AFRICAN ADVENTURE: SAFARI IN OKAVANGO
Director: Ben Stassen Documentary
Reviewed by MARCUS SINCLAIR
We’ve seen most of it before on TV with its documentary programs about Africa, but African Adventure: Safari In Okavango in 3D on the IMAX screen opens up the subject matter considerably. The vastness of the region - the river system and the great Kalahari Desert with its diversity of plant and animal life and ever changing landscapes, beautiful and harsh, lush and barren is a sight to behold. Birds, elephants, lions, hippos, crocodiles and others emerge from the screen as a group of people: photographers, game-keepers and scientists take us on their journey of discovery by boat and truck.
Running for almost forty-five minutes the film manages to hold the attention, even though some of the shots are contrived, but the closeness of the animals and the journey through the waterways is an eye-opener. The littlies (and there were many) at the session I attended sat through the program spellbound. Blood, gore and the savage behaviour of the predators have been kept to the barest of minimums, the only bit of unpleasantness being that of a pride of lions feasting on a dead elephant. African Adventure is a great introduction into the amazing and varied world of Nature. May there be many more of them.
Two scenes: the underwater shots as the boast makes its way along and through the maze of waterways with its dense over-hanging flora; and the night scene with the full moon in the dark star-studded sky, together with all the nocturnal noises will remain in the memory of all who see it for a long time to come.