2 wheels good, 4 wheels bad (Ewan McGregor And Charley Boorman - Long Way Round (DVD))

Member Name: jaggynettles

Product:	Ewan McGregor And Charley Boorman - Long Way Round (DVD)
Date:	09/03/06 (381 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Value for money for light entertainment

Disadvantages: couldn't find any

In 2004, Ewan McGregor and his best friend and fellow thespian, Charley Boorman, made a 20,000 mile trip by motorcycle around the world, crossing 3 continents and 15 countries. Accompanied by a third rider and cameraman, Claudio Von Planta, and a small support crew, their journey began in London and finished some 4 months later in New York.


SERIES OUTLINE

The series is divided nicely into seven easily digested episodes which are split over the 2 discs.

Episode 1

This feels like a double-length episode, but I suppose it’s because there is so much initially to take in. Here, we’re introduced to Charley Boorman, Ewan McGregor and the production crew. What they initially thought of as a two month bike run, turns out to be so much more and they realise early on that it’s going to take months to prepare for the trip properly. The entire episode is dedicated to all the prep work, not just the physical, but also the mental - from fitness training to kidnap evasion, first aid instruction, gathering and testing of BMW motorcycles, equipment and clothing and of course, getting the required visas and vaccinations.

The last part of the episode sees Ewan and Charley finally set of on their epic journey, behaving much like a couple of 5 year olds on Christmas day.

Episodes 2 to 7

These six episodes follow the pair through Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada and The States.

Sheer exhaustion, injuries and accidents test their strength on a daily basis. Unpredictable weather, treacherous roads (where there are roads), and strange encounters all take their toll too. At one point, Ewan even starts to think there is a conspiracy to prevent them from getting to New York on time: they are stalked in Kazakhstanian, courted by Ukrainian gangsters, hassled by Russian border guards for autographs, given bulls' balls and camels’ milk for supper in Mongolia and escorted out of town by the Orange County Choppers Club. Now that’s what I call a bike ride!

Ewan MacGregor is a UN Ambassador and en route, he and Charley take time out from riding to see some of UNICEF's work in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. One of the most touching things about this series is watching how they interact with the children in each of the three UNICEF projects. The children they meet live in abject poverty and it really makes them question what is valuable in their own lives. You come away having little doubt that this part of the trip has probably changed their lives for ever.

As the miles disappear under their BMW R1150 GS tyres, they share some cracking stories with the viewer, have some hilarious encounters (which had me laughing out loud on many occasions) and despite hitting several problems along the way (Road of Bones, anyone?), their optimism and determination to succeed sees them through and makes this DVD series a satisfying piece of family entertainment.



FILMING

Considering that the film crew comprised of just 3 people (Charley, Ewan and Claudio), the footage is pretty fantastic. To ensure that every aspect of the expedition was captured, they relied on three key elements.

• On-Board Cameras

The first camera was built on to their helmets to provide panoramic views and the second was removable, enabling them to attach it to the front or the rear depending on what they wanted to film.

At times the filming is jumpy and very grainy and the sound quality (their helmets had built-in microphones ) is pretty poor too. Thankfully, the only time these cameras are relied upon is in the first third of the second episode - prior to them meeting up with their Director of Photography.

• Video Diaries

Throughout the trip Ewan and Charley kept diaries that reflected their moods and personal thoughts. Much of this footage is recorded late at night when they are very tired. This footage is used sparingly in each episode but it really helps convey their highs and incredible lows.


• The Third Man

Claudio, the Director of Photography, travelled on a bike alongside the pair and having him there not only freed them up to go off and interact with the “locals” but more importantly it meant there was decent footage to make a series from.


THE SOUNDTRACK

The pals route from east to west takes in a myriad of weird, wonderful and, at times, totally unpronounceable places - from Almaty to Volgograd. All this, you think, makes for an interesting soundtrack proposition. A strum of a Ukrainian bandura? A blast from the Siberian folk choir? A toot from a Mongolian tsuur flute? The possibilities are endless but alas, it would seem someone went and put diesel in the petrol tank. For me, the soundtrack was a non starter and the only thing that let the entire series and DVD down.

Aside from the one nod to something a little different (Rupert Gregson Williams’ Asian influenced “Mongolian 3 Vox Master”) the rest of the soundtrack left me wanting to shout “Gag me with a spoon”. Blur, Stereophonics, Radiohead, more Stereophonics, Coldplay, more Stereophonics … yuck – it is all very “Best Motorway Driving Songs in the World Ever”. But hey, this is purely my taste and I have no doubt others will enjoy the music, so ‘nuff said about the soundtrack.


SPECIAL FEATURES

• Photo gallery
This is not very interesting once you have seen the series. I got to the fifth photo and got bored so have no idea how many there are in the gallery.

• Trip Preparation – 7 minutes
Amusing outtakes that tell a short tale of exactly what Ewan and Charley need to do to prepare for the trip. They spend time going through catalogues, talking to experts and compiling a wish list of the things they think they’ll need. Charley also confesses here that he’s worried he’ll forget something essential as his track record is so bad. For example, he forgot to pack any shoes for his honeymoon. When provisions finally start turning up at their offices, they have fun trying everything out for the first time and it becomes clear they are pretty clueless when it comes to the nuts and bolts of camping. Cue humorous anecdote about cooking inside a tent.

• First 5 days – 20 minutes
This is a more in-depth look at the first 5 days of their trip - which was skimmed over in the first episode of the series. This featurette offers previously unseen footage of Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Most of the footage is from the handheld video cameras as their Cameraman, Claudio, doesn’t catch up with them until Prague

• I just can’t do it – 2 minutes
I’m not sure why they felt it was necessary to put this in at all. The first minute is of Ewan finding it difficult to make a video diary prior to their Road of Bones trip, and the second half is of Charley discussing why he wants to have his own tent rather than share. All footage is taken from the series so there’s nothing new here.

• Glacier Plane Ride – 4 minutes
A short film about their plane ride across a giant glacier in Alaska. Not that interesting really but watchable.

• Wrong way round! – 6 minutes
A small featurette about the cast and crew’s short trip to Scotland - as a test run for the proper trip and a little cameo from Ewan’s mum.

• Post trip interview – 5 minutes
A short and sweet interview with the pair in their office back in London not long after the trip ended. It’s more of a debrief than anything else and you get the feeling from this that the trip has definitely brought Charley and Ewan closer together – they interact here like an old married couple.

• UNICEF – 30 seconds
Full details of how to make a donation to UNICEF with a 30 second advert



RECOMMENDATION

I’ve you’re after a travel documentary, then this isn’t for you. Despite the fact the lads are game for getting involved in local customs and can appreciate cultures far removed from theirs, they can’t remember what day it is, let alone what town they are in, or what church they are looking at. This all makes for very funny viewing, but if you’re expecting something worthy of Michael Palin or Nick Middleton, then you’ll be very disappointed.

That said, I would still recommend this series. You don’t need to know a thing about motorcycles; you don’t even have to be interested in motorcycles. I know absolutely nothing about cars but enjoy watching Top Gear for the same reasons as I like The Long Way Round – the presenters are engaging, have a great rapport with each other and you come away from it feeling thoroughly entertained.

If you shop around on the net you can get it for under £10. We bought the 2-disc set at our local Virgin Store on a 5 DVDs for £30 promotion and it was definitely worth it.


EDITION DETAILS

• Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 315 minutes (7 episodes x 45 minutes) ***
• Run Time inc. special features: 360 minutes
• Cost - You can pick this up on the net now for under £10 but we bought the 2-disc set at our local Virgin Store on a 5 DVDs for £30 promotion.

I’ve noticed that there are three different versions of The Long Way Round available on DVD. One has six episodes, one has seven (the one I’m reviewing) and another has 10. The “6” and “7” episode editions have the exact same footage and both run for 315 minutes in total. The “10 episode” edition was released initially only for the States but it now available on Region 2. It has an additional 45 minutes of footage.

Summary: Good entertainment - they behave much like a couple of 5 year olds on Christmas day