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 Video - FilmsRegional: AustraliaSee Endangered Species section for films by Harry Butler.
Note: The title is followed by the length, producer, distributor (if different from producer), and year film was made. Unless otherwise noted, the videos listed below are VHS format. Many are available in Beta, 16mm and other formats. Some are on laser disks.
+ Indicates video sold or rented with teacher’s instruction guide.
"Animal Wonders from Down Under: The Unique Animals of the Australian Continent." Series (6 cassettes). Pacific Arts Video. 1988.
Many endangered species are featured in these films. Australia has lost numerous species to habitat destruction, exotic species introduction and direct killing. These films show the new environmental consciousness in Australia. From wombats to Lyrebirds and reptiles to invertebrates, the emphasis here is more on individual species or families, rather than overall habitat and environmental views. Many unusual, nocturnal marsupial species were filmed.
"Australia's Twilight of the Dreamtime." 60 minutes. National Geographic Society. 1988.
Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory is the focus of this film, which intertwines the music and lore of the aborigines who live in the park. This beautiful film echoes with the twang of the native music giving the timeless quality of a park protecting an area nearly as it was thousands of years ago. Endangered and threatened species of the park are shown.
"Nature of Australia. Portrait of the Island Continent." Six one-hour parts.
PBS. Nature. WNET. 1988.
This series examines Australia from every possible angle, presenting its
geological history and its formation, isolation, and the blossoming of endemic wildlife and plants. The parts are entitled, "A Separate Creation," "Seas Under Capricorn," "The Making of the Bush," "The Sunburnt Country," "Land of Flood and Fire" and "End of Isolation." The films examine the seas surrounding Australia and the Great Barrier Reef along with the continental area. Deserts dominate the central portion of the country and are home to the greatest diversity of poisonous snakes in the world. Many bizarre lizards and other creatures are shown. The forests, with their great diversity of marsupials and stunning array of brilliantly colored parrots that inhabit them, are beautifully photographed. The narrative is interesting and fact-filled without being tedious. The final section describes the coming of Europeans and the many extinctions and destruction of habitat that followed, ending on a note of optimism with the new conservation laws and spirit that Australia has shown in past decades. This series is highly recommended.
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