Russia - A Journey With Jonathan Dimbleby : Complete BBC Series

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk
A major BBC documentary, Russia sees Jonathan Dimbleby attempt to put across the largest nation on Earth over the course of a 10,000 mile journey. The end result fills up five 60 minute episodes, each of which you’ll find in this DVD set.

And on the whole, it’s a very strong release. Billed as the first television look of its type at the nation, Dimbleby takes us via road, rail and foot as he undertakes his adventure, and his look at Russia certainly tucks away many of the stereotypes you may be used to seeing.

At its best, Russia is a fascinating, brilliant piece of documentary television, genuinely unearthing new and interesting things, as well as a plethora of individual stories. Dimbleby is perhaps not the most obvious host, sometimes putting a little bit too much of himself into the mix rather than focusing on the nation he’s there to show us, but on the whole he does a commendable job.

Yet inevitably, it’s the nation of Russia itself that’s the main attraction here. And while you can’t help but feel that this documentary only scratches the surface of the nation, it’s still a welcome and thorough introduction to a once-mysterious country. More like this please, BBC. --Jon Foster

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DVD Description
In television's first comprehensive journey through the vast and varied landscapes of Russia, the resourceful Jonathan Dimbleby makes an epic journey from one end to the other, killing cliches and revelling in the unpredictable. Across nine time zones and through all extremes of weather, Dimbleby seeks out the people of this strange and extraordinary land.

From the Arctic Circle where the summer sun never sets to the subzero wastes of Siberia, from white witches to hirsute masseurs, from oil wells to shamans, Dimbleby's journey by boat, train, truck and foot is heart-warming, entertaining and compelling. From outside, Russia is both forbidding and enticing. Inside it becomes an exhilarating adventure.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-07-07 rating:
Enjoyable but Superficial
I must say that although I enjoyed this DVD set, I was ultimately dissapointed. It is much too short to give more than a brief glimpse of life in such a huge and varied country.
That aspect of Russia does come across. It is MASSIVE. However the structure, basically a meandering "journey" turns what could have been a highly informative and important series into little more than a travelogue. It ends up as a sort of Michael Palin Does Russia, endless shots of views from train windows and meetings with "ordinary Russians" with stilted conversations through interpreters.
I think this was a missed opportunity for us to learn a great deal more about one of the most important countries in the world and one which is going through monumental changes.
Another thing that was done really poorly was getting across the geography and history of Russia. I think a little time at the beginning to set the stage as it were would have put a lot of what followed in context.
I don't think this is a watch again DVD and I would recommend renting rather than buying as it is only about 4.5 hrs long in total.

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review by: flowline date: 2008-07-03 rating:
Ignore the poor reviews!
Ignore the poor reviews! Jon Foster's review for Amazon is spot on.To say that JD needs a psychiatrist is very childish.

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review by: london date: 2008-06-18 rating:
poor ambition
I am really in a big dilemma - should I bye the dvd, or not? The same question applies to the book - a real brick with an enormously high price. But lets talk about the movie first. After seeing some episodes on the bbc, I became quite curious, thought the real way to see Russia is not via a film. Go there, live there, meet people there, watch Russian films, read Russian books, music, etc. Although I am not a Russian, I speak Russian language and I spent quite a lot of time in USSR in the 80s. I now miss Russia and that is why I do my best to learn everything about this great country on the news, TV, films, etc. I think Jonathan's "Russia" had the ambition to intrigue the public. It did it to certain extent. Well it was all, I am afraid .

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review by: date: 2008-06-17 rating:
boring
Dimbleby shows nothing but himself. Most of the time he explains his feelings. God, this man needs a psychiatrist!
This is not a documentary but rather a story of Jonathan Dimbleby himself with Russia as a background (any country could be there, I would prefer China).
One more note - present day Volga tatars have nothing to do with mongols or tatars from Mongolia. Volga tatars are descends from bulgars, the people of mixed origin of finno-ugrs and turkic populations. Well, this is just an illustration of the deep knowledge of Mr. Dimbleby about Russia :)


review by: AV date: 2008-06-12 rating:
Jonathan D. dvd RUSSIA
I think it is a very good attempt to show Russia to the West. Attempt - because you can never show it all as it is. Russia is and will remain a mystery. I am Russian and I have seen a lot of it and still there is something new and new and new and wonderful there. Of course there are drawbacks in that film and leaving aside poor translation - those are mainly those political views that John keeps pushing. That "democracy" fairytale of nowadays he seems to be believing in. Do it in the west first - before you can sell it to others! Put your own house in order! And leave Russia alone for at least a few years without attacks from outside world. And show Russia from different points of view. JD is not the only right way of seeing things and he DID NOT show a lot of Russia`s life and people. Even if all he did was a usual propaganda - still - through it - you can see and feel Russia! JD could not help to love it himself! Mother Russia is Mother Russia - WATCH it and see for yourself!God bless you.

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