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IN THE PRESENCE OF NATURE
IN THE PRESENCE OF NATURE is like a very good new age CD, in which the images have been added as an afterthought. If this type of material appeals to you, you should definitely rent before buying. |
This DVD review 
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2004 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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IN
THE PRESENCE OF NATURE ($20) is an enjoyable, albeit imperfect, image
and music DVD. This new age music title was originally marketed to
physicians for the relaxing therapeutic quality of harpist Hilary Stagg’s
music, but is now being made available to the general public through
Lightyear Entertainment. The musical portion of the program is really
quite wonderful and goes a long way to induce a sense of tranquility in
the listener. However, the visual quality of the program comes up short-
especially in regards to the DVD format of displaying. While supposedly
showcasing the beauty of national parks and nature, all of the
cinematography looks as though it was either comprised of unused
documentary footage, or leftovers from the productions of wildlife and
nature television shows. The photography usually looks uninspired, grainy
and flat, which may reflect that IN THE PRESENCE OF NATURE was
originally conceived as an "industrial" product marketed to the
medical profession.
IN
THE PRESENCE OF NATURE comes with standard 4:3 full screen film images
transferred to video somewhat below the quality that DVD can reproduce.
The picture seems a bit soft in places and the photography looks like it
originated on 16mm. Colors are a bit askew, but generally vary between
adequate and sallow, never really casting off that documentary look.
Contrast seems a bit truncated and as I mentioned above there is a good
deal of film grain in the image. The Dolby Digital 4.0 channel soundtrack
is very pleasing; with the sound mix allowing Hilary Stagg’s music to
wash over the viewer. Fidelity is good, and even with the sparse
orchestrations; the music produces a decent bottom end. Music and video
conform the interactive menus to the rest of the program, with a short
biography of Hilary Stagg serving as the only extra.