The Natural History of the Chicken (2000)

Through interviews and reenactments, The Natural History of the Chicken investigates the role of the chicken in American life and tells several remarkable stories. A Maine farmer says she ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Lewis

Writer:

Mark Lewis

Stars:

Janet Bonney, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., Karin Estrada

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Janet Bonney	...	Herself
Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Karin Estrada	...	Herself
David Forrester	...	Himself
Clyde Gore	...	Himself (as Clyde 'Babe' Gore)
Ray Johnson	...	Himself
Elwynjohn Johnston	...	Himself (as Elwynjohn 'Bud' Johnston)
John Kogge	...	Himself
Harold Lloyd	...	Himself (as Harold 'Doc' Lloyd)
Joseph Martinez	...	Himself
Luciano Pavarotti	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Simak	...	Himself
Leslye Simak	...	Herself
O.J. Simpson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joseph Tauer	...	Himself (as Pastor Joseph Tauer)

Storyline

Through interviews and reenactments, The Natural History of the Chicken investigates the role of the chicken in American life and tells several remarkable stories. A Maine farmer says she found a chicken frozen stiff, but was able to resuscitate it. Colorado natives tell a story of the chicken who lost its head-- and went on living. A Virginia farmer tells about (and demonstrates) the benefits of raising chickens for his own consumption. Perhaps most surprising is the case of the Florida woman: she bathes her pet bird, and takes it both swimming and shopping. Through these and other stories, this documentary illuminates the role that chickens play in (some of) our lives.

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Plot Keywords:

chicken | farmer | farm | florida | reenactment | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Istories gia kotoules

Filming Locations:

Crete, Nebraska, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

DeVillier Donegan Enterprizes, FilmFour, Mark Lewis Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Troy Waters: [about Mike, a rooster that survived a beheading] I don't really know what to think of why Mike lived. Was it just fate? Did this one particular rooster have just that much will to live? Or was it just because he was so dumb of an animal that he didn't even know that his head was cut off?

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Soundtracks

"Chicken"
Performed by Mississippi John Hurt

User Reviews

A celebration of the lowly chicken.

Mark Lewis has made several quirky documentaries about animals--such as about dogs, cats, cane toads and in this case, the chicken. In the case of this chicken film, the show seems very episodic--with a wide variety of folks discussing chickens. Some are farmers, some are people who HATED that their neighbor suddenly started raising very LOUD chickens, some talk about the famous headless chicken ('Mike') owned by Olie, and some seemed just plain infatuated with them! One woman, in particular, has a pet chicken that she dotes over and adores--just like a puppy. I will make no comments about this lady--you just have to see her to believe her! In addition to all the odd stories and characters you also briefly take a trip to a HUGE egg-producing facility that was a bit disturbing--the chickens really were crammed together very tightly. You also, at a GREAT distance, see a guy beheading a chicken and discussing how this is something people don't want to think about--but we DO eat chickens! There's nothing exactly profound or deep about this film. Just an odd little celebration of this animal. Still, in a strange way, it's quite watchable. A decent time-passer.