The trip took five months and was quite arduous at times. The trip attempted to follow the 30 degree east longitude line, down through Scandinavia, the then-existing USSR, Turkey and all the way down through the continent of Africa. The use of aircraft was only allowed when surface travel was not possible, and public transportation was used as much as possible. The trip was based on several self-imposed rules. This review is based on watching the DVD version of "Pole to Pole", the BBC TV program made in 1991 that showed Michael Palin traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole. This is an 8 part series, I believe, and seems to be over far too soon. ![]() Through it all he smiles and has a visibly great time, and so does the viewer. ![]() He interviews a Turkish masseur, who seems to have learnt his trade by watching World Wrestling Federation videos, and gets a massage that looks like it breaks a few bones he rides a rattletrap train in Africa, where the less-than-appetizing entree is a spiny fish that looks to be more bone than fish he travels across the Black Sea on a Russian steamer, hobnobbing with just plain Russian folk who are very, very friendly he takes part in the evening's festivities aboard a luxury liner going up the Nile, dressed as a Roman centurion. He never really goes over the edge, but he always seems to be about to. The best thing about the series is Palin, who seems to always be on the brink of some hilarity. ![]() Michael Palin travels from the North Pole to the South Pole by the most direct routes, runs into the most interesting people, places and situations, and lets nothing get in his way. This is one of those multi-part shows that I wish A&E would rerun every month it's a delight from start to finish.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |