Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Alicia I love this movie so much

SunnyHello Nice effects though.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

powysa Seek information on this 1971 big-budget 6-part series, and you'll seek in vain. No Wikipedia page, hardly any online presence at all. And yet at the time, it was fulsomely praised, received awards, was an internationally popular success. So why the present obscurity?Look no further than the content, which is obviously not what the BBC and Time-Life their American co-financer, in whatever form they now exist, have at least until very recently wanted to even take credit for, let alone promote.In contrast to modern portayals of past ages, which are usually peopled by 21st century ciphers in fancy dress, this feels like the real thing brought to life. And with no health warnings, signposting, PC tinkering etc. So you'll see evidence of slavery (by Arabs btw, not Europeans), black people behaving tribally, white people behaving like they were more socially advanced than others (which they were), men behaving like real men and women tagging along (and liking it!), all unchallenged, with the viewer left to make up his/her own mind about what's good/bad, right/wrong. Left to make an unprotected adult value judgement. Shocking.The production values are high, with true-to-reality location shooting. Gorgeous cinematography abounds, with no loathsome caught-in-the-middle-of-a-video-game HD in sight, just warm immersive 35mm film. The characters are an amazing range of larger-than-life oneoffs. There are dramatic situations and intelligent dialogue throughout.The production is not flawless; the team evidently had their agenda. Speke's motives are relentlessly darkened, perhaps to augment his great conflict with Burton: unnecessary, the reality was quite dramatic enough. Baker's 'wife' (they weren't - shock, horror - actually married at the time) is reduced to an eye-candy cipher. Livingstone has a halo practically grafted onto him in every scene. Time-Life's fingerprints are evident in Stanley's portrayal as an all-American hero, despite being barely American, right down to having a full American accent (living there only 8 years of his life, unlikely) and carrying - or rather having his slaves/workers carry - a US flag all through Africa (highly unlikely). Plus semi-whitewashing of his murderous tendencies.But these character simplifications are the only relatively minor caveat. Every other aspect is top notch. Best of all, as a result of watching it I was encouraged to dig deeper into the 'real' story. How many modern productions would have a similar effect? If you prefer your historic portrayals full of anachronisms, PC constructs and romantic cliches, with intrusive background music and post-production trickery, 'Downton Abbey' and 'Poldark' beckon. For the rest of us, 'The Source Of The Nile' is stirring, intelligent, educational entertainment with a total sense of immersion, from an age where British-derived productions had these values at their core, rather than debased ratings-driven criteria. And when British programme-makers were not so ashamed as is the case today of portraying their own, frequently glorious, history as it actually happened. So there's really nothing like it now. It's a genuine outrage that it's been buried for so long, and it's still 'censored' inasmuch as not being re-broadcast anywhere, but at least it's now available in DVD form.Highly recommended.

cncaldwell No need for another positive review - let me just say that I'm happy to report that this magnificent docudrama is now available at Amazon for the viewing world to watch. From the opening music, you will be entranced.

carayfield Why on earth is this title not on DVD? I sometimes think the BBC keeps a lot of its films in a big barrel and only takes them from the top. The ones at the bottom never get a turn! If they do not intend to use it may I buy it? It's hard to convey in words the feel of this series. It covers the stories of the explorations in quite a succinct but detailed way. It takes you into the continent with the main, and vivid, characters of the time, showing their journeys, intellectual arguments. It shows what they found there, from slave traders to powerful local kings. The main explorers include Livingstone (an explorer despite his missionary anti-slaver status), HM Stanley, R Burton, Speke, Grant, Mr and Mrs Baker travelling down the Nile through the Sud, and so on.It is beautifully written, filmed and presented, covering a story that is hard to imagine could have a parallel today. It's difficult to understand the combination of enterprise, bravery, erudition and determination of those explorers. The more one gets into the subject the more interesting it becomes. I've read a lot about it since seeing the film and soon after lived in many of the regions covered. The film captures a real essence of what it was. This film, of the highest standard,is surely what the BBC was meant to be about, leadership in quality. It's a shame it's not been made available but lies buried somewhere at the BBC. If you want to watch a very intelligent, top rate film about white man's early contacts with Africa and about the biggest mystery facing the first European exploration of the central areas of the continent, then this is a key film. I cannot think of a comparable film. Try to see it or request it! You won't be sorry.

selicate I first saw the British mini-series THE SEARCH FOR THE NILE on PBS in 1973 and was enthralled. My favorite film is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and I felt this was the television equivalent. As Peter O'Toole stunned in "Lawrence", Kenneth Haigh as explorer, scientist, (and REBEL) Sir Richard Francis Burton is equally impressive in "Nile." In 1980 (when video tape was available) I had the chance to record this masterpiece on PBS and took every possible precaution to get it right AND DID! (standard play,best tape available,etc.) The tape has held up beautifully all these years and still looks the same, however 1980 standards are not up to todays digital demands. Why this EMMY winner (1971-72 award for best Docu-Drama) is virtually unknown in this day and age is a mystery to me. It has everything you could want in a film; drama,sweep,humor,(that wonderful British humor)flawless performances and a marvelous production design to match the on location shooting. This film hasn't been available in at least 20 years and I'm thinking the copyright owners don't want to spend the money necessary to restore this virtually unknown gem (if possible after all this time)to it's Lawrencelike beauty. Number 1 on my wish list is a restored SEARCH FOR THE NILE on DVD,then I'd die happy but I don't think I'll ever see it.