National Geographic's Those Wonderful Dogs [VHS]

National Geographic's Those Wonderful Dogs [VHS]
by Nicolas Noxon, Robert Guenette, Bert Haanstra, Ed Spiegel (II), Barbara Jampel

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Product details

Actor: Burgess Meredith
Director: Barbara Jampel, Bert Haanstra, Ed Spiegel (II), Nicolas Noxon, Robert Guenette
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 60 minutes
Release Date: 1997-07-09
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid

VHS Movie Reviews of National Geographic's Those Wonderful Dogs [VHS]

Movie Review: Wonderful dogs, mediocre movie
Summary: 3 Stars

Bought this for my young granddaughter, who loves to watch animals in all shapes and sizes. It's difficult to find nature films that don't include the requisite scenes of animals ripping into each other's flesh, and this film at least succeeded there, with one exception. It's also difficult to find nature films suitable for children, which don't include animated cartoons figures and puppets with goofy voices, that relentlessly pop-up on the screen, singing and saying cutsie-pie observations to the accompaniment of zany sound-effects. This film succeeded here, too.

Problem is, I was looking for a film that was entertaining to watch, and here is where Those Wonderful Dogs was not so wonderful. Watching this was *almost* like a return to my 1960s childhood elementary school career, when watching educational movies meant being corraled into the auditorium to watch grainy, washed-out film footage, narrated by that stock, monotone man-voice that we all recoginze (which has since become the object of many late-night parodies). I used the word *almost* up there because, well, Wonderful Dogs wasn't quite that bad, but it was darned close.

And I'm the sort of person who ordinarily thrives on dull, by today's standards. I really wanted to like this movie, and I tried. Granted, it had its good moments (such as the fascinating system of whistle commands the sheep farmer used to direct his dogs left, right, forward, slow, fast, etc.) But the good moments were few and far between, leaving my mind to wander far from all dogs, and back to the memory of those long-ago oak trees outside the auditorium windows, which probably had much more to do with my love of nature than all those monotonic films put together.

At the very least, a good nature film should give the viewer a realistic look at animals, and should not spoil the view with lousy narration. This one grades a C+ on both counts.

Movie Review: An inside look at services provided by man's best friend
Summary: 5 Stars

A fascinating and sometimes moving account of the relationship between dog and man. From the miracle of the Iditarod sled race, to performing service for the disabled, to finding buried victims of disaster, this account gives the viewer a rare look at the subtle and close relationship between us and our canine brothers. A very fine and informative account to be enjoyed by animal lovers or animal lovers to be.

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Summary of National Geographic's Those Wonderful Dogs [VHS]

Called by one philosopher "the noblest beast God ever made", dogs have served mankind in more ways than any other animal. In THOSE WONDERFUL DOGS, you'll see loyal canines at work as they searched for buried victims of an earthquake disaster, assist the physically disabled, and pull sleds in the blizzard conditions of Alaska. You'll see how dogs are trained to "act" on Lassie, and the dogs that served as messengers on the battlefields of WW II. Marvel at the tireless determination of these devoted creatures, and applaud the enduring partnership between man and his best friend. If you like dogs, this video is a "must"!

There are 350 recognized dog breeds across the world, and millions of dogs in the United States alone. In Those Wonderful Dogs from National Geographic, we learn that dogs are not just "man's best friend"; they are also one of the best partners to humans. Highlighting a domestic relationship that is more than 10,000 years old, this 60-minute documentary shows a number of important ways that dogs have been trained to work with and help people. These are the loyal and tireless dogs that act as shepherds, actors, sled power, aids to the elderly and handicapped, WWII soldiers, and even search-and-rescue team members. As we see and hear the different trainers with their canine partners, it becomes clear that the working relationship is one that is founded on warmth and affection. As you would expect from National Geographic, this video is as beautiful as it is informative. --Kevin Lapin

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