Sela Ward Movie:

		List Price: $49.98		Label: Discovery Channel Salesrank: 11874 Released: November 10, 2009
		Our Price: $28.99
		MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Discover the global event that promises to inspire viewers through captivating photography, the highest quality production values, the latest in high-definition technology and compelling stories that epitomize the heart of a country and its people.

China:Join rice farmers tilling the land their ancestors have worked for 18 centuries and explore the countryside where monks teach their 500-year-old discipline. You'll share in the Olympic dreams of a 12-year-old gymnast and learn about Shanghai's key development tycoon while exploring the country where tradition is meeting modernity in life behind the Great Wall.

Italy: Witness six stories that weave the land of love, lineage, style and passion in the heart of Italy. From a jockey participating in the world's fastest horse race, to a former fisherman setting a free-diving record off Sicily's coast, to the Missoni family's fashion world and a Venetian gondolier's attempt to keep his family in his native city. Inhale and enjoy the spectacle and beauty that is Italy.

Brazil: Learn the roles that history, geography, culture, religion and the natural environment have played in shaping one of the most fascinating countries in the world. This documentary showcases one of the most ethnically diverse nations on earth, exploring stories from the Amazon to Sao Paulo's hair-raising helicopter commute.

Australia: One of earth's youngest nations with one of its oldest indigenous populations, Australia is a land of contrasts. Discover a country that is a captivating mix of desolation and riches, from the harsh life of the outback to the welcoming, fertile lands of its coastline.

South Africa: Explore the new democracy of South Africa--the Rainbow Nation--through the eyes of its people. Each and every citizen works to make this new country succeed and carry the hopes of future generations.

France: France - a country where life itself is an art form. Food, drink, history and tradition are taken seriously. An explosives expert, a radical chef and a man who scales skyscrapers are among the people who share their country and what it means to be French.

Japan: Both the modern and ancient are embraced in the glorious Land of the Rising Sun. An apprentice geisha, tuna fisherman, tattoo artist, and robot designers are among the characters that show the Japanese to be masters of the future and guardians of the past.

Mexico: From the famous single cry, 'Viva Mexico!' that sweeps the country every Independence Day, to the spectacle and pageantry summoned by reverence for the Virgin of Guadalupe, Atlas Mexico Revealed is a journey into the heart of this amazing country.

Egypt: Viewers will take an epic journey across the centuries, from the land of the Pharaohs, into the living soul of modern Egypt. From the rugged beauty of the Sahara desert to the languid waters of the Nile, explore the Islamic heart of a nation where the roots of Christianity still run deep.

Russia: From the pomp and splendor of imperial St Petersburg to the ancient nomadic lifestyle of Siberian reindeer herders; from the unique beauty of Lake Baikal to the majestic volcanic ranges of the far east; from the peaceful banks of the river Don to the thriving nightlife of Moscow, we will experience and gauge the desires and aspirations of the inhabitants of this young democracy.

India: Discovery India: One of the world's rising superpowers. A vast population and landmass, a weight of history and culture that stretches back for millennia. Meet the people that make this great nation."

Stills from Discovery Atlas (Click for larger image)

Discovery Atlas: Complete Collection [Blu-ray] Reviews:
I should have known, but I didn't listen to myself
2009-12-07 - I was very excited when I saw that Discovery has released their Atlas series as a complete set. When I saw I could get a discount off from their store and get the blu-rays I immediately did it without listening to the voice in my head. It questioned how big was the box set gonna be since it had so many episodes. I remembered watching the first 4 episodes on HDTV and they were all 2hrs long. Blu-ray has more capacity, but it can't hold that many episodes per disc.

I was excited when the set came, but was confused by how it fitted in my mailbox and more confused when I saw only two discs. Nevertheless, I remained hopeful. Put the disc 1 in the player and while I was happy to be watching it, I decided to see how long was the China episode in total. It was only ~43 long, compared to the ~100 min from the on-air broadcast.

Discovery has severely shortened the episodes to a few key stories per country. I understand they did this probably to save on production cost as they fitted about 7 episodes on one disc, 5 on the 2nd, but I personally believe the cost was too great to sacrifice all the work placed into these episodes. It feels like the customer is being short-changed, not receiving as immersive an experience as the on-air versions were like.

Now for a person who hasn't watched the full versions, these episodes will do just fine. They cover the essences of each episode, so one wouldn't miss it if they never saw the full versions.

Overall, since this is the only way to get many of these episodes at a reasonable price, I would recommend this buy only for that. Know this through, should Discovery ever release the full length versions in a collectors box set, I will be selling this one and buying the new one in a heart-beat.

The not "complete" collection
2009-11-27 - Don't buy this version is not really complete! I watch the France, China and Italy documentary and there are not complete. The original versions of these documentaries are more than 100 min long. On this version they only last like 40 min!! I suggest buying each individually. Is not fair that they sell us a documentary that says "complete collection" on the cover when is not true.

Great collection, even with the "cut" episodes.
2009-11-20 - As pointed out in the other reviews, these episodes are "cut" - and by quite a bit. Image/Discovery originally released the Atlas titles in single-episode Blu-Ray discs retailing for the same price as this collection. The individual sets didn't get far, only releasing 4 countries (Italy, Australia, Brazil and China). To give you an idea of how much is cut, the original Blu-Ray discs listed runtimes of just above 100 minutes (the new episodes are a little less than half of that). Despite this, I still gave the overall set a very good score because the episodes are still very good in their shortened form, and most of these are previously unreleased on Blu Ray (and for the ones that have been released, you're getting EVERY episode for the same price as what you originally paid for one episode. The shortened episodes work nicely as they don't feel overly long, and still contain a very good amount of content (several stories, landscapes, etc..)

If you don't mind the edited episodes (I never saw them on their original airings, so I'm not sure exactly what I'm missing (other than from what I saw on the 4 previously-released Blu Ray discs)), this is a great set at a great price.

Discovery Atlas Redux
2009-11-18 - I agree with most of reviews here that these shows are heavily edited. I saw the Brazil Atlas and it was 2 hr on discovery channel with commerical. and if you look at the Brazil Atlas Blu-ray you'll see that it has the running time of 94 minutes too. i really like how the show look at different people of each country so that not only you learn about the country, but its people, culture, and ways of life.

I like this show very much- i only got to see Brazil on TV so I dont know what else i miss with the rest of the shows.

if you never seen this show, then you'll be amazed and love this series- especially in hi-def, but if you bought it before you saw them before- you'll be very disappointed... you're missing more than half of the original show!

Beautiful, stunning series in HD; but the edits are deeply disappointing....
2009-11-15 - To those complaining that this edition features edited versions of the shows, you're absolutely right! At least four episodes (Italy, Australia, Brazil and China) are heavily edited. I own the original disks for those, and they each clock in at over 100 minutes. But in this new compilation of all the episodes, they are only about 44 minutes long. I'm not sure if the second season episodes (Japan, Mexico, Egypt, etc.) were also edited down to 44 minutes, or if they originally aired at that length.

At any rate, it's horrible that Discovery is peddling half-episodes. The beauty of the Discovery Atlas series (beyond its stunning looks) is that it would really explore the lives of the country's inhabitants. You miss a lot of that depth when four or five storylines get truncated into 44 minutes...