The Life of Mammals, Vol. 4

Rating:
Summary: Monkeys, great apes and Attenborough's best
Review: This, the fourth and best volume of an excellent four-volume series on mammals, contains two hour-long episodes: _The Social Climbers_, about monkeys; and _Food for Thought_, about humans and other great apes. Attenborough has obviously filmed these animals extensively, and his films benefit from being viewed multiple times.

_The Social Climbers_ is easily the most outstanding film in the entire _Life of Mammals_ series. It focuses on the monkeys' complex social systems and fascinating ecology. The organization of the video is very good--it is divided between the taxonomically disparate New and Old World monkeys, with an excellent transition between the monkeys of the two continents. It also builds up to a wonderful culmination. _Food for Thought_, although one of the better Attenborough mammal films, is not quite as good. It presents many interesting facts about the remarkable capabilities of apes, but fails to mention bonobos, glosses over gorillas, and is a bit too human-centered. However, the video contains few segments I would consider weak, and I highly recommend the entire series.