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Standing With Stones: A Journey Through Megalithic Britain
You can find them on the sides of road as table like structures, or in isolated fields inland: long stretches of small stones leading toward a central circular structure. They are megaliths, and these examples serve as a just a sliver off the tip of the iceberg of what the British Isles has in store.
The minute Rupert Soskin comes on screen in the beginning of "Standing With Stones," I felt like I was in good hands. Soskin exudes a definite love and fascination for the stone megaliths of the British Isles (the most famous of which are known worldwide as Stonehenge) and he makes no false claims regarding his knowledge pertaining to the original purposes of these mysterious sites. Soskin's goal over the next two plus hours is to take the viewer along as he and director Michael Bott travel the British Isles and examine these relics of bygone culture.
"Standing With Stones" is broken into seven major chapters, each focusing on a region of the British Isles, such as, Southern England, Wales, and the Scottish Isles. Each of these chapters runs anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes in length and follows a common format of Soskin making his way through the region and stopping at various megalithic sites along the way, both big and small. However, the complete journey is quite exhausting, considering many of these visits end with Soskin's speculation as to the intended purpose. While I love to see such a rich desire to explore still alive today, the overall length of the program is just too long to be completely effective as an accessible documentary. That's not to say Soskin's enthusiasm didn't get my brain firing on all cylinders; I found myself thinking for considerable time after finishing various sections of the program about possible uses/purposes for the megaliths, as well as trying to visualize the cultures, now long gone, who first set these structures into Earth. The tranquil and lovely environment also doesn't hurt the aesthetic value of the program.
What "Standing With Stones" does accomplish is show the dedication two men put into a truly, pardon the pun, monumental task of documenting, just a fraction of these largely ignored landmarks. If the program could have been edited to a shorter running time, I think this could have easily been a hit picked up by the Discovery or History Channel. Residents of the British Isles may find much more value in this program as it serves as a video starting point for anyone wishing to seek these monuments out in person (although it is noted many visits were made possible by gracious land owners, who allowed Bott and Soskin to film on their property). For everyone else, it wouldn't hurt to check out the program once, as the overall presentation is very high quality and both men deserve tremendous praise for their inquiry
THE DVD
The Video
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer does the lush countryside Soskin travels through the justice it deserves. Colors come across vibrantly and with crisp clarity. There is some very minor edge enhancement visible under heavy scrutiny, as well as some minor digital noise during darker scenes in caves, but this is most likely do to the digital format of filming.
The Audio
While not outwardly impressive, the Dolby English 2.0 track makes sure Soskin comes across loud and clear over the course of the journey. Things only get lively when the Celtic/new-age style soundtrack picks up during transition moments. Unfortunately there are no subtitle tracks, which might be a hindrance to some viewers who have difficulty with Soskin's accent (I personally found him clear and well spoken).
The Extras
To put it lightly, the amount of extras packed on this disc knocked my socks off. First up is a feature-length commentary with Soskin and the producer/director Michael Bott. It's a lively track and further shows the commitment both men had to this project. An interview with the duo is also present and run nearly an hour and provides some additional insight into the making of this program. Rounding out the extras are outtakes, unused footage, a slide-show of still frames with captions, the trailer, and the original pilot film that got this massive project off and running. Hollywood could take a close look at this duo as the bonus content rivals many major theatrical special editions.
Final Thoughts
There is no question that Soskin and Bott have invested a tremendous amount of time as well as their hearts into this project and the quality of the work shines brightly. The program serves as a testament to the power of the documentary and the passion of filmmaking. Unfortunately, the extreme length and abundance of speculation, leaves me unable to strong recommend this disc. The solid technical presentation and extensive bonus features make this disc standout above other documentaries. Rent It.
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