Church Libraries, Winter 2012-13

Biography lovers especially will enjoy this informative look at one of Europe's most famous explorers. Motivated by spreading the gospel, Livingstone first became a doctor, then a missionary who was drawn from Scotland to Africa in the 1800s. Narrated by several historians, this documentary follows Livingstone's expeditions and his search for the source of the Nile River. Finally overcome by malaria and complications from dysentery, Livingstone is still remembered as an outspoken opponent of slavery. An excellent addition to your DVD collection for family viewing.

Baptist Bulletin, Sept/Oct, 2012

Africa, once called "The Dark Continent," changed dramatically when David Livingstone came to its shores. Considered one of the greatest of gospel missionary pioneers since the Apostle Paul, Livingstone went to Africa with determination as an explorer, statesman, doctor, and scientist.

This DVD documentary should challenge believers to persevere in their own lives as they witness what Livingstone endured in his body as he pressed on for the Lord's sake, despite tremendous hindrances.

Video Librarian, November/December 2012

Most of us think of David Livingstone as a 19th-century British explorer of Africa, a man who dropped out of contact with the West for a few years and was famously found by American adventurer Henry Morton Stanley ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"). But there was a great deal more to Livingstone's life and accomplishments, as viewers will discover in this fine documentary that combines archival materials and interviews with several historians. The story begins with Livingstone's early life as a schoolboy who extended his education through books, despite having to work long hours in a Scottish mill. Becoming both a doctor and a missionary, Livingstone traveled to the least-known, widely-inhabited place in the world, Africa, where he survived a devastating attack by a lion, malaria, and the death of his wife and child, among many other hardships while working to discover trade routes, as well as documenting the continent's etymology, drawing maps, practicing medicine, teaching Christianity, and bringing attention to the barbarous slave trade (his eyewitness accounts were a major contribution to England's ultimate rejection of slavery). Livingstone's books would alter the common perception of Africa as the "Dark Continent," while his obsessive quest at the end of his life to find the source of the Nile River would add to his legend. Highly recommended.