PBS GIFT GUIDE: From ‘Sanditon’ to ‘Molly of Denali,’ there’s something for everyone
Image: Molly of Denali follows Denali and her family’s adventures at the Denali Trading Post. Photo courtesy of © 2018 WGBH Educational Foundation / Provided by press site with permission.
PBS has slashed the prices on several of their DVD and Blu-ray sets, and there are some choice offerings amongst the channel’s vast network of programming.
This holiday season, check out Molly of Denali: Molly’s Awesome Alaskan Adventures, a two-disc collection featuring the adventures of 10-year-old Molly Mabray. The reason this series has won a Peabody Award and is beloved by children and adults alike is not only because of its clever animation style and interesting storytelling. This PBS KIDS series is much-heralded because of its themes of inclusiveness and authenticity, all brought to life by a dynamic title character who is an Alaskan Native.
The DVD collection features 32 stories (that’s 6-1/2 hours of entertainment for the kiddos), with episode titles like “Grandpa’s Drum,” “Herring Eggs or Bust,” “Culture Clash” and “Party Moose”. Children walk away entertained and educated, learning about Alaskan Native life, culture and traditions. Molly of Denali, set in Qyah, Alaska, has been a long time coming and deserves its championing.
NOVA has dominated science-based TV programming for many years, and their recent special, Eagle Power, is an excellent hour of high-flying thrills. The documentary, produced and directed by Simon Baxter, follows the uniqueness and power of eagles around the world. Of course, the bald eagle in the United States receives top billing (and some of the best footage), but there are many beautiful shots of all types of raptors.
The highlight of the program, which is now available on DVD, is a golden eagle that helps researchers better understand the hunting techniques, aerodynamics and flight maneuvers of the giant birds. During the second half of the documentary the researchers attempt a couple experiments with this majestic eagle, and the results are fascinating to watch, especially when they try to figure out the efficiency of the golden eagle’s eyesight.
Sanditon, the eight-part TV series based on an unfinished Jane Austen novel, is a sweeping epic from the Masterpiece program on PBS. Season one, which many people hope is not the last, is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
The show depicts the drama surrounding a resort town on England’s southern coast. Sanditon is picture-perfect and seems destined toward a profitable future, but it’s going to need the business skills of some locals. There’s Lady Denham (Anne Reid), who is the wealthiest person in town and helps to host the first-ever ball in Sanditon during episode one. Aiding her in selling the image of this resort town is Tom Parker (Kris Marshall), who the audience first meets on the road as he’s heading for the seaside village. He’s trying to make haste with his carriage through a rough track, and this causes him to crash and injure himself near the countryside home of the Heywood family.
There, Tom and his wife Mary (Kate Ashfield) meet Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), billed as a sensible and naïve young woman with 11 siblings. As these things go, Charlotte hitches a ride with Tom and Mary, and the three head for Sanditon and its promising future.
Click here to read Hollywood Soapbox’s full review.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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I would like a second season of Sanditon