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Beautiful People

Original title: Animals Are Beautiful People
  • 19741974
  • GG
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Beautiful People (1974)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures
Play trailer3:05
1 Video
30 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Documentary
Hilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.Hilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.Hilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jamie Uys
  • Writer
    • Jamie Uys
  • Star
    • Paddy O'Byrne(voice)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jamie Uys
  • Writer
    • Jamie Uys
  • Star
    • Paddy O'Byrne(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 27User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Animals Are Beautiful People
    Trailer 3:05
    Animals Are Beautiful People

    Photos30

    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)
    Beautiful People (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paddy O'Byrne
    • Narratoras Narrator
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Jamie Uys
    • Writer
      • Jamie Uys
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene with the weaver colony catching fire was staged for storytelling purposes. The filmmakers found a colony that had apparently been abandoned for a very long time and set it alight. The dewdrop was staged in a small frame, and footage of the birds was spliced in.
    • Goofs
      No actual documentation of the Honeyguide bird leading honey badgers to bee hives is known to exist, although they do this with humans. The "story" in the film is done with editing and a model bird simply being dangled in front of the badger.
    • Connections
      Featured in American Playhouse: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
    • Soundtracks
      Statistica
      (uncredited)

      Written by Alessandro Alessandroni

      Performed by Alessandro Alessandroni

    User reviews27

    Review
    Top review
    Beautiful film about beautiful people
    With the new DVD release, I just watched this film for the first time in about 10 years, and it's as delightful as I remembered it.

    I'm not completely stupid, and realize that real animals don't usually make cartoon-like sound effects, i.e. an ostrich craning his neck in disbelief and going "huh?" or beetles making screeching car noises. I know that marabou aren't really judgmental, and that pelicans aren't really pompous. I consider myself a reasonably sophisticated film viewer, and can see that the seeds being shot out of the little dry plant in one scene are animated, not real. If you feel colorful bits of embroidered reality like this render a so-called documentary unwatchable, then reach behind yourself and carefully remove the stick from up your posterior. Oh, never mind, just watch "Nova."

    Maybe "documentary" isn't the right word to describe this film, which is an entertainment that incorporates nature footage and some nature fact, dramatic or comedic invention, and musical accompaniment. What would you call it? It's sort of a "whatsit." Whatever it is, it warms the cockles of my heart, and this cockle-warmer can be enjoyed by people of all ages – something rare enough these days. It is, in general, wry and amusing, but the part that made an overwhelming impact on me since my first viewing is that near the end, where a pitiful troupe of abandoned pelican chicks are dying in the scorching sun. The three-day struggle of the clouds to drop rain onto the desert, and the sun's efforts to prevent it, are depicted as a titanic battle of opposing armies, with spectacularly beautiful footage of clouds and sunlight dramatically accompanied by the Liszt tone poem "Les Preludes." I still find this imaginative interpretation of these natural events absolutely gripping, and I imagine it must have made a powerful impression on many young kids who've seen this film over the years. The final scene is pure joy.

    Do see this film. Buy the DVD. It's excellent, and the chances are overwhelming that you will like it. Most people seem to.
    helpful•35
    3
    • Bobs-9
    • Jun 9, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • South Africa
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die lustige Welt der Tiere
    • Production company
      • Mimosa Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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