True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

Life in the Undergrowth
Amazing! Astounding! Utterly cool. Hi-tech photography makes this the
best David Attenborough nature series ever. The subject is earth’s invertebrates,
or in other words, the creepy crawly things that fill the woods,
bushes and undergrowth. Insects, spiders and their kin. The diversity of
these beings is vast, and their bizarre stories untold. Attenborough and
the BBC spend a lot of money and time traipsing around the world using
really cool infrared cameras to see at night, or pinhole cameras to see
up close, or ultra-fast cameras to catch wings flapping. The view they
capture of these unnoticed critters is absolutely stunning. They invert the
usual view of bugs by filming them from their level or below. It turns out
that when you can place your camera so that you literally look up to an
ant while seeing it in its environment, then you look up to it with new respect.
The bugs seem more like the animals they really are. When all their
hairs, scales, and whiskers are visible, their true animal nature can be
seen. As usual Attenborough’s very biological organization of what you
see and his crisp insights make this journey unforgettable and an instant
classic. I’ve seen it twice already.
By David Attenborough
2005, 250 min.
Available from Amazon
Rent from Netflix
World’s largest
insects, and slugs that
shoot sticky poisons
(below right), as well
as largest worms.
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