The third episode of the series is, in many respects, a thorough and beautifully-shot presentation of the water cycle - insofar as that applies to fresh water. We start at the very top, at Angel Falls in Venezuela. That waterfall is the highest in the world and can be found on the Auyan-Tepui ('Devils Mountain') plateau, the same mountain formation that inspired Conan Doyle to write The Lost World (1912), although the location might now be more familiar as Paradise Falls from Up (2009).
The cinematography is especially astonishing towards the start, when we follow the waters of Angel Falls along the drop of nearly a kilometre; and also towards the finale, when the camera floats above the Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. That location, too, is breathtakingly fantastical.
As fresh water travels from the mountains to, eventually, the lakes and oceans, there is no shortage of curious and unfamiliar creatures: the giant salamander and the crab-eating macaque are among the many species introduced in the episode. There are, also, animals who are more familiar to the wider public and whom we associate with rivers across the planet: salmon, otters, crocodiles, seals, piranha, and bottle-nosed dolphins. Each species is portrayed with careful attention and in its interaction with others sharing the same ecosystem.
The music composed by George Fenton is brilliant at guiding the viewer through the narrative; the localisation of some of the melodies is an unexpected but not unwelcome choice. Beautifully, thoughtfully narrated by David Attenborough, 'Fresh Water' is another outstanding work by the BBC Natural History Unit and a pleasure for all senses.
The cinematography is especially astonishing towards the start, when we follow the waters of Angel Falls along the drop of nearly a kilometre; and also towards the finale, when the camera floats above the Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. That location, too, is breathtakingly fantastical.
As fresh water travels from the mountains to, eventually, the lakes and oceans, there is no shortage of curious and unfamiliar creatures: the giant salamander and the crab-eating macaque are among the many species introduced in the episode. There are, also, animals who are more familiar to the wider public and whom we associate with rivers across the planet: salmon, otters, crocodiles, seals, piranha, and bottle-nosed dolphins. Each species is portrayed with careful attention and in its interaction with others sharing the same ecosystem.
The music composed by George Fenton is brilliant at guiding the viewer through the narrative; the localisation of some of the melodies is an unexpected but not unwelcome choice. Beautifully, thoughtfully narrated by David Attenborough, 'Fresh Water' is another outstanding work by the BBC Natural History Unit and a pleasure for all senses.