Rainforest Impressions (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Compiled by Johannes Kernmayer
Directed by Axel Stummer

Released by: Delta
Rating: G
Region: 1
Anamorphic: No; appears in 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Get it if you need some relaxation.

We all have trouble relaxing at the end of a long day at the office or dealing with difficult people, and it is nice when something comes along that can truly help us relax, instead of just making empty promises. Rainforest Impressions is just such a useful disc.

This disc basically has four parts. The same video can be accompanied by any one of four different audio tracks. The first audio track is quite orchestral, the second is all guitar music, the third is panflute dominated, and the fourth has nature sounds, such as birdcalls. Each of these audio tracks is interesting and useful in its own way, but I personally found the panflute to be the prettiest, while the sounds of nature were the most relaxing and the perfect audio to go with the stunning nature video.

The audio is decent quality, about comparable to a television program. The scenery is gorgeous, of course, as you would expect from this stunning and endangered area, and while the colors are perhaps a bit less brilliant than they would be in person, it looks good enough to accomplish its task of relaxing and enchanting viewers. It’s hard to screw up something this beautiful, I would imagine. The sound is also pretty good; it would be a shame to ruin your relaxation with scratchy music after all. The four tracks all sound about as good as each other, and provide a fairly wide spectrum so that at least one of the tracks will appeal to each viewer at various times when you need this disc. I like the option of listening to, for example, nature sounds today and the guitar music tomorrow.

There are no features on this disc. I would have been nice to have had something like some profiles of some of the animals and plants you see on the screen, biographies of some of the musicians and composers whose music is so important to this disc, or even just a link to organizations working to save the rainforests, such as the Rainforest Action Network. Never lose an opportunity to do some good.

So at the end of a long day, do some stretches, get yourself a cup of chamomile or mint tea, and pop in this disc. You’ll be ready to read yourself to sleep in no time, or even energized to get up and start your weekend with one of our planet’s most beautiful and precious ecosystems.