M&C Christmas Treat 2: Warner Bros./BBC gives fans some last minute gift giving ideas!

By Jeff Swindoll Dec 14, 2007, 15:52 GMT

Need a quick DVD fix for somebody on the old Christmas list? 

How about these recommendations from BBC/Warner Brothers?  

Planet Earth: The Complete Series (Click Here to read M&C's full review) - This excellent series chronicles the big blue ball that we all live on.  The delightful Sir David Attenborough narrates this look at the planet that features views of places and lands that no camera has been before. 

The standard DVD version features extra features (on a fifth disc) not found on the Hi-Def versions and this will suffice for most people (and truth be told the SD version looks pretty good). 

Those with HD or Blu-Ray DVD players may well want to bite the bullet and get those versions, but all of them will have the excellent and intriguing look at our planet.  All formats are highly recommended because of the content therein.  

Atlas of the Natural World - In the same vein are the two BBC Atlas of the Natural World releases.  Where Planet Earth covers the whole planet, these releases get a bit closer to specific regions. 

One set covers Africa/Europe and the other covers the Western Hemisphere/Antarctica all through several documentaries that highlight parts of each region.  The delightful Sir David again turns up to guide us through. 

You can buy them as sets or some episodes are available in separate releases. 

Snow Queen - Also just in time for global warming comes Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of the wicked Snow Queen.  She kidnaps a young lad and his friend Gerda must travel to the icy realm of the Queen to get her friend back. 

This production is told digitally and resembled hand painted Victorian photographs and is quite impressive.  The film is perfect for both the holiday season and the chilly winder months.  

Count Dracula - In a different vein comes one of my favorite releases from the BBC/Warner this last year, which is the fine production of Count Dracula (1977) starring Louis Jourdan (Click Here to read M&C's full review). 

An excellent adaptation and some really fine performances and considered by some to be the best version of Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece.  Not to mention that it was previously unavailable for years on Region one DVD. 

All of these collections are now available and sure to please fans of BBC releases or anyone wanting to sit back and enjoy some television after a morning of opening presents.