Never let it be said that all movies produced in the 70s are vaguely symbolic, better-left-shelved-unless-you're-artsy, what-were-they-thinking, I-can't-wait-until-this-is-over relics of bygone days. We have found the exception.Animals Are Beautiful People is a 1974 documentary by Jaime Uys (The Gods Must Be Crazy) about the wildlife in southern Africa. To read more about its making and contents, go here.
As for its compatibility with babies, we didn't really take issue with anything. It is a little bit evo, but lacks agenda-driven rhetoric and imagery so we didn't have to get out the brainwasher. Rather, we each of us enjoyed it a good deal, and learned a bit about unfamiliar species in the watching. The writing is clever, the narration pleasant, the editing superb, the characters amusing, and the music classical. Who could want anything more from a documentary?
For the die-hard Victorian, I warn that there is a scene wherein the animals indulge themselves on fermented fruit and get a bit wobbly. And some tribeswomen are shown NURSING THEIR BABIES. Duck and cover. ;)
Thanks much to rebekah for the recommendation.
4 comments:
Sounds like one for the queue.
And I'd forgotten about The Gods Must Be Crazy and sequel...classic! Though it's been so long I don't recall whether those would be baby-friendly. People hitting each other over the head with a coke bottle and all that.
I haven't actually seen TGMBC I or II, though I've queued them up and how. If I get to them first, I'll let you know. :)
I remember some adult-ish silliness in both of those--nothing really nasty but probably not something I'd want to explain to, say, Gauntlet the first.
We loved Animals are Beautiful People. We just recently saw The Gods Must Be Crazy. There are some nekkid people, but my oldest dd (21) & my youngest (12) and I were trying to remember if there was anything that might not be good for the younger set.
My 12 yo said that he couldn't remember anything embarrassing. :) And he is pretty easily embarrassed.
Yet there is a tingling at the back of my brain that says there was something....
BTW, I enjoy your blog. I would have loved to have more than my four, but God knows what we need.
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