Smile UK Store - Ewan McGregor And Charley Boorman - Long Way Round [Special Edition] [2004]

List Price: £17.99
Our Price: £12.98
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: EMI
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman

Average Customer Rating:

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: Exempt
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0094633952294
Format: Box set
Label: EMI
Manufacturer: EMI
Number Of Items: 3
Publisher: EMI
Region Code: 0
Release Date: 2005-11-07
Running Time: 600
Studio: EMI
Theatrical Release Date: 2004

Related Items
Long Way Down: Complete BBC Series Long Way Down - Special Edition (3 Discs, 10 Episodes) Charley Boorman - Race to Dakar Through Hell And High Water Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman - Long Way Down: Music from The TV Series

Editorial Reviews:

Long Way Round is a documentary detailing the 20,000-mile motorcycle trip Ewan McGregor took around the world with best friend Charley Boorman over 115 days. Their trip took them from London through locales such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, and Canada, to name a few, before ending in New York.

Armed with a cameraman, McGregor and Boorman encounter separation anxiety from their families; a shifty stranger (later revealed to be Mafia) who leads them through winding dark corridors to a posh hotel room; delays at international borders; hosts who offer them animal parts for dinner; injuries, equipment breakdowns, and more.

The pair also film their own video diaries, in which they voice concerns and frustrations. The result is an emotional, rich breadth of experiences, from the hardship of logistical setbacks paired with the joy of visiting the children of Chernobyl and encountering hospitable locals who insist on escorting them wherever they go. McGregor and Boorman also make witty emcees, cheerfully upbeat even when they wonder aloud if one of their gun-happy hosts is a psycho murderer. The seven-episode series concludes with their emotional ride into the Big Apple and some surprises for the pair courtesy of the show's producers.

Long Way Round may have been an arduous once-in-a-lifetime experience, but you can't help but hope McGregor and Boorman suit up for another road trip someday. -- Ellen A. Kim

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Fantastic DVD
Comment: This dvd is the best dvd from charley boorman and ewan mcgregor
its worth the money

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Trip of Two Men
Comment: From knowing the guys and the crew of the trip personally I can say that the swearing and the lack of talking in certain scenes are entirely justified. People who buy this expecting some kind of highly informative documentary will not find it here and shouldnt expect that for the basic truth is that this was to be viewed only as a record of their trip and one worth watching. The DVD itself shows all the series from start to finish with a number of extras that were not on the original showing versions of the series. The extras include a number of scenes that were not included in the original BBC screening of the series which was a shame since they contain some highly humours antics from the two.
Finally I believe that for this amount of footage to appear at a rather reasonable price is excellent and is ideal for any bike fan.

Customer Rating:

Summary: What's an adventure if it's not on TV?
Comment: Having seen both Long Way Round and Long Way Down in various incarnations I have to wonder why they bothered. If the idea of an adventure around the world on a motorbike is unthinkable without a support crew and a cameraman to record it, then I must be missing something.

In Long Way Round they meet up with Ted Simon - who McGregor claims was the inspiration for the trip. There they were, loaded up with free bikes, more kit than they could carry, support staff and minders at every corner, and still finding it hard going... all the while gushing at the resilience and fortitude of Simon - the quintessential traveller who always got by with a rickety bike and meagre provisions. The crushing irony seemed lost on them.

Having read both Ted Simon's biking books I can quite confidently say there is more magic, more adventure, more romance, more balls even, in his description of the simple act of making a cup of tea under a starry African sky. He was all alone, had no idea what tomorrow would bring or how long his bike would last. No ego, no tv camera, just self-reliance and guts. Now THAT is adventure. These two jokers make movies, and this series is nothing more than that: two jokers making a movie.

Customer Rating:

Summary: For what it is
Comment: Let's get it straight, this is superstar Ewan McGregor and his lesser known mate making their way around the world on a set route in aid of charity. Nothing bad was going to happen to them aside a falling off or two. It seems some of the people casting bad reviews on here think the program should have being more true to life in respect of what could really happen if two unknowns hoped on a Honda and tried to get around the world. Which is a fair comment.
For me, I see it as Ewan and Charley's world tour through weird, wonderful places and I thoroughly enjoy it. They aren't Bear Grylls! A little disappointed they go from Alaska to NY in five minutes though.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Truly Inspirational
Comment: I became hooked instantly on this truly inspirational and once in a lifetime adventure. It makes you realise just how much preparation and endurance a trip like this takes and I would recommend this DVD to anyone who is desperate to travel off the beaten track.

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