Spectacular views from bustling Edinburgh to the wild, windswept Highlands See bonny Scotland as you never could, even on the most lavish tour. Thanks to a high-definition, helicopter-mounted camera, you soar effortlessly ... more »over Scotland?s historic cities, tranquil villages, rugged highlands, and steel-blue lakes. See the country?s legendary landmarks?the dizzying heights of Edinburgh?s Castle Rock, immaculate greens of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, mysterious glacial waters of Loch Ness, and many more?from a unique aerial perspective. Chase wild deer across green hills splashed with yellow gorse. Swoop down on coastal villages so close that you can almost taste the sweet, smoky salmon. With a poetic narration and a soundtrack of authentic regional music, Visions of Scotland opens your eyes, ears, and heart to this legendary land. Includes bonus footage not seen on public television.« less
"This is a beautiful flyover with good narration and a lovely score, so the missing star is for what's left out. Of course, no tour of Scotland could include everything (I spent two years of my life there, and there is much I missed), but I was so disappointed when it ended without a look at so many of Scotland's most famous places. Yes, Stirling and Edinburgh were there, and Loch Lomond, Loch Ness and a brief glimpse of Inverness... We see Bannockburn, but not Culloden. The Isle of Mull, but not Iona. Nothing of Glencoe. And nothing of the Isle of Skye, the most famous of all Scottish islands and arguably the most beautiful. Nor do we reach the far north, so there is nothing of Orkney or Shetland. Perhaps there were rules about flying over St. Andrews, so we see the cathedral ruins at one end and the golf course at the other, but absolutely nothing of the jewel of an ancient cathedral town that lies in between.... The other enormous omission is the lack of identification (on either credits or liner notes, which were absent altogether) of the many beautiful songs underlying the narrative. These were well-chosen, in a variety of styles, and remarkably un-cliched, so that we had choral works, folk songs, classical and contemporary, well representing the range of Scotland's culture, but I'd have loved to know the names, the artists and possibly what CDs might contain them. For a Scotophile and a music lover, this is a serious omission. I can only hope there is a Visions of Scotland, Part II, that lets us see the Scotland we missed - and maybe a companion CD, or at least a link to the artists whose music provided so much beauty and atmosphere."
Gorgeous
R. Fink | Harrisburg, Pa | 08/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although the islands are ignored, the crisp photography, narrator with a pleasant burr and fine music make this an exceptional entry in the "Visions of" collection. Almost equal to "Over Ireland," still the best of the fly-by films."
A Bonny Good Time
Brian E. Erland | Brea, CA - USA | 04/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Much like most of you out there I first became acquainted with the `Vision Series' of aerial travelogue features on PBS television. Whenever I came upon one while channel surfing I'd immediately put the remote down and sit back and relax. It wasn't long before I decided these programs were something I'd never tire of watching and needed to be added to my private DVD collection.
Released in '07, `Visions of Scotland' is the sixth high altitude tour in the series following `Visions of ... Greece / Italy / England / France and Germany'. As with the previous journeys the audience is whisked away far above the maddening crowd and daily concerns of life on the ground to view Scotland in all its magnificent natural beauty. Add to the visuals an haunting Celtic and regional soundtrack and soothing narration you'll begin to think you're really there!"
Visions of Scotland
Patricia Sherwood | Edmonds, WA | 02/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was so beautiful, but I would have loved it to be much longer!!! Couldn't get enough of that lovely country."
Wonderful Memories
Paul R. Rowlands | West Melbourne FL | 03/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"We really enjoyed this video reminder of the trip we took to Scotland a couple years ago. Got to "revisit" many of our stops and see some new sights as well. Narration was helpful without being overwhelming and music was appropriate without being cliche."