The Private Life of Plants (1995) User Reviews

Basis of life

[nirax · 10/10 · 18 July 2009]

It is well known that the plants form the basis of life as we know it. Except some archea and/or underocean geothermal power supported beings, rest all are dependent upon plants. That makes it is so utterly surprising that most of us would consider plants a boring topic and give anything to see a lion chase a gazelle even after seeing it umpteen times in Discovery.

Enter David Attenborough !

After seeing this series you would never see the plants the same way. David has a way of narrating natural world like no one else. I have seen many of his documentaries. But I must admit that nothing prepared me for "Private life of Plants". David has exceeded himself and it seems that it cannot be surpassed except of course when he comes with another of his tales. Watching this documentary is much more exciting than any movie, even for the documentary non-buffs ... for me who thrives on docus it is God's gift.

It is impossible to write about all the wondrous plants, extraordinary flowers, brilliant adaptations, exotic geographies and many more that David chronicles. And after all you have seen, you will be far from saturated ... you will wish to watch 100 more such episodes.

Cannot give it less than 20 stars out of 10 !!!

Amazing look into the alien world of plants

[jmaycock · 10/10 · 3 August 2010]

They move. They hunt. They kill. They struggle for life just like us animals. It is all just on a slower timetable. Once speeded up to something our mind can grasp, we see the wonderful world of plants in all its glory. We are given a six-part series with the following components: Travelling, Growing, Flowering, The Social Struggle, Living Together and Surving. Attenborough is wonderful here. He shows us the struggle of plants to survive in a story that is full of extraordinary drama and breath-taking beauty. This and another of his great works, "Life on Earth", are among the best production and entertainment pieces I have ever seen.

How to make plants interesting

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 31 October 2017]

As said many times, David Attenborough is a national treasure. He may apparently dislike the term, but it is hard to not say that about such a great presenter who has contributed significantly to some of the best programmes (of the documentary genre and overall) the BBC has ever aired/produced.

It is really hard picking favourites, let alone a definite favourite, among what Attenborough has done because he has done so many gems, it is the equivalent of trying to choose your favourite ice cream flavour or your favourite operatic role (for examples) and finding you can't pick. 'The Private Life of Plants' manages to do the seemingly impossible (to me that is) in making plants interesting and making one not only appreciating them more but caring for them. When it comes to documentaries on plants, 'The Private Life of Plants' is ground-breaking and one of the best, also one of many Attenborough gems. It has everything that makes so much of his work so wonderful, hence some of the reiteration of my recent reviews for some of his work (being on a nature documentary binge in my spare time), and deserves everything great that has been said about it.

First and foremost, 'The Private Life of Plants' looks amazing. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the plants), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic with some of the shots being unique for a documentary series, making one forget that it is a series. The editing is always succinct and smooth and the scenery of all the continents is pure magic.

The music score fits very well, never overly grandiose while never being inappropriate while also being a beautiful score in its own right.

Again, like so many Attenborough nature/wildlife documentaries, 'The Private Life of Plants' fascinates, teaches, moves, entertains and transfixes. In terms of the facts there was a very good mix of the known ones and the unknown. Likewise with the plants themselves.

Narration by Attenborough helps significantly. He clearly knows his stuff and knows what to say and how to say it. He delivers it with his usual richness, soft-spoken enthusiasm and sincerity, never talking down to the viewer and keeping them riveted and wanting to know more.

Loved the plants as expected, caring for them in the same way that one would a human. There's as always a wide range of emotions from tense conflict, awe and tear-jerking pathos.

Each episode doesn't feel like an episodic stringing of scenes, but instead like the best nature documentaries each feels like their own story and journey, with real, complex emotions and conflicts.

Altogether, if one wants to learn more about plants and appreciate them much more 'The Private Life of Plants' couldn't be a more perfect choice. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Who can make plants so fascinating?

[madmadmacs · 10 January 2005]

Actually a lot of episodes start in the ordinary setting of any old English woods, but they seem exotic, particularly when you see a fungus in time lapse.

I saw a documentary on David Attenborough a few years ago and remember that this documentary brought a lot of apprehension amongst the producers... "But they're plants, they just sit there, and you're going to make a documentary about that?" I don't think I can name a better one. I don't think I could imagine a better one.

It's captivating from cover to cover (especially if you have the DVD version)

I even loved the theme music.

For those who haven't seen it, Attenborough shows plants to be so much more amazing than animals. They *do* move, some faster than others, they hunt, but the fascination comes in the fact that we're used to wildlife action coming on four legs, it is an alien world when shown properly, but we live in it, it isn't a fictional fantasy creation.

What a gift he has. Thank goodness for him, and for the ABC (Australian) and BBC.

SS

Great overview on the science of botany...

[david-189 · 25 March 2002]

The Private Life of Plants is a TV series, which is also available as a VHS video set that is commonly played in high school, and college biology classes. (This is where I first saw it) This series is part of a two-series set. The other of which is a similar series called Trials of Live covering animal life.