Meerkat Manor is the worlds first nature soap opera, stemming from a ten-year scientific study of the tiny yet complexly social Kalahari desert denizens. Beginning life as an Animal Planet reality-style show, its an odd amalgam of fact and television construction. With complex social structures and relationships, the truth about the meerkats life is embedded in the storylines of the show, yet the filmmaking and construction of "scripts give it a more dramatic, but also suspiciously constructed, feel. From the drama of dominant female Flower attacking her own daughters for breeding without permission to the territorial wars with neighbouring bands of meerkats to the daily struggles of life (and, regularly, death) in the desert, Meerkat Manor portrays the tenor (but not necessarily the "reality) of this tiny band. The drama, however, is palpable, making it both educational and compelling viewing, as long as you can turn off the scepticism of how "constructed it is. (More or less than Survivor? You decide.)
Theres little doubt about the feature film The Story Begins; it tells the (again fact-based) story of Flowers origins, her early fight for life, her battles for dominance and her "war against the elements for the survival of her band. Yet The Story Begins was filmed well after the series had begun and after Flowers social position was well established. Thus, filmmakers armed with camera cranes, helicopters, HD gear and a feature film script shot "scenes they needed to construct the tale. Its no less true than, say, a documentary that recreates key moments based on fact, and the DVD is up front about the process and its challenges, but purists may cry foul over the meerkats story being manipulated in these ways. The feature film is less entertaining than the day-to-day life of the series but offers better DVD extras, with a "making of and a "science of Meerkat Manor look, while season one offers a lame "Ten Best Moments and a season two preview. If youre already a fan, The Story Begins provides illuminating back-story but if you just want some desert drama, the Animal Planet series seems at least to be closer to reality.
(Animal Planet/Alliance)Theres little doubt about the feature film The Story Begins; it tells the (again fact-based) story of Flowers origins, her early fight for life, her battles for dominance and her "war against the elements for the survival of her band. Yet The Story Begins was filmed well after the series had begun and after Flowers social position was well established. Thus, filmmakers armed with camera cranes, helicopters, HD gear and a feature film script shot "scenes they needed to construct the tale. Its no less true than, say, a documentary that recreates key moments based on fact, and the DVD is up front about the process and its challenges, but purists may cry foul over the meerkats story being manipulated in these ways. The feature film is less entertaining than the day-to-day life of the series but offers better DVD extras, with a "making of and a "science of Meerkat Manor look, while season one offers a lame "Ten Best Moments and a season two preview. If youre already a fan, The Story Begins provides illuminating back-story but if you just want some desert drama, the Animal Planet series seems at least to be closer to reality.
