Beautiful
G K Baker | Kapaa, HI United States | 09/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
""On the Waterways" is a beautifully photographed series. It is also a journey into the realm of small, human stories. The filmmakers were young and took the time to talk to the people who lived along the shores of the places they visited. The stories they tell and the way they are told are not flashy. All of the episodes move along at a brisk pace, but at the same time it feels as though time has slowed down long enough for the viewer to enjoy the ride. This series is almost twenty years old, so there are probably a lot of things that have changed. However, this does not change the charm and the beauty of the scenes. It's a bit like looking at old photographs of a favorite vacation."
Cruise America's Waterways without leaving home.
HugsSuzie | 09/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I enjoyed this 13 hour PBS series so much that after checking it out at my public library, I had to order my own set. Plus I ordered a set for my 88 year old parents who now sing its praises. I told them I was sending them "on a cruise"-- Sure beats watching the usual TV garbage. It is beautifully stimulating and educational. Although it was filmed in the early '90's, it remains pertinent with its issues of pollution along our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. I think it took them 3 years of filming to travel thousands of miles on the Great Lakes, the Mississippi, the Hudson River and Erie Canal, the Ohio, the North Atlantic, the Gulf Coast et al. Nice that it is in 1 hour programs. You can watch as little or as much as you want, and replay just your favorite segments."
Fun documentary of US Waterways
J. Johnson | Colorado Springs, CO USA | 01/26/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I watched this series when it first aired on PBS (in the late 1980's I believe) and loved it. It was a truly interesting documentary, telling the story of Americans (and a few Canadians!) who live and work on the rivers and the Atlantic coast.
It is an unhurried, relaxing tour of the eastern seaboard, gulf coast and Missipssipi waterways. Watching it again in 2008 shows just how much documentaries have improved over the years. "Waterways" now is pretty slow in comparison. I think the major difference between watching the stories then and now is that many of the people they interview have quite predictable lives now...whereas in the 80's their lives were completely new to me. Now I have seen several seasons of documentaries on fishermen, and the people on "Waterways" don't have the hair-raising adventures we are used to in such a documentary.
I still enjoy watching it, but I can only watch the 13 hour series 1 hour a week(I get a little anxious for the hour to end, as the story seems to move a little slowly).
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