- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,794
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
Link Removed
Life's Greatest Miracle
Studio: PBS/Warner Brothers
Year: 2002
Rated: NR
Film Length: 60
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33
One of the things I am going to start doing over
the next few weeks is to start reviewing Special
Interest product from the likes of National
Geographic, Nova and The Discovery Channel. Hopefully
through these reviews I can help expand the knowledge
of members of this forum in addition to my own.
I think all of us can clearly remember back to
6th grade when the teacher would roll in the 16mm
projector and show educational film about how
babies are made complete with a highly disturbing
birth sequence that you never seemed to be able
to get out of your head.
Life's Greatest Miracle sort of tones down
those educational films of the past with this remake
of Lennart Nilsson's world famous film "Miracle of
Life." This completely updated edition Hosted by
John Lithgow tells a inside-the-womb story of human
life from conception to birth using the latest technological
advances in microscopy and medical imaging.
Did you know that throughout the world, 365,000
new babies are made a day? This is because we as
humans are constantly vying to reproduce. A man
will churn out 1,000 new sperm a second (2 trillion
over a lifetime) while eggs inside a woman's body
will continue to get nourished. All this in
preparation for reproduction where the two will
meet and pass DNA information that will form the
building blocks of a new human life.
Meet Melinda and Sergio who are expecting their
first child. As they look at pictures from both
sides of their family, they begin to wonder what
their newborn child will look like. Will the baby
have his or her father's eyebrows? Perhaps the
eyes of his or her grandmother? All of this comes
from DNA structure that passes traits between
generations.
Life's Greatest Miracle is a fascinating
documentary that takes us through the very earliest
moments of conception as we look into a woman's
uterus as a sperm is propelled into the fallopian
tube on its way to the egg. It's amazing to see
just how difficult a journey this is for the tiny
sperm to penetrate an egg. Did you know that more
than 50% of all fertilized eggs fail to develop?
As cells divide and divide again, creating the
building blocks that create an embryo (or perhaps
two), we examine Melinda's reactions from morning
sickness to her changes in eating habits.
The documentary goes on to show us the embryo
in different stages. In as early as 3 weeks blood
vessels are forming inside. In 4 weeks we can see
a primitive backbone, a large brain and even an eye.
We watch in amazement as cells turn on genes which
transform the embryo into a girl or boy. An embryo
with 2 X chromosomes will make a girl. If one of
those X's is a Y, it will be a boy.
Through micro imagery of Swedish photographer
Lennart Nilsson, we watch the embryo go through
monthly stages from the bones, hands and legs that
start appearing in the 4th month right on up to the
final moments when the uterus contracts as the
woman is about to give birth.
How is the transfer?
I don't want to rate this educational presentation
as I would a theatrical film, but I can tell you
that the video presentation is extraordinarily
sharp, bright and detailed. Full of vivid colors,
this is a very clean transfer that gives us an
un obstructive view of the miracle of life.
I was surprised to find that this was one of the
few documentaries that boasted a Dolby surround
track. Don't expect much of anything from it.
While the sound is quite robust with more bass
than most other documentaries I have recently
watched, the surrounds rarely kick in. In fact,
any surround activity was briefly noticed at the
beginning beach scenes where the sounds of waves
could be heard in the rear channels.
Final Thoughts
I have yet to be disappointed with any of the
recent Special Interest DVDs I have recently
watched. Though the story of human birth has
been told to us since we were children, watching
Life's Greatest Miracle makes it all seem
new again thanks to Nilsson's stunning endoscopic
images of life inside the womb that opens up a
hidden world that few have ever seen.
A terrific educational tool with additional website
support and content from NOVA.
Release Date: NOW
Life's Greatest Miracle
Studio: PBS/Warner Brothers
Year: 2002
Rated: NR
Film Length: 60
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33
One of the things I am going to start doing over
the next few weeks is to start reviewing Special
Interest product from the likes of National
Geographic, Nova and The Discovery Channel. Hopefully
through these reviews I can help expand the knowledge
of members of this forum in addition to my own.
I think all of us can clearly remember back to
6th grade when the teacher would roll in the 16mm
projector and show educational film about how
babies are made complete with a highly disturbing
birth sequence that you never seemed to be able
to get out of your head.
Life's Greatest Miracle sort of tones down
those educational films of the past with this remake
of Lennart Nilsson's world famous film "Miracle of
Life." This completely updated edition Hosted by
John Lithgow tells a inside-the-womb story of human
life from conception to birth using the latest technological
advances in microscopy and medical imaging.
Did you know that throughout the world, 365,000
new babies are made a day? This is because we as
humans are constantly vying to reproduce. A man
will churn out 1,000 new sperm a second (2 trillion
over a lifetime) while eggs inside a woman's body
will continue to get nourished. All this in
preparation for reproduction where the two will
meet and pass DNA information that will form the
building blocks of a new human life.
Meet Melinda and Sergio who are expecting their
first child. As they look at pictures from both
sides of their family, they begin to wonder what
their newborn child will look like. Will the baby
have his or her father's eyebrows? Perhaps the
eyes of his or her grandmother? All of this comes
from DNA structure that passes traits between
generations.
Life's Greatest Miracle is a fascinating
documentary that takes us through the very earliest
moments of conception as we look into a woman's
uterus as a sperm is propelled into the fallopian
tube on its way to the egg. It's amazing to see
just how difficult a journey this is for the tiny
sperm to penetrate an egg. Did you know that more
than 50% of all fertilized eggs fail to develop?
As cells divide and divide again, creating the
building blocks that create an embryo (or perhaps
two), we examine Melinda's reactions from morning
sickness to her changes in eating habits.
The documentary goes on to show us the embryo
in different stages. In as early as 3 weeks blood
vessels are forming inside. In 4 weeks we can see
a primitive backbone, a large brain and even an eye.
We watch in amazement as cells turn on genes which
transform the embryo into a girl or boy. An embryo
with 2 X chromosomes will make a girl. If one of
those X's is a Y, it will be a boy.
Through micro imagery of Swedish photographer
Lennart Nilsson, we watch the embryo go through
monthly stages from the bones, hands and legs that
start appearing in the 4th month right on up to the
final moments when the uterus contracts as the
woman is about to give birth.
How is the transfer?
I don't want to rate this educational presentation
as I would a theatrical film, but I can tell you
that the video presentation is extraordinarily
sharp, bright and detailed. Full of vivid colors,
this is a very clean transfer that gives us an
un obstructive view of the miracle of life.
I was surprised to find that this was one of the
few documentaries that boasted a Dolby surround
track. Don't expect much of anything from it.
While the sound is quite robust with more bass
than most other documentaries I have recently
watched, the surrounds rarely kick in. In fact,
any surround activity was briefly noticed at the
beginning beach scenes where the sounds of waves
could be heard in the rear channels.
Final Thoughts
I have yet to be disappointed with any of the
recent Special Interest DVDs I have recently
watched. Though the story of human birth has
been told to us since we were children, watching
Life's Greatest Miracle makes it all seem
new again thanks to Nilsson's stunning endoscopic
images of life inside the womb that opens up a
hidden world that few have ever seen.
A terrific educational tool with additional website
support and content from NOVA.
Release Date: NOW
