Human Planet Complete-episodes 1-8 Review
Rivers give life, but they also take it. Episode 7 of HUMAN PLANET COMPLETE-Episodes 1-8 is the most dangerous episode to film. We start in Brazil where the Kayapo tribe believes a photograph steals their soul. They eventually allow filming of their pygmy peccary hunt. Then, we move to the Mekong River where a fisherman rides a waterfall using only a rope to catch spawning carp.
The emotional core of this episode is the Fisherman and the Dolphin in Brazil. Laguna fishermen wait for wild dolphins to herd mullet toward the shore. The dolphins signal (by slapping their tails) when to cast the nets. Humans and dolphins have been cooperating like this for generations. It is the only known symbiotic fishing relationship in the world.
Conversely, the episode shows the destruction of the Jiroft Dam in Iran, where mud brick villages crumble. The river provides, and the river takes away. HUMAN PLANET COMPLETE-Episodes 1-8
Many viewers consider Episode 4 the most visually lush of the HUMAN PLANET COMPLETE-Episodes 1-8. The jungle teems with life, but it also teems with danger. We travel to Brazil, Venezuela, and Indonesia. The opening sequence features the Matis tribe using a psychoactive frog poison to "cleanse" their bodies—a shocking but fascinating ritual.
The highlight is the Aka tribe in the Congo. These men are considered the best fathers on Earth. The footage of a man holding a baby while climbing a 30-meter vine to collect honey is anxiety-inducing. They use no harnesses, only grip strength. Furthermore, we see the story of a blind shaman in the Amazon who navigates the jungle perfectly using echoes and touch. He refuses to let his disability define him. Rivers give life, but they also take it
The message: The jungle provides everything—food, medicine, shelter—if you know how to listen.
Series Overview: Produced by the BBC and narrated by the legendary John Hurt, Human Planet is the first BBC series to focus exclusively on the most successful species on Earth: humans. It explores the ingenious ways humans have adapted to survive and thrive in every environment on Earth, from the frozen Arctic to the scorching Sahara. Theme: Mutualism between humans and marine life; extreme
Filming Note: The series was filmed over four years in more than 70 locations. Every story and character featured is real; there are no reenactments with actors.