Noted French wildlife documentarians Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud explore the history of the great forests of Europe showing what life there was probably like until man came and cleared most of the forest. Wild boar, bear, wolves, badgers, deer, birds, bugs, all are there in vivid color and close photography work. It is a lush and beautiful world that in some ways adapts well to the changed landscape, in others not nearly as successfully. There is only a slight sense of doom at the end; the focus lies on the idea that things can still change for the better.
If you have a cat I would suggest bringing this film home only if your television is secure. I had to remove my cat from the television after he started petting the squirrels on screen. Chasing the herds of bison, following flitting birds with this eyes and trying to discover where the bugs went when they seemed to fly off the screen is all fine. I have to draw the line at whapping and petting the screen. However, this is proof that this is a movie that the ENTIRE family can truly enjoy.
