westgan3200
I just bought and watched this movie.Whether you believe in conventional evolution or not it is a non-confrontational non-threatening presentation that gives, I think, a very balanced view of what Charles Darwin accomplished through his life and writings, and their impact down to our present day. The movie starts out with an overview of Darwins' early life in Shrewsbury, England,including biographical details of his family, the influence of his father's religious Anglican faith and his mother's Unitarian faith, his ability to story-tell as a young boy and his inquisitive nature, before it leads into adolescence and early adulthood.This is followed by the great voyage on the Beagle as a paying companion of one of its officers and takes in some breathtaking scenery particularly around South America. The presentation continues following on Darwin's life into old age and discusses many aspects of his theories. Many eminent scientists are interviewed along the way, giving a well-balanced commentary to this film.Highly recommended!
user-829-454278
The documentary took pains to be authentic, using re-enactments of events that encouraged the audience to engage with the documentary.A wide range of scientists and historians were interviewed, and the film attempts to be fair and balanced to each opinion about Darwin, presenting both viewpoints.This documentary does not look at the science of Darwin's discoveries, so much as look at what type of influences and events he had in his life, that affected his world view and the way he saw things.The viewer is encouraged to think for themselves about who Darwin really was, rather than how he is often portrayed.Really good 'Make You Think' film.
imdb-828-326652
It's refreshing to see this subject presented in a fair and balanced way, and in a way that encourages open debate and discussion. I expected that the presentation might be aiming to criticise different viewpoints, but instead there was an unbiased presentation of historical and current evidence. So much of what we see on this subject tries to force feed a particular viewpoint down the viewer's throat, but the approach taken here is to encourage the viewer to think for themselves, and many will perhaps be encouraged to look into Darwin and his belief system in more detail.Great photography too, and considering that this was probably a low budget production I think the overall result is excellent.
jameswhiteford5
For those interested in the growing debate about evolution, and in an age where the great High Priests of evolution like Richard Dawkins strut a very shaky stage, this movie is a welcome contribution. It is an outstandingly produced and engaging documentary that oozes honesty in it's subject matter, unlike so many others on the topic of Darwinism and evolution, which make many unscientific and unsubstantiated claims. It's also very intellectually challenging, asking the question "If Darwin knew what we know today, would he be a Darwinist?" Darwin himself is given very fair treatment, and contributions from other 'experts' from both sides of the fence are helpful. A relief from the barrage of vitriol directed by Dawkins, Singer and co at anyone who disagrees with their views.
AD
