Michael Palin - Around the World in 80 Days [DVD]

Just a point to clear up, does the quality of the picture REALLY detract from a quality programme? Firstly, when watching this I didn't even notice much of a problem with the quality of picture, and secondly, if you take a piece of arse filmage and polish it up, does it make it good? No. The purpose of Around The World In 80 Days wasn't to be yet another celeb glam travel programme, it was meant to be a proper trial, a task, a race against time. The gritty film style gives a wonderful earthy, 'real' feel, backs up the impression that this is a bunch of people desperately trying to get round the world in 80 days. I found this series unique in that respect, several moments arise when the entire project could be scuppered thanks to delays here, strikes there, unforseen circumstance x .... sometimes there is no time for Palin to explore some of the exotic locations that his journey take him through. Just enough time for a quick hello before moving onto another form of transport. No carefully set up panning shots of your typical glitzy holiday programme, the essence here is the race. As a result of this dash around the world, the locations take second place to the characters that Palin meets. Everything is served up with the wonderful commentry by Palin himself, rather than just sitting back and vegetating in front of this, it actually excites.You don't find that much in the way of extras with this, but its a nice lengthy series anyway ... plus you do get a nice interview with Palin on the third disc. Its something that you can find yourself returning to time and time again, feeling sad each time as Palin journeys through England to the finish line as you know that the adventure is over again. A fine DVD, and definately looking forward to other such as Pole To Pole and Full Circle being mastered to DVD. Unique.

A truly entertaining book, and one I was itching to get back to reading every second it was out of my hands. Michael Palin has a new fan in me.While it is obvious that Michael Palin takes his role as author and tv presenter seriously, there are moments of great observational humour in this book (as one should expect from someone who was part of the Monty Python crew).If you want a book that does not bash you over the head with an overload of an info dump, yet provides relevant information, coupled with humour and a sense of life, here you are. If Goodreads provided a ten star rating system, then I would give it to this book.

This series, of all the series before it, and after it, is the series like none other. Not that the places he went were enormously exotic, or the travelling very challenging. Neither there was imminent danger nor some hidden secret about to be unveiled. But it is the people of the world, and the complex relationship between them and their surroundings, their customs, their religions, their food, their language, which is so exhilirating to share. You could almost feel the whiff of the warm Arabian Sea, or the texture of the sandwiches on the Crusier ship. One can smell the city of Bombay and touch the pacific. Palin sir - I thank you for this perfect seriesAnd Palin shares all of this it to perfection. They say you cannot fake a genuine smile, and none of Palins were. He is a genuine human being which comes through.I loved it the first time I saw it - and have seen it many times over - but looking forward to the Christmas holidays when I plan to watch it with my wife.

In these days of little travel, its great to imerse yourself in Michael's world. This series visits countries, you would'nt probably consider, but its always good to see Michael's interaction with the ordinary people in the countries he visits, brilliant series, great quality and value.

Very interesting narrative. It seems that his main problem was connections. On the other hand buses trains and boats travel much faster than they did 100 years ago at the time of Fileas Fogg. So one wonders why he had difficulty to begin with to make the schedule of the 80 days.

The first ever travel documentary by Palin and quite possibly the best too. Unlike the other documentaries that he has made, this is more about the travel to foreign lands then the lands themselves. Palin, in trying to recreate the path written by Jules Verne in the book by the same name, offers the viewer a unique perspective of travel around the world. The absence of planes offers the viewer an alternative to the travel programmes that we are used to seeing and watching, and it is a very nice chance.

If you want to be transported all over the world with an excellent travel companion then this is a must buy! Bought for my son who has just had a spell in hospital & helped to occupy his time while giving him a touch of wanderlust! This should be shown in travel agents & waiting rooms everywhere. The photography is amazing & the commentary witty as you 'd expect from Michael Palin. It's informative & easy to watch a thoroughly excellent gift!

I tried to borrow the dvd from my local library but was told it was not available from any UK library as it was produced so long ago. I told them to try Amazon, but they said Amazon only sells the USA version which would be a different format, of course.Glad to see you prove them wrong.DVD is wonderful - a perfect complement to the book which I got from a charity shop.

Bought as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend, who'd seen it and loved it. Unfortunately, he passed away before viewing it. I will watch it one day.

I really enjoyed it and I found it just as mesmerising now as when I first saw it years ago. Some DVD's never lose their interest or their character. It is wonderful. And I really want to Thank You once again Amazon.

Around the World marks the beginning of Palin's prolific new career as travel host. He is less confident than in some of the later series, but he has an infectious energy that really comes through. Some of the passages overland and on the sea are fascinating looks at anachronistic modes of travel. Palin is maybe the best travel host ever to appear on the tele. He is funny, yet always respectful and always smiling (so important when traveling). His voice over narration is just perfect. Only criticism is that this series is a bit dated - the video quality ain't so great and the places he visits have changed enough since then that it feels slightly irrelevant - but that's only a relative criticism.Update: After watching 80 Days countless times over the past 2 years, I can now say this is one of my favorite travel series of all time. It is a one-of-a-kind and I never tire of it. Love the nervous energy of it.

Not as good as i remembered, saw this from the telly as a child but still good to watch

Love Michael Palin. Some amazing footage in this dvd. Definitely one that I can watch multiple times. Great experience.