The Real Eve (2002)

A Bit Long, But Great Cinematography

I think the script could have been shortened and/or revised a bit. The film makers seemed to concentrate a great deal on the first migrations out of Africa, and then seemed to hurry through the rest of the migration splits. The European split seemed to warrant the least time. It also was a bit of an irritant to me that the film was about mitochondrial DNA and yet most of the dramatizations (especially once the migrations left Africa) were about men. Yes, I know men carry mtdna, but it is the females, not the males, who give it to their offspring. Therefore, it is the females who have "spread it around the world", not the men.

This is a very good introduction to mitochondrial dna and female population genetics. Much has been learned since this was originally been released and I hope for another film or films that can drill down further into the various halplogroups and their migrations.

By the way, if Amazon seems is out of stock on this, you may wish to check the Discovery channel site. March 29, 2008

ITS ABOUT TIME!!!

FINALLY THE TRUTH HAS BEEN EXPOSED!!! As an aspiring Black (film) history teacher I will definitely use this documentary in my teachings. July 23, 2007

wonderful

i showed it to my students and it was a hit. all but one thought that it was great. that one said, "it's not true because the bible doesn't say any of that." well, forget him and focus on the genetics and the travels of the people. this is a great addition to "The Journey of Man", another wonderful genetic tracing of our species but looking at it through the male. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in our true beginnings. May 1, 2007

Should be 30 minutes shorter.

The idea is good. The science is important.

The film is slow and self-indulgent.

Constant, useless "dramatizations" interrupt the flow of the film and confuse the science. The script Danny Glover is working from begs for shortening. It would have been interesting to see the Y-chromosome studies compared and to have more time with Dr. Oppenheimer. Disappointing. If the subject nmatter wasn't so compelling, I'd have docked it another star.

Recommended only for those who are unfamiliar with the "Mitochondrial Eve" story. Others will probably be bored. March 14, 2007

Important Information - Pooly Communicated

This film conveys an important bit of information, however I had to watch the film quite a few times to fully grasp it. It traces the genetic path back 150,000 years ago to a single woman. However, it is not the HUMAN DNA that is traced, but rather the DNA of the mitochondia that live in our cells. The film never explains what mitochondia are, much less anything about the genetic markers. Frustrating. The film also suggests that humans left Africa through a SOUTHERN route rather than a northern one. However every time they mentioned this, they showed an unmarked map with an arrow pointed NORTHWARD. Frustrating. I would have given it 5 stars because I was so grateful to learn these things, but since I had to constantly repeat sections and consult an atlas and biology text, I give it 4 stars. December 4, 2006

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