The Edge Of The Land (DVD 2001)

I had never heard of this particular title - which was apparently a series originally shown on Scottish TV - but it was exceptionally good. As a guide to the Scottish coastline it is invaluable, with fantastic aerial photography and informative narration and (fortunately) without the overwhelmingly intrusive background music that so often mars this kind of documentary. A two disc set that will remain on my shelves for repeat viewing.

The idea behind this DVD is to show Scotland’s coastline from the vantage point of a helicopter. It’s a good idea, as it should, in theory, be able to show us the structure of the land from a viewpoint not normally experienced by tourists, or, indeed, residents. One imagines the beauty of the cliffs, the changing light around the myriad of western islands, the mountains plunging down to the sea, etc., etc.

One also imagines the photography would be done on days when the quality of the light helps to show this magnificence to best advantage, but not in this film! Most days are utterly dreary, with low cloud and poor visibility – everything is grey and dismal. Anyone who knows Scotland and accepts it for what it is knows that there are a lot of days like this North of the border, but it isn’t what you want to see on a DVD which, presumably, wants to celebrate the best features of this marvellous land.

The voice over doesn’t help either – a quietly spoken monotone (with almost no enthusiasm whatsoever) drearily dirges along, combining with the greyness of the scene and the often repetitive digitally generated ‘music’ loops to induce sleep within a few minutes, maximum.

If you like greyness combined with poor visibility and you are fond of one-note monologues, then this is for you. If you are an insomniac, then, again, this is for you. There is, however, one wonderful recommendation for this DVD: if you love Scotland and want to cut down the number of summer visitors, send them all a copy of this DVD. I feel sure that Scotland would be returned to it’s natural lonely grandeur if you do!