(courtesy IMDB)
If you’ve seen as many nature documentaries as this reviewer – they have always been and will likely remain one of my prime happy places – you could well wonder if there’s anything new under the sun, any new way of approaching the genre that feels fresh or engaging.
Sure, we’ve had amazing leaps and bounds on the cinematographic side of things with many documentaries upping their visual game considerably and take deep down and far up into and across environments that might otherwise be inaccessible.
But beyond that, surely the well of creative originality is well and truly tapped dry?
It turns out that, no, that’s not even remotely the case with the Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough taking the genre in a wholly different direction, with its focus on the sounds of nature and the way in which technology is revolutionising what we can and can’t hear in the natural world.
There are, of course, many sounds we simply can’t hear, and while humanity has rather arrogantly long considered itself at the top of the evolutionary pile, the truth is there are some things we don’t do as well as our fellow animals such as being to hear a startlingly expansive range of sounds.
But while our ears may not be up to the task, our tech is and in this series, the legendary nature documentary filmmaker, Sir David Attenborough, takes us on some extraordinary journeys into the natural kingdom, based solely on sound and how it is used in a number of impressive to mark territory, attract mates and to communicate hunting and other activities.
The fascinating thing about each of these three episodes, delivered with the usual rich attention to detail and dulcet tones of appreciation that we have to know and love from David Attenborough, is how all those sounds we hear, and of course, the ones we don’t, are not simply the background noises of nature, but evidence of rich, natural environments doing their thing.
The key to dissecting what’s going on are the 40 and upwards omnidirectional microphones that are used to capture sounds that might otherwise escape us; case in point are mixed groups of dolphin species in the Bahamas that use echolocation to locate fishy prey hiding under the sands of the floors of shallow bays.
The dolphins depend on sound to find the 15kg of fish they need each day and the creative way in which it is used is fascinating, as is how certain animals choose certain times of the day to communicate because the cool air close to the ground carries sound far more effectively than the hotter air that takes its place later in the day.
Lions, for instance, will roar at dawn rather than later in the morning because their sonic territorial claims carry so much further and in territories that encompass huge amounts of land, that really matters.
But it’s not just when it comes to land grabs that sound matters to the lions of the Serengeti.
When it comes to feeding, how quiet female lions are and how noisy those elsewhere in the pack are plays a huge role in how successful a hunt is, and tangentially, the cutting-edge tech that Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough adroitly and generously employs shows us how hyenas, opportunistic hunters that are not averse to stealing food from other predators, communicate with each other when they’re getting ready to raid some other animals’ hard-earned meals.
Even the inevitable clash between lions and hyenas is captured, adding amazing extra details to a confrontation that is visually stunning but also, thanks to the Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough, aurally fascinating too.
Adding to the immersively compelling nature of the series, which takes us across the world from Australia to Africa and the Caribbean, among other locations, is Attenborough’s undiminished enthusiasm for the natural world which, even at the grand old age of 98, remains wonderfully and vibrantly alive.
He clearly retains huge enthusiasm for the subject matter, and this comes through in every scene, many of which rely solely on his narrative skills with his appearances on camera far less frequent but still every bit as effective as they’ve always been.
It’s his love of the natural world that makes the series, which on facts alone is thrilling enough – have you ever fully appreciated how vital sound is to the breeding of Cayman crocodiles? Even if you haven’t, you will come to know and love how intimately important all those squeaks and clicks to the success of the reptile specie’s next generation – come even more vivaciously alive, and it’s why you won’t be remotely tempted to click the “ten-second” icon on your screen.
Who wants to miss all that fascinating information delivered in such a clever way by someone who doesn’t find it all interesting but imaginatively and soul-stirringly vital?
You don’t, of course, and that’s why you must watch the Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough because it offers mesmerising new insights into the natural world courtesy of the sounds that suffuse and power it, and expands how we interact with the natural world, from one driven by sight alone to one which encompasses sound and the way in which it keeps the animals and birds of the world feeding, eating and breeding and living to fight another day.
Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough streams on Netflix.