As a follow-up to his previous BBC documentary/miniseries Around the World in 80 Days, former Monty Python member Michael Palin travels from the North Pole to the South Pole.

CRITIQUE

Pole To Pole is a BBC documentary/miniseries, originally broadcast in 1992, which follows actor Michael Palin as he travels from the North Pole to the South Pole, trying to stick closely to 30 degrees east longitude throughout (a route that allows him to cover the most land).  The result is interesting on a travelogue sense, though there isn’t much drama to it; essentially we just follow Palin as he wanders around places, talks to the locals, and engages in some activities.  Still, there is enough here to make this entertaining enough, and for those in the mood this is worth checking out.

The show consists of eight 49-minute episodes, and is something of a follow-up to Palin’s previous BBC endeavor, Around the World in 80 Days.  That series had the benefit of Palin being forced to stick to a strict time deadline; here, the going is a lot lazier, and there is rarely any sense of hurry or worry here.  Still, it turns out that he chose a good time to travel; his trip, taking place over the second half of 1991, occurred just before or after major political shake-ups in the Soviet Union and South Africa, as well as several other African countries, which helps add an interesting flavor to it all.

Palin does try to adhere to some rules, including only flying when there is no alternative; originally, this was only supposed to be at the beginning, flying from the North Pole to Norway, though late shipping unavailability ultimately requires him to fly to the South Pole as well.  Palin also travels on a wide range of different passports along the way, from trains that wildly differ in luxury, to ships, buses, cars, taxis, snowmobiles, bicycles, paddleboats and by balloon.

The route takes Palin down through Norway and Lapland, through the Ukraine, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt and various African countries.  Highlights include several spa-related nude forays by Palin (including some quick frontal nudity), as well as a harrowing white-water rafting trip in Zambia, and a visit to a gold mine in South Africa that is the deepest penetration man has made into the Earth’s core.

Though Palin (a former Monty Python member) is known for his humor, there are only the occasional funny bits here; often he is content to experience things, rather than try to find humor in them.  The result generally works; though this sprawls a bit at almost 7 hours long, and there aren’t any real bit wow moments here, audiences who enjoy this kind of thing are likely to be satisfied.

THE VIDEO

Pole To Pole is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio.  Despite it being a documentary, the picture quality is generally pretty decent.

THE AUDIO

Pole To Pole is presented in English Stereo.  The sound is okay, given that much of it was captured along the way.  There are English subtitles for the hard of hearing.

THE EXTRAS

There is a half-hour Interview With Michael Palin that was apparently filmed fairly recently, as he looks a lot older than he did in the documentary.  Palin reflects back on the trip; there are some good nuggets here, though a lot of it is dry.

FINAL THOUGHT