Alaska: Spirit of the Wild NR

Starring: Charlton Heston

Before Slingshot Entertainment converted this film to DVD and VHS video, the only place you could see this Academy Award nominated documentary was on an IMAX screen. Though IMAX features are filmed with the intent of being shown on a specially designed screen that gives the viewer the feeling of being in the middle of the action, little has been lost in the conversion of this film. Considering the exceptional clarity of the DVD picture, if one were to have a large screen television and surround sound capability, you would still feel like you were in the middle of Alaska, frolicking with the polar bears. Alaska: Spirit of the Wild is a full immersion experience. The cameras close in on a pack of wolves as they hunt, a herd of caribou as they graze, and thunder through the tundra giving the viewer a never before seen perspective of one of the earth's most fascinating places. With narration by Charlton Heston it is no wonder this film was nominated for Best Documentary in 1998, but the real reason may be director George Casey's dazzling capture of the aurora borealis. The DVD version of this film is Internet ready for further exploration and also equipped with a menu setting that allows the viewer to skip to his/her favorite chapter (which includes the natural history of the Alaskan landscape). ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide