Abc's World of Discovery Secrets of the Golden River

 ((Sun.(17), 7-8 p.m., ABC-TV))

By TONY SCOTT

Filmed in the Brazil Basin by Partridge Films Ltd. in association with ABC/Kane Intl. Inc. Exec producers, Dennis B. Kane, Michael Rosenberg; producer, Andrea Florence; writer, David R. O'Dell; camera, Alastair MacEwen; additional camera, Jeff Goodman; editor, Mark Fletcher; sound, Adrian Allery; music, Jennie Muskett.
 
Narrator: Michael York.
 

A fine example of ABC's worthy "World of Discovery" series, Andrea Florence's eye-catching investigation of the Amazon tributary Rio Negro is a jewel. Beautifully photographed, intelligently scripted and rich with river life details, "Secrets of the Golden River" never lags; it's a lovely journey.

Scripter David R. O'Dell, writing with both style and restraint, picks up on a Brazilian fisherman and his young son to explore the tea-colored river as they go about their work. Pausing at appropriate moments to investigate macaws or, briefly, piranhas, which the boy catches, or observing luminous cardinal tetra fish, the docu moves persistently down the river.

Red-headed turtles lay eggs that monkeys and the boy devour; a peeper toad inhales cardinal tetra fish under water, waving them into his huge mouth with his front legs; giant morpho butterflies, looking like animated characters added to the film, flit about, and freshwater pink dolphins cavort as they search for food.

A phony coral snake glides by; the real thing appears later on its way somewhere. The fishermen are seeking creatures for worldwide aquariums, but their village is dirt poor and dependent on the rain forest for life.

The views of sky, trees and water are stunning, and Jennie Muskett's delicate score complements the striking visual effects. Program, edited with distinction by Mark Fletcher, covers a dry season and the flooding as the water reclaims its place.

"Golden River" shows how fulfilling an hour can be, and steps beyond travelog status into the realm of displaying inter-relationships of jungle animals who leap from the water to snag a spider, who keep their young dry in dead tree stumps, or who glide through the air with effortless grace.

Obviously "60 Minutes" will grab the 7-8 p.m. attention over at CBS, but viewers would be well served to check out this engrossing, handsomely produced hour. Commercial TV doesn't often rise to documentary heights like this.