Nature film that blew your mind?

[SallyMander]

OK, i'm a geek, i really like nature films, animal planet, discovery channel, etc.

Just saw a film called "The Queen of Trees" on the biology of the African sycamore fig tree. Some totally amazing cinematography, and really fascinating natural history. I highly recommend it for other bio-nerds!

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/queenoftrees/index.html


Any other suggestions?

[XemaSab]

1. March of the Penguins

:bounce:

[Roon]

7. My Grandparents really enjoy that

Whenever it repeats, they call everyone they know and tell them that it's going to be on.

[KitchenWitch]

17. I second that one!

[mcscajun]

58. Absolutely!

:bounce:

[mvd]

71. Definitely!

Educational but fun.

[barb162]

76. good one! n/t

[Xipe Totec]

2. The Lyre bird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IntRMVukrX0

[AlCzervik]

3. Winged Migration

http://www.sonyclassics.com/wingedmigration/index_flash.html

and "The Natural History of the Chicken"

[alphafemale]

36. Winged Migration was exhilarating and beautiful. nt

[stuntcat]

53. it IS beautiful

:headbang:

[Audio_Al]

56. Winged Migration. We saw it at the Egyptian Theater in Seattle.

It seemed as if the camera was flying along with the birds.

Respectfully,

Audio_Al

[Kajsa]

4. 'Living with Wolves'

http://shopping.discovery.com/product-58210.html

I cried my eyes out at the end.

Hey- I'm a geek, too.
I love these films.

;-) :hi:

[SallyMander]

5. Along the same lines

(at least i think -- i haven't seen Living with Wolves)

have you ever seen Grizzly Man? That one was really more of a study in human psychology... but totally engrossing. I was thinking about it for days afterwards!

[pitohui]

12. grizzly man is a remarkable film

i love herzog

[Kajsa]

38. Yes I did!

it was very interesting.
He was totally immersed in his work
with the grizzly bears.

The ending was horrible, but unfortunately,
not too surprising.

[sarge43]

6. Attenborough's The Life of Birds n/t

[hippywife]

8. There were many but

two that come to mind immediately that were aired on Nature on PBS were:

This two parter which really didn't sound all that interesting at the onset but really sucked me in totally!
Kalahari: The Great Thirstland
Kalahari: The Great Flooded Desert

And the other one was about the chimpanzees that were used all their lives for medical research and then, at an advanced age, were set out in their own habitat on a little island to live out their lives in peace. I think this is the one:

Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History

Totally, totally broke my heart. :cry:

[sakabatou]

9. Akira

[ooga booga]

10. Koyaanisqatsi (1982) (Hopi for "life out of balance")

When Koyaanisqatsi came out, it totally blew me away!

Here's a blurb from www.imdb.com

Koyaanisqatsi is a documentary (of sorts). It is also a visual concert of images set to the haunting music of 'Phillip Glass' . While there is no plot in the traditional sense, there is a definate scenario. The film opens on ancient native American cave drawings, while the soundtrack chants "Koyaanisqatsi" which is a Hopi indian term for "life out of balance". The film uses extensive time lapse photography (which speeds images up) and slow motion photography to make comparisons between different types of physical motion. In one of the first examples, we see cloud formations moving (sped up) intercut with a montage of ocean waves (slowed down) and in such a way we are able to see the similarities of movement between these natural forces. This technique of comparison exists throughout the film, and through it we learn more about the world around us. The film progresses from purely natural environments to nature as affected by man, and finally to man's own manmade environment, devoid of nature yet still following the patterns of natural flow as depicted in the beginning of the film, yet in chaos and disarray. Through this the film conveys its key message, which is Koyaanisqatsi: life out of balance; crazy life; life in turmoil; life disintegrating; a state of life that calls for another way of living. Written by Andrew M. Somers {[email protected]}

[SallyMander]

14. Whoa, this sounds really neat

I'm going to have to write all these down!

[Fire Walk With Me]

18. Koyaanisquatsi was the one I was going to recommend; nice seeing it up already!

[Drum]

21. I agree...

All three of the 'qatsi trilogy are great, and I also love "Baraka."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103767/

:)

[Whisp]

81. Baraka was fabulous. nt

[stuntcat]

51. those films

they are mind-blowing to me but I haven't watched them in years. I have the dvd's but I'm afraid to look at them now, they're so intense and I'm getting too upset lately about nature.

[tekisui]

89. Powaqatsi

number 2 in the series, focuses on life in the Southern Hemispere. Visually stunning. I highly recommend it, along with Koyaanisqatsi.

[Arugula Latte]

97. Me too.Koyaanisqatsi was amazing.

It stays with you, too.

[_testify_]

11. Parasitic Cordyceps Fungi Attacks Ants

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/55017/detail/

[lost-in-nj]

13. March of the Penguins

and 8 below



lost

[idgiehkt]

15. there was a sort of a nature vs. man show on a while called "I Shouldn't Be Alive"

I really enjoyed every episode of it I saw where people got caught out in nature in whatever environment (shipwreck, desert, jungle, etc) and it was really interesting to hear their tales of all the natural predators they encountered and how they survived. That is my favorite one, I think, plus all the ones on PBS with that Attenborough guy.
http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/alive/alive.html

apparently it is still running, I just don't get that cable anymore so I can't watch it, here is an episode guide.
http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/alive/episode/episode.html

[midnight armadillo]

16. Never Cry Wolf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Cry_Wolf_(film)

I saw this in the theater at age 8 and it had a big impression on me, and is probably a big reason why I'm a scientist today. I'm too much of a math geek to be a field biologist (I do physics) but I retain a fantasy of doing this sort of research.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

40. Farley Mowat is a great story weaver...

and the movie did justice to his book, I think. :hi:

[Kali]

70. yeah I loved his books, don't know that I have seen any films???

[GoddessOfGuinness]

83. There was a Disney channel adaptation of his "Lost in the Barrens"

about 15 years ago. I didn't read his book, but the movie was enjoyable.
:hi:

[Beausoir]

73. Loved that one.

[Common Sense Party]

19. We have this old Disney film, "The Living Desert"

It's fascinating, and fun.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

42. That was one of my favorites as a kid...

It got me hooked on nature shows. :D

[Common Sense Party]

52. My girls love it, too.

I'm sure I saw it when I was a youngster, but I don't remember it.

Disney knew how to make nature fun.

[Mendocino]

66. Another good Disney documentary

Seal Island

[Common Sense Party]

74. When was that made? nt

[Mendocino]

90. Released in 1949.

Filmed in the Pribilof Islands Alaska.

[Common Sense Party]

92. I'll have to look for that. Thanks! n/t

[Paladin]

98. Thank You, Thank You

I'm so glad some other folks love and remember "The Living Desert" as I do. I saw it when I was quite small (maybe 3 years old), but I still remember that sidewinder......

[mike_c]

20. 25 or so years ago I watched a nature program on PBS about animal behavior....

I was a 26 year old high school drop out with an eighth grade education, more-or-less. I started reading books at the local public library-- first a book the show recommended, then biology, chemistry, math. Took my GED exam, went part time to a junior college for several years, then a state university. Got my Ph.D. almost 15 years after that nature program, dedicated my dissertation to the Martinsburg WV public library. Now I'm a university prof and biologist myself.

I'd say that show had an impact.

[Drum]

23. Wow!!

:thumbsup: Testify! :thumbsup:

[nam78_two]

25. Wow!

:toast:
That must have been one good show Professor.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

44. Mike, I'm going to show your post to my 20 year old son...

I think it will inspire him. :D

[SallyMander]

61. What a cool story!

Animal behavior is what seduced me into biology as well -- now i'm a grad student, i study population genetics of salamanders. Really my interest is how they cope with human development (roads, agriculture, etc) -- and running the DNA is easier than a mark-recapture study! :-)

What do you work on?

[mike_c]

65. I'm an insect ecologist....

Mostly my lab works on disturbance and recovery trajectories of freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates. We have a number of folks working on salamanders here (Hart Welsh is at Redwood Sciences Lab and adjunct faculty, Sharyn Marks and John Reiss are collegues of mine-- their students are all herpetologists and many of them work on PNW salamanders).

Good luck with grad school!

[SallyMander]

68. Ohh, just checked out your profile

You're in a pretty gorgeous area, huh?? :-)

I had a field job at UC Berkeley's nature reserve in Carmel Valley... would love to get back out to CA.

Hopefully i'm about a year out from my PhD (hopefully!). Then it's on to the great job search -- yikes!

[BrklynLib at work]

88. That is wonderful!! What a great achievement.

[Richard Steele]

22. "Blew my mind" might be a bit strong, but the lemur documentary hosted by John Cleese was great!

"Operation Lemur"

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/inthewild/cleese.html

[Merrick]

24. Baraka

not strictly a nature film, but more of a feature length montage depicting relationships between man from all over the world and both their natural and urban environments.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103767/

also: "Koyaanisqatsi" - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/

[alphafemale]

35. This is in my Netflix Q.

Now I'm looking forward to it even more.

:bounce:

[myrna minx]

43. You read my mind!

:hi:

[nam78_two]

26. Most of Attenborough's stuff

I love so many nature documentaries, I can't pick a favorite, but Attenborough's work as a whole is some of the best I have seen in this area.

[JCMach1]

32. Favorite had to be the one he did on the birds of paradise!

[nam78_two]

49. Ah yes

Actually the Planet Earth series is also pretty cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kBg_LxS9E0

[JCMach1]

84. i remember the baitball shots that they did... they were out of this world

[RushIsRot]

27. I don't know. Does "Fly Away Home" count? I love that movie.

I also think it is based upon nature in a large part.

[CreekDog]

29. I love that movie, it counts for me

And is based on a true story.

I also love the song at the end, 10,000 miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter, which is a beautiful adaptation into lyrics of the Robert Burns poem, "My Love is like a red, red rose".

[RushIsRot]

31. Well, it is a wonderful story. I find myself cheering for the geese

frequently as the story unfolds. Glad you agree.

[bridgit]

28. Winged Migration has some of *thee* most amazing cinematography...

[IntravenousDemilo]

30. Blue Water, White Death

A brilliant 1971 documentary about the first expedition to film the Great White Shark. I saw it when it first came out (I was 12), and I've been fascinated by sharks ever since. It's a shame that the shark population has dwindled by almost 90 per cent in the last 15 years, hunted practically to endangered status just so some fat Shanghai businessmen can impress the hell out of their corporate friends by ordering shark-fin soup at $150 a bowl. The other thing that's killing them off is pollution, especially from mercury. It's a pleasant irony that sharks retain a substantial portion of the mercury in their dorsal fins, so with any luck, some of those businessmen will die a horrible and painful death from mercury poisoning, and people will stop killing these noble animals that actually precede the age of dinosaurs.

Anyway, Blue Water, White Death has happily just been released on DVD, and it's really cheap, too.
http://www.amazon.com/Water-White-Death-Peter-Gimbel/dp/B000PMFRTW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2790744-8364619?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1191478720&sr=1-1

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

33. Microcosmos

Seeing it at the cinema was incredible - filled me full of wonder for years. Here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BseGLUTkD8

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117040/

[SallyMander]

37. I've been wanting to see this one too

It's by the same people that did Winged Migration, i think.

[KT2000]

78. Life changing film

since watching that film, my fear of insects disappeared and I try to watch them as often as I can.
Ants are a particular favorite.

[ChickMagic]

91. I still think of that movie to this day

Can you believe that I cried as the slugs got it on?

[Phillycat]

34. The Planet Earth series.

After we watched that, my husband and I decided to move toward working in wildlife conservation. It's entirely changed our direction in life. Amazing show.

[Kajsa]

39. Yes!

It is fantastic!

:thumbsup:

[nam78_two]

50. Good call

:thumbsup:

I grew up watching wildlife shows and that is what has largely contributed to my interest in environmental issues.

[renate]

55. OMG yes! It is phenomenal!

The photography is absolutely phenomenal. Jaw-droppingly good.

I watched the "Jungles" one last night--one cameraman spent something like five or six solid weeks (getting up insanely early to sit in a blind for 9 hours--good times) waiting to get a shot of a male bird of paradise courting a female.

The brief little diaries about what the camera crews went through to get their shots are really amazing and they really added to my appreciation of the program, which was already cranked up to eleven.

I couldn't recommend this show more highly. However--most of the episodes are NOT for the kiddies. Nature is pretty cruel and while the films of various hunts are like nothing ever seen before, because of the quality of the pictures, they are violent too. And since it's usually the young and weak of the herd of the herd that are culled, you might be dealing with some tears or nightmares if kids younger than teenagers watched it with you.

[cmkramer]

57. Oh I loved that series

The ants being taken over by parasites thing was pretty gross though.

I also liked the Blue Planet series.

[SallyMander]

59. I've only seen a couple of these

but i'll have to rent them -- the shots they get are just UNBELIEVABLE!

[GOPisEvil]

60. Ay-yup!

Seeing it in high-def on my parents' TV is even MORE stunning.

[Phillycat]

85. Try seeing it...

downloaded in high-def, then projected through a digital video projector onto the wall, picture about 60 inches across.

LOVE MY TECHY HUSBAND. *swoon*

[GOPisEvil]

93. I'm waiting to turn my techy SO loose on our house someday.

The hard part is trying to decide what gadget to buy her. :D

[AngryAmish]

41. Disorderlies

[plcdude]

45. Naked volleyball

from Sun Valley Camp. Wow!

[Felix Mala]

46. Anyone remember a grade school 16mm classic "Cry The Marsh?"

A bulldozer chased down a baby duckling...

It made quite an impression on us 5th Graders. Too bad the message wasn't heeded then. Our lands around here continue to be ground up into endless housing tracts, strip malls and traffic gridlock spreading out over nine counties like a nuclear blast.

[nam78_two]

48. I agree with you

>>Too bad the message wasn't heeded then.
:(

[MrScorpio]

47. Anything with lions

Fug the Lion King, I want the real deal

[mitchum]

54. Grizzly Man...

"He had some insipid ideas about nature"- Werner Herzog

[aaronbees]

72. That's a great film....

Portrait of a fascinating and in some ways frightening man. Herzog is right.

[mitchum]

86. It is a great film (as are most of Herzog's films)...

and I certainly agree with you about Treadwell- "a fascinating and in some ways frightening man"
One could also say the same thing about Herzog :)

[China_cat]

62. Not strictly a nature film

but the IMAXX version of Everest.

[mentalsolstice]

63. Milo & Otis...heh! n/t

[Kool Kitty]

82. Oh, I loved "Milo and Otis"!

[Mendocino]

64. The Making of a Continent

It was on PBS about 20 years ago. Best thing I've ever seen on TV. Ken Burns "Civil War" a close second.

[applegrove]

67. "Paddle to the Sea".

[Faygo Kid]

69. "The Endless Summer"

Great '60s (I think) surfing documentary about two guys who travel the world searching for the perfect wave. Beautifully filmed and very entertaining, too. It blew my mind back then.

[barb162]

75. I saw that and really liked it.

And I never get how people surf 30 foot waves in Hawaii.

[mitchum]

87. That is such a joyous film...

I watched it again just a few months ago

[midlife_mo_Jo]

77. Planet Earth series - awesome! Get the BBC version

Sir David Attenborough narates it, and he's wonderful.

Sigourney Weaver narates the American version, and her narration is the only negative, unforunately.

[GCP]

94. I'm waiting for the BBC version from netflix

The sigourney Weaver version was horrible - she sent me to sleep. Discovery Channel execs should be shot for substituting her for the Great Sir Dave.
'The Life of Birds' and 'The Life of Mammals' are also great.

[Inchworm]

79. Legends of the Fall

I want that claw.

:hi:

[u4ic]

80. David Suzuki's "The Sacred Balance"

http://www.sacredbalance.com/web/indexfirst.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

95. Attenborough's "Life on Earth"

Still the standard setter for all subsequent natural history series. And the scene with the gorillas (the ones Diane Fossey was studying) is still one of the best moment of any type of TV, ever.

[Zorro]

96. Genesis

Astounding French film about life on earth, and mankind's place here and in the cosmos.

It is an unforgettable work of art.