National Geographic's Last Feast of the Crocodiles [VHS]

Filmed during a brutal drought in central Africa, this brilliantly photographed video from National Geographic follows the punishing predicament of animals living along the dwindling Luvuvhu River. As the water level sinks during the dry season, animals, including baboons and impalas, are forced to seek water in pools filled with hippos and deadly crocodiles. At one point the crocodiles, who are the focus of the filming, are described as "artists of violence," and the term seems entirely apt when they are seen striking out with lightning speed from places of total concealment in the water and mud. As the camera lingers on the watering hole, the behavior of increasingly desperate and thirsty animals is shown in all its brutal detail, and portions of this video will have the squeamish averting their eyes. Even though the violent outbursts are handled as tastefully as possible (it is, after all, a National Geographic production), some scenes, such as a violent confrontation between crocodiles and baboons, are heartrending. And while some of the video is inevitably difficult to watch, the photography is always spectacular; some of the shots, such as scenes of a baby hippo blithely wallowing among the crocodiles under the mother hippo's watchful eye, are astounding. This video is both brutal and beautiful, and puts the viewer as close as possible (and desirable) to some of Africa's most amazing wildlife. --Robert J. McNamara

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