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Planet Ustinov Following the Equator with Sir Peter Ustinov
One hundred years ago, Mark Twain published a bestselling account of his epic journey around the globe. Witty, shrewd and entertaining, Following the Equator offered an unrivaled portrait of a world on the brink of a new century.
Exactly 100 years after the trip, this book which is a companion volume to the the Channel 4 TV series in which Sir Peter Ustinov, repeats the journey to observe Twain's world on the edge of a new century, and a new millennium; to see what is left of the old ways, and what has replaced them.
Exactly 100 years after the trip, this book which is a companion volume to the the Channel 4 TV series in which Sir Peter Ustinov, repeats the journey to observe Twain's world on the edge of a new century, and a new millennium; to see what is left of the old ways, and what has replaced them.
- GenresTravel
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 2, 2015
“It is easy to make plans in this world; even a cat can do it; and when one is out in those remote oceans it is noticeable that a cat's plans and a man's are worth about the same. There is much the same shrinkage in both, in the matter of values.”
Mark Twain, Following the Equator
While reading through ‘Following the Equator’, a couple of months back these words by Mark Twain, where he reminisces about the ‘power of unexpected’ made a big impact on my mind. I was a quarter way through the book and was thoroughly enjoying Twain’s narrations of his epic journey around the equator and was planning to read through the entire narration, when the ‘absurdity of making plans’ - which Twain muses over like a philosopher through those lines – hit me with the full force. My old fully illustrated copy of ‘Following the Equator’ was unfortunately misplaced while on a journey which led to a situation where the book and me where separated by more than 3000 Kms of ocean for about 2 months. In the meantime, craving so much for Twain’s epic journey, I decided to re-read ‘Planet Ustinov – Following the Equator with Sir Peter Ustinov’ by Michael Waldman.
In this lavishly illustrated full-color coffee-table volume, TV producer Michael Waldman accompanies Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov - the renowned English actor, writer, filmmaker, humorist and opera director - in a journey matching the epic proportions of Mark Twain’s travel around the globe originally conducted in 1897. This book gives the reader a behind the scene glimpse at the travel and filming of the Channel 4 documentary titled ‘On The Trail of Mark Twain with Peter Ustinov’, which retraces the exact routes of Mark Twain during his voyage. The journey takes the reader through some of the most vivid and beautiful landscapes on our planet.
Following the footsteps of Twain exactly a hundred years after his journey, Waldman and his crew zigzags sedately along the equator while visiting Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, India, Mauritius and South Africa and inspects the changes that has happened both to the geographic and cultural landscapes they encounter by comparing them to Twains narratives. Like Twain they meet interesting characters along the journey and this adds to the sharpness of their observations on the changes that has happened to the world that Twain has portrayed in his epic adventure. It seeks to find what is left of the old ways, and what has replaced them and gives the reader a wise and detailed account of a world in transition.
Visiting Honolulu in the late 1800s Mark Twain encountered an unspoiled paradise with snow-white wooden cottages adorned with tropical vines and exotic flowers, its misty towns and silky mountains. In late 1900s Waldman and Ustinov encounter an urban jungle thriving with high-rise buildings and tourists. But underneath the tourist face of this cosmopolitan city by interacting with true Hawaiians they still manage to find much of the traditions and cultural references that Twain has chronicled being followed or kept intact. Through out the rest of the journey Waldman and his crew see a geographically and politically different world but by keeping their focus on the real people they encounter – like surviving descendants of ancient tribes, tribal kings, living Gods, ministers, religious leaders and common people - they still manage to connect with many of the socio-cultural fabric that Twain had described in his travel narrative.
With excellent photographs, which captures the geographical and cultural highlights of the expedition and well written commentary this will be a fascinating volume for both Mark Twain and travelogue fans.
Mark Twain, Following the Equator
While reading through ‘Following the Equator’, a couple of months back these words by Mark Twain, where he reminisces about the ‘power of unexpected’ made a big impact on my mind. I was a quarter way through the book and was thoroughly enjoying Twain’s narrations of his epic journey around the equator and was planning to read through the entire narration, when the ‘absurdity of making plans’ - which Twain muses over like a philosopher through those lines – hit me with the full force. My old fully illustrated copy of ‘Following the Equator’ was unfortunately misplaced while on a journey which led to a situation where the book and me where separated by more than 3000 Kms of ocean for about 2 months. In the meantime, craving so much for Twain’s epic journey, I decided to re-read ‘Planet Ustinov – Following the Equator with Sir Peter Ustinov’ by Michael Waldman.
In this lavishly illustrated full-color coffee-table volume, TV producer Michael Waldman accompanies Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov - the renowned English actor, writer, filmmaker, humorist and opera director - in a journey matching the epic proportions of Mark Twain’s travel around the globe originally conducted in 1897. This book gives the reader a behind the scene glimpse at the travel and filming of the Channel 4 documentary titled ‘On The Trail of Mark Twain with Peter Ustinov’, which retraces the exact routes of Mark Twain during his voyage. The journey takes the reader through some of the most vivid and beautiful landscapes on our planet.
Following the footsteps of Twain exactly a hundred years after his journey, Waldman and his crew zigzags sedately along the equator while visiting Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, India, Mauritius and South Africa and inspects the changes that has happened both to the geographic and cultural landscapes they encounter by comparing them to Twains narratives. Like Twain they meet interesting characters along the journey and this adds to the sharpness of their observations on the changes that has happened to the world that Twain has portrayed in his epic adventure. It seeks to find what is left of the old ways, and what has replaced them and gives the reader a wise and detailed account of a world in transition.
Visiting Honolulu in the late 1800s Mark Twain encountered an unspoiled paradise with snow-white wooden cottages adorned with tropical vines and exotic flowers, its misty towns and silky mountains. In late 1900s Waldman and Ustinov encounter an urban jungle thriving with high-rise buildings and tourists. But underneath the tourist face of this cosmopolitan city by interacting with true Hawaiians they still manage to find much of the traditions and cultural references that Twain has chronicled being followed or kept intact. Through out the rest of the journey Waldman and his crew see a geographically and politically different world but by keeping their focus on the real people they encounter – like surviving descendants of ancient tribes, tribal kings, living Gods, ministers, religious leaders and common people - they still manage to connect with many of the socio-cultural fabric that Twain had described in his travel narrative.
With excellent photographs, which captures the geographical and cultural highlights of the expedition and well written commentary this will be a fascinating volume for both Mark Twain and travelogue fans.
January 25, 2018
A wonderfully written and photographed travelogue - a must for any coffee-table.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews