Birds Do It, Bees Do It (1974)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Directors:

Nicolas Noxon
Irwin Rosten

Writer:

Nicolas Noxon (writer)

Release Date:

June 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

So real it will never be shown on TV.

Plot Keywords:

Animal Behavior | Wildlife | Animal Mating | Animal | Nature

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Lee Bergere

...

Narrator

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Bizarre documentary on mating/reproduction habits of earth's species

This is a bizarre documentary and, be warned ahead of time, potentially offensive in more than a few areas. It is basically an excursion into mating and reproduction habits of as many of earth's creatures as can be crammed into a ninety minute time period - everything from one cell organisms to buffaloes, rhinos and elephants. It does get tedious after a while - enough is enough, already. Its point is made at the end when we see the modern genetic recreation of a mouse and the warning for mankind against the way science is heading - man, you could be the next test tube birth - beware!!!

Along the way we are alternately fascinated and repelled. The desert wasp's need to paralyze a fresh tarantula in order to lay its egg to feed off the still living spider; the marsupial birth of a kangaroo; the incredible skill of a weaver bird; the hilarious mating "dance" of a Western Grebe; the double sexed snail with genitals in its head that simply exchanges sperm with his other double-sexed partner. Much of what is cruel in our minds within nature is explicitly shown as well as man's cruelty to animals (chicken farms and artificial bull-semen gathering). The incessant shots (close-up and otherwise) of critters "doing it" will certainly be offensive to some viewers. Even more bizarre than the film itself is the fact that its competent but in no way extraordinary musical score (by Gerald Fried) was nominated for an Oscar - on only two other occasions were documentaries honored in this category and both of those were Disney films. Hollywood was obviously having a bad year in the music department. All in all, the film is,I suppose,worth seeing once- but I can't imagine ever wanting to see it again.