The documentary, well-narrated by Jeff Bridges shows the multi-national effort that went into this discovery and the trials and tribulations of performing this feat in an area completely cut off from 21st century technology. The scientists and their assistants work with the local indigenous people, trying to show respect for their culture as the scientists come to their homeland to dig for their scientific treasure. Although the scientists use some high-tech equipment to search for the mammoth, the often have to deal with the fickle weather of the area above the artic circle and their own powerlessness against it.

While a 90 minute documentary on the subject might seem long, it is interesting and informative throughout, providing the viewer with a tremendous amount of knowledge about the mammoths, their origins, their travels, their lifestyles and their interactions with early man. After watching this film, the viewer will truly know a lot about mammoths. Further, the film uses some fairly cutting age computer graphics to attempt to show the mammoths as they must have lived. While not in the same ballpark as the graphics used in The Discovery Channel's other gem, "Walking with Dinosaurs," it adds a nice touch to the film.

All in all, the film is fascinating and an extremely enjoyable educational experience. The Picture
Raising the Mammoth is presented in full screen pan & scan presentation. While a widescreen anamorphic transfer would have made the scenery of the area more breathtaking than it already is, the presentation is still quite good. Despite the fact that the film is a documentary which was filmed in extreme conditions, the picture quality is very good throughout the film and there are few perceivable imperfections. The colors and skin tones appear quite close and the picture is often quite sharp. The Sound
The film is presented in 2 channel stereo audio. What the sound presentation lacks however, is not easily noticed, however, because the sound of the film is generally the narration of Jeff Bridges. There is music during some of the film, and the natural sounds of the dig and the storm, but while the sound on this DVD is not one a viewer would use to show off the sound capabilities of their DVD player, it is still quite enjoyable and the dialogue and other sounds are easily heard. The only sound problem with the DVD is that the music does come through a bit louder than the rest of the film. The Extras
Raising the Mammoth has relatively few extras included on the DVD. This, however, is not much of a problem because the film itself is so comprehensive in its presentation of the subject matter. The DVD does have both a Mammoth Time-line and a Mammoth Fact File which a viewer may use his or her remote to read. Both are interesting and manage to present information that is not in the film. The time-line is extremely comprehensive and really reinforces the tremendous knowledge base a viewer can acquire on the subject from watching this film. The DVD also has biographies for some of the scientists from different countries that took part in the discovery.
Finally, there is a short written interview with French explorer Bernard Buigues, the "point man" of the discovery team. The interview is rather short and a good portion of the material discussed is examined in the movie itself. Perhaps demonstrating how thorough the film was. Final Thoughts
As much as possible, the viewer is brought along as a part of this adventure in the arctic circle. As a viewer, one shares a certain fascination at the unearthing of mammoth hair and the film is extremely enjoyable as a result. I recommend this film for people of all ages and look forward to future Discovery Channel releases.