DVD Reviews:  Genius: Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci, the name rings through history for so many reasons. Painting, sculpting, architect, engineer and visionary, all may be honestly credited to this amazing person.

This DVD is an all too short look or even overview of this brilliant man that quite frankly only begins to whet the appetite for more information. Deserving of a several part series, we are taken upon a rapid ride of his career and achievements, of which the disc only touches the tip of the iceberg. With a running time of only 49 minutes, this disc is more suited toward the classroom environment than as a source of true education.

Possibly the most well recognised paintings shown here are the Last Supper and Mona Lisa which are absolutely incredible and will having you wishing that there had been a bit more time spent on them alone.

That said, you will be riveted to your screen as image after image is flashed before you with designs and painting that this man created. I was spellbound and whilst I have seen other documentaries about Da Vinci, there were still a number of things that I was not aware of.

I think one of the nice things about this disc is that the enthusiasm for the subject is so obvious in all of the interviews with scholars about him that are featured. This may be entirely due to the fact that they all specialise in study about Leonardo, however it's a lot better than a group of dried up old men prattling on about him.

I think the disc is best suited to the classroom as it is not too long to bore students and will keep their interest enough to hopefully want to find out more about Da Vinci.

The video is standard 4x3 ratio full screen and not of an exceptionally high quality. There is a fair bit of grain, however it is all easy enough to see and is never bad enough that you are put off viewing.

Sound is our enemy here with a very, very low level recording on the cards; you are going to have to turn your television way up to hear it. I found myself with the television cranked right up to get an audible hearing level. The actual sound quality is fine though and it utilises a stereo soundtrack.

There are no extras on this DVD