team, have tried. The reward is an incredible jungle experience including encounters with Indian groups only recently contacted by the outside world. At Camisea, they discover the effect that oil prospecting is having on the environment and people of Amazonia.
  • 10) Mexico, USA, Canada and Alaska - Michael arrives in Mexico City where he meets Super Barrio, a masked wrestler who champions the poor of the Third World's largest city. He travels out to the countryside and learns how to make tortillas with families who have even less than their urban counterparts.

Synopsis:

British actor and comedian Michael Palin (from Monty Python fame) takes you along on an entertaining journey around the Pacific Rim, traveling by boat, train, plane and helicopter. Meet the Eskimos of the island of Diomede in the Bering Strait. Depart in one of their skin boats for Alaska's mainland, then voyage on to view Russia's westernmost wonders. Visit Japan's legendary Kodo Drummers, a Zen Buddhist temple, and as a contrast, downtown Tokyo.

Your itinerary includes the mysteries of China's holiest mountain, a nap in Mao's bed in the Governor's Castle, plus journeys to Vietnam, the perilous Sula Seas, Australia, South America, Mexico and finally full circle back to Alaska. Titles are: "Alaska and Russia," "Japan and Korea," "China," "Vietnam and the Philippines," "Borneo and Indonesia," "Australia and New Zealand," "Chile," "Bolivia and Peru," "Peru and Colombia," and "Mexico and the USA."

Cast and Crew:

BBC Home Video presents
Michael Palin"Michael Palin: Full Circle"

Production Year: 1997

Please note:

Details are based on information from various sources. We do everything we can to keep them as accurate as possible. However, errors occur so use this information at your own risk and remember to check the product itself before buying.