So in my continuous attempt to further my knowledge of things that are cool, funny and beautiful, I have recently been exposed by friends to a few small wonders.
The first being a documentary which SonJon introduced to me after finally showing me Toy Story 3 for the first time (I know.. I know…I’m a little late on that one) called “Animals are Beautiful People”, a 1974 documentary on wildlife in the Namib desert. Not only is it fascinating… it is also HILARIOUS! Combine the year 1974 with documentary/comedy filmmaking on animals with ex-BBC guy turned South African radio star narrating and a classical music, mostly ballet, soundtrack and you have yourself a GEM of a film.
So basically the documentary goes from the driest to the lushest parts of this desert, describing how wildlife, mostly animals, in all of these areas, go about surviving these usually harsh conditions… and also how they can be utterly ridiculous at times and other times, their existences really tragic. Exhibit A. is a montage of cartwheeling baboons to Brahm’s Hungarian Dance no.5. Pretty sure they repeat some of the exact same footage in there in an attempt at what can only be described as “music videoclip” . Exhibit B. is a bit of Tchaïkovsky’s “Waltz of Flowers” from The Nutcracker accompanying a montage of repeated closeups and awkward zooms into many, many flowers, blooming after a rare rainfall in the desert. So awkward…I mean you know the kind of zoom that’s way too fast, unfortunately planned, and is unnecessary; why oh why would it zoom to that (e.g. zoom into a skull with flowers growing in and around it as well as another zoom into a far too intimate look at some bulbs)? Hah! Classic. They show adorably friendly Meerkat and disturbing yet intriguing Egg Eating Snakes. They show a few sad moments of starving and dying baby Pelicans and a lost baby Warthog just to get the emotional wheel turning as well as really frickin’ clever ass creatures’ survival methods (like a mother duck who will act the HELL out of the part of “wounded duck” to a hungry hyena, ensuring his full attention, luring him into the water, then making a quick escap, all to provide cover for her babies to escape. Like… wow. Teach me your ways.) All of this proving to me once again that animals are the best and nature is the coolest. Point final.
BUT ABOVE ALL THIS, a classic classic moment in this documentary is: the inebriation animals. Yes yes. You read that correctly. These animals all eat the overripe fruit from a Marula tree which rot and ferment in their stomachs…creating alcohol to run through their veins and hilarious times follow:
Jokes at the elephant at the beginning pushing the tree and the baboons so angry in the branches…
Baboon at 1:52 with the branch!
Also a note: the angry looking Marabou Storks are mentioned earlier in the documentary, as being the judgemental and snooty animals of the desert (hence them being called “marabout”, which is French for grumpy). So they’re not drunk… they’re just judging all the other animals…24/7 apparently. OH and you can bet that “When night falls…” was definitely just a darkening of the screen and not an actual series of nighttime shots. Finally, the classic hungover baboons and annoyed warthog kill me. *sigh* What a rollicking good time. And so interesting!!! Learning AND Laughing?! Sign. Me. Up.
My second discovery from a friend at school is the amazingness of Move, Pen, Move, a poem by Shane Koyczan, in particular this crazy beautiful dance number done to a reading of this poem.
To me what makes this a nearly perfect work of art is the cadence of the choreography and the complete sync between the rhythm of the words, the simple complexity of the emotions and the dancers’ bodies. Some of the most brilliant minds are behind spoken word and I believe that this work takes it even further. Just. I’m done with words now. I think I’m gonna watch that one again.
Nomes-out.
StruggleBots 