I have recently been matching many PBS documentaries on Nature and
Nova, which are now all broadcast in high definition (HD). (I've been
watching these via my personal media
network, incidentally.) What follows is a list of the best such
documentaries for 2006-7, and a brief synopsis. Also see my
recommendations for the top
PBS documentaries of 2008.
Nature: Land of the Falling Lakes. A Croatia park is splendid
in all four seasons. Limestone formations and an ever changing
landscape are a captivating backdrop to the saga of the wild
animals of the park.
Nova: Jewel of the Earth. Modern archaeological forensics are
used to make amazing discoveries about the plants and animals
captured in amber.
Nature: Stalking the Big Cats. Expert cat chasers describe
their successful quest to capture on film some of the rarest and
most secretive large cats in the world. Advances in
photographic technology and dogged [ahem] dedication make
possible a record of these cats lives like never before seen.
Nova: Great Escape. Part DIY-in-captivity, part archaeological
dig, and part "Prison Break", this great episode covers the
successful mass escape attempt of Allied airmen from a POW camp
deep inside Germany during WWII. The ability of the airmen to
escape using only tools they could assemble with leftover milk
tins and their bed slats is inspirational. The desire to escape
before their tunnels were detected is suspenseful. And the
return of several of the POWs to the site as it is excavated is
moving. An excellent Nova episode.