SNAPSHOT
Dive into a world where a single life can last a thousand years, with David Attenborough. See things no eye has ever seen, and discover the dramatic, beautiful plant life of Earth. (synopsis courtesy BBC)
There’s a lot going on in the world right now capable of crushing the human spirit.
The COVID pandemic, now courtesy of the Omicron variant continues to rage unabated, fascism is stalking the liberal democracies of the world, and climate change and habitat destruction etc are ravaging the natural world.
And yet, those he is more intimately aware than most of the perils our planet faces, and is gravely concerned and rightly so to the environment, much-loved and revered 95-year-old naturalist Sir David Attenborough remains fiercely and passionately in love with the startling beauty and beauty of nature.
In the latest series to come from the BBC, The Green Planet, he bears witness to the beautiful flora of the world in a five-part series that Lucy Mangan from The Guardian describes as “the latest gift” from a man who has “now been making gobsmacking documentaries for two-thirds of the BBC’s entire broadcasting history”.
These two clips give you insight into the wonders that await in the series, including the stunning but imperilled relationship between the Seven Hour Flower and a bat that feeds on it and is integral to its survival.
It’s a brilliant clip that is full of awe and wonder but also a warning causing Nerdist to observe:
“Between the narration, music, and intimate camera, this clip hits with the emotional punch of a great Pixar short. But that’s also because it shows how it’s getting harder and hard for the flower to find those bats. With forests constantly being cut down or razed, that relationship is in peril. Without enough plants to eat from, bats leave the area.”
They go on to wish for exactly what all of us, who have benefited immeasurably from David Attenborough’s passion for the natural world and for bringing it to our attention, hold deep in our hearts.
“Hopefully Sir David Attenborough, through his unquestioned and devoted lifelong love for our planet and his dedication to showing us what our world has to offer, has instilled the same kind of passion for preservation in enough of us to make sure the Seven Hour flower blooms for a long time to come.”
The Green Planet is currently screening on the BBC.