This is one of seemingly many Michael Palin travel video diaries. But it is like all the others - light hearted commentary and very little substance. Maybe that's comforting to many but to me, it's all a little weak. Only a 4 (there must be better travel-logs than this!?).
In the Full Circle series, Michael travels around the Pacific rim, and in this first disk he goes from Alaska, through China, down Vietnam to the Philippines and countries in between. The trip is going to take one year and along with his crew of six people and 43 pieces of luggage, frequent first class accommodation and helicopter flights, his comments of an arduous journey come across a little mocking. For such a short time in each place, he can not convey much of the history or culture, and has to make do with polite conversation with the locals. Here his easy charm and character excel, and along with a film crew that I know that seem to exude a mysterious power that makes others happy to go out of their way and take part in the filming.
For me, I think I am beginning to understand when it comes to travel, nothing beats a book. Books have so much more information, can be more historical, wondrously funny or much more insightful. A short film like these have only one thing going for them, they are short.
In the Full Circle series, Michael travels around the Pacific rim, and in this first disk he goes from Alaska, through China, down Vietnam to the Philippines and countries in between. The trip is going to take one year and along with his crew of six people and 43 pieces of luggage, frequent first class accommodation and helicopter flights, his comments of an arduous journey come across a little mocking. For such a short time in each place, he can not convey much of the history or culture, and has to make do with polite conversation with the locals. Here his easy charm and character excel, and along with a film crew that I know that seem to exude a mysterious power that makes others happy to go out of their way and take part in the filming.
For me, I think I am beginning to understand when it comes to travel, nothing beats a book. Books have so much more information, can be more historical, wondrously funny or much more insightful. A short film like these have only one thing going for them, they are short.
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