Armando Fernandes I am new here. Please forgive me for my ignorance.Just wanted to say this 1970's TV series marked me as a teenager.I want (very badly!) to see this series remastered in DVD...Post scriptum: Would you believe I made a tape recording that time, with a VERY old tape recorder, of James Mason saying «In 198?, Henry Morton Stanley, the young American journalist, crossed Africa and, in one of the most famous encounters of History, found Dr. David Livingston. When the great Livingston died...»I just can't remember the rest by heart.I have it recorded in a tape (NOT a cassette, but an old magnetic tape; these days, I recorded my favorite films with a microphone near the TV speaker!) and it is still there, along with the wonderful music theme, I read in this site it was a Dvorak theme.Who, and when, someone will allow us to see again that incredible TV series, with Richard Burton as Sir Richard Francis Burton???

msh5060 I loved that series when I saw it as a teenager. It's one of the few that I still remember vividly and keep praising among friends - who often haven't even heard of it. I was mesmerized by the characters: I adored Burton and marveled at his choice in wife, and (being a naive teenager at that time) was shocked by the character depictions of other prominent adventurers like Speke and Stanley. What a gripping view this mini-series gives of the discovery of the dark continent and of colonialism and imperialism. "Mountains of the Moon" is pale and superficial in comparison, and I was disappointed by the movie's quite different view of the Burton marriage. I so much enjoyed "The Search for the Nile", and I cannot understand why this fantastic series isn't available on DVD!

morrowmmm Quite a few of the best BBC films have been locked away. There is a possibility that, in the minds of a very politically correct and left leaning BBC upper management, the advertising of Empire and Africa is not a truth that should be allowed anymore. The standard of documentary's, and that of the news itself for which the BBC used to be renowned, has been lowered dramatically over the past 20 years. The BBC are ashamed of British involvement in Africa in the nineteenth Century and do their best to make certain that any programs which reflect otherwise are not available. It's a great pity. No quality anymore just proselytizing. The BBC is being systematically dumbed down to make certain it reflects a government view of the world.

carayfield Why on earth is this title not on DVD? I sometimes think the BBC keeps a lot of its films in a big barrel and only takes them from the top. The ones at the bottom never get a turn! If they do not intend to use it may I buy it? It's hard to convey in words the feel of this series. It covers the stories of the explorations in quite a succinct but detailed way. It takes you into the continent with the main, and vivid, characters of the time, showing their journeys, intellectual arguments. It shows what they found there, from slave traders to powerful local kings. The main explorers include Livingstone (an explorer despite his missionary anti-slaver status), HM Stanley, R Burton, Speke, Grant, Mr and Mrs Baker travelling down the Nile through the Sud, and so on.It is beautifully written, filmed and presented, covering a story that is hard to imagine could have a parallel today. It's difficult to understand the combination of enterprise, bravery, erudition and determination of those explorers. The more one gets into the subject the more interesting it becomes. I've read a lot about it since seeing the film and soon after lived in many of the regions covered. The film captures a real essence of what it was. This film, of the highest standard,is surely what the BBC was meant to be about, leadership in quality. It's a shame it's not been made available but lies buried somewhere at the BBC. If you want to watch a very intelligent, top rate film about white man's early contacts with Africa and about the biggest mystery facing the first European exploration of the central areas of the continent, then this is a key film. I cannot think of a comparable film. Try to see it or request it! You won't be sorry.