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Carl Sagan is my hero, see why.
Date of Review: May 5, 2003
The Bottom Line: Where else does astronomy get its day in the sun but in Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Spotty video transfer doesn't kill the enjoyment I get from this cherished DVD set.
I have always been a fanatic for Carl Sagan's Cosmos and his vision of our place in the Cosmos. I even got to hear him speak on education at our alma mater, the University of Chicago. He has been an eloquent voice for rational thought and limitless imagination. His vision of our place in the universe is at once awesome and comforting. It started with his Cosmos series. The 13 episodes of Cosmos cover such complex topics as the mathematical sojourn that led to modern physics, the philosophy of ancient Greece, the explorations on Mars, evolution, and, perhaps most dear to Sagan's own yearnings, the search for other intelligent life in our universe. The first of the series is an introduction, as such is somewhat overblown and effusive. The rest of the series contains so much substance it's hard to see why this isn't required viewing for high school students. I mourn the untimely demise of Dr. Sagan to myelodysplastic disease.
Sound
The soundtrack of Cosmos has been remastered from its original mono to Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Most soundstaging is done through the front left (FL) and front right (FR) Use of the surround channels is situational, mostly for soundfill effects (e.g. raindrops, explosions) rather than localizing individual sound sources. The one exception is with the spiky lightball whose swath accompanies the end of the title sequence. Likewise, use of the LFE channel is unaggressive, limited mostly to big explosions. Theme music for Cosmos, which still echoes in my mind from 20 years ago, sounds rather tame. However, orchestral music for various sequences comes to life with the remastering at 5.1 sound. On-screen voices are clear but thin and seem to be concentrated through the front center channel. Narration is more ambient, with use of the surround and FR/FL speakers providing soundfill.
Picture
The transfer of the picture from the original film or tape to DVD suffers from texturization and graining, especially in dark solid areas. This is particularly annoying in some of the reenactment scenes where actors are seen lit by candlelight. The worst is the scene from inside the "spaceship of the imagination" I'm wondering if the original film was a very high ISO rating and this is what I'm seeing. Regardless, it gets annoying, especially considering what software algorithms could be used to reduce this effect. Colors are slightly undersaturated, but hue is accurate (especially considering that the first of the series I watched on a tube TV).
Extras
Subtitles in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and of course English comprise the main menu choices. You may select scenes or turn on/off the science update subtitles from the menu. There is an introduction to Cosmos by Ann Druyan (his widow) on volume I. After many of the chapters, a science update is given by a drawn-looking Sagan in heavy makeup. He's not quite as animated, but he delivers his speech with his trademark lilting, pedantic tone.
Content
Here is where Cosmos shines. I'm actually learning something while I listen to the captivating voice of Sagan explaining something as dry as Kepler's planetary motion theory. Many of you remember reading about the Viking missions to Mars in National Geographic or Newsweek. Cosmos chronicles the journey from its roots in the science of Robert Goddard and the whimsy of Percival Lowell. Amply explored is the possibility of life on Mars. All fascinating stuff. While the subject is ostensibly astronomy, Cosmos explores the very origins of Earth, life on Earth, civilizations, history, and the roots of scientific paradigm shifts. Exploration of biochemistry and ecology appear in every episode as do frequent warnings about the possible catastrophes of our planet if we continue to abuse it. At the very least, we will be consigned to a grisly death on this prison Earth if we allow our planet to die.
It is amazing to me to see that the scientific facts and theories presented in Cosmos require only few updates.
Conclusion
Carl Sagan is my hero. Why? Because he makes the mundane world and the vast emptiness of space something exquisitely rich. An ordinary tree, a speck of space dust, an brilliant young student -- they all have a story that brings us closer to our understanding of our place however small in the vastness. Moreover, the writing of Cosmos is designed for anybody with an ninth-grade education. Just because it's science doesn't mean it has to intimidate.
