History of Life. The Landing 2913
Distributed by Film Ideas, 308 North Wolf Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090; 800-475-3456
Produced by Film Ideas
Directed by Lee Yuan-Kyu
DVD, color, 50 min.
College - General Adult
Evolution, Zoology
Date Entered: 09/18/2014
Reviewed by Buzz Haughton, Adjunct Faculty, School of Library and Information Studies, University of AlabamaThis DVD explores the vagaries of evolution and traces its history, beginning 3.5 billion years ago with the development of stromatolites, which introduced oxygen into the young earth’s atmosphere, paving the way for more complex life forms. The Cambrian Explosion brought about animals with protospines for the first time, and the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary, which happened about 66 million years ago, depleted both land and sea of many dominant life forms. This allowed certain mammals to return to an aquatic environment, among them whales and dugongs.
The photography and computer animation are realistic and fix the viewer’s interest. The interviews with several paleontologists who explain what went on are clear and assume no specialized knowledge of the dynamics of evolution.
Highly recommended for college students interested in biology in general and evolution in particular. Post-college adults with these interests will profit from viewing The Landing as well.