Valley of the geezers

There is English, and then there is English.

One or the other can, at times, be unexpectedly entertaining.

Watching a documentary series about nature in Russia would become such an event.

The National Geographic series Wild Russia represents a good overview of the fauna and flora of this vast country. The series is a German production, a fact that did not escape the TheEditor.

To the credit of hard working documentary film makers around the world, it should be said that famous British naturalist Richard Attenborough is certainly in a class of his own.
Yet, TheEditor would recommend German film makers to try and devote a little more time to the text accompanying their work and on the quality of the narration.

Our German friends handle the camera as good as anybody, they know their slow motion and their time lapse and use both to great effect.

The narration, though, is formulaic. 

Less than half an hour into the six hour series, TheEditor felt a slight disconnect between the familiar Nat Geo branding and the narration. The latter felt German.

The ending credits confirmed it.

So, what is this particularly German feel?

They seem to be doing a 5 W based script. What, Where, When, Who, Why.

You may not notice easily if you watch the individual episodes spread a week or more apart. It becomes painfully obvious, though, if you watch them back to back.

The narration of the mating ritual, breeding, and rearing of chicks of, say a spotted bird in episode one is virtually identical to that of, say, the striped birds in episode two.

We might be a little too sensitive, but TheEditor  has had the feeling that German wild animal documentaries frequently talk just a little more about the old competition eat or be eaten, mine is bigger than yours angle than TheEditor would find adequate.

Do they not trust their viewers, or are they simply succumbing to the easy stereotypes of emotions through violence? 

Why does every storm have to be "fierce" or "violent", for instance. 

The valley of the geezers? We are certainly not talking about Palm Springs, California, or about an ageing Silicon Valley workforce, as tempting as it is.

The Valley of the Geezers is in Russia, and for any American it would be the Valley of the Geysers.

With the narration being a straight translation from German by some sort of non-US person, you get four or five instances of Valley of the Geezers in rapid succession.

We were laughing so hard that we missed much of content.