Study Guide
Grades 7-12, College, Adult
Directed by Paul Feyling
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1995
Copyright Date: 1995
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-969-0
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-634-8
Subjects
Aging
Animal Behavior/Communication
Animals
Biography
Birds
Central America/The Caribbean
Ecology
Environmental Ethics
Forests and Rainforests
Humanities
Wildlife
A Portrait of Alexander Skutch
A journey into the rainforest with naturalist Alexander Skutch.
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"In tone and outlook perhaps the best film of its kind that I have seen." Paul Slud, PhD, National Museum of Natural History |
This is an inspirational portrait of Alexander Skutch, one of the great naturalists of our time. It was in 1928 that Skutch first plunged into the Central American rainforest with the same enthusiasm and sense of wonder as the pioneer naturalists of the 19th century. In 1941 he settled in a secluded valley in Costa Rica. Here on his farm and nature reserve he has been able to achieve a rare intimacy with the rainforest's shy inhabitants.
He has written over two hundred articles and a dozen books. His voluminous life histories of the birds of Central America are considered by ornithologists to be an accomplishment comparable only to Audubon's in North America.
In this beautifully photographed film, Alexander Skutch guides us through the rainforest, explaining the biology that is unique to this environment, and showing the importance of preserving this dazzling reservoir of genetic diversity.
NOTE: The short version concentrates more on the biographical details of Skutch's life and work, and less on his feelings about the future of rainforests and tropical birds.
Reviews
"Alexander Skutch contributed more to our knowledge of the Neotropics, especially its birdlife, than anyone else...Everyone should see this film."
Roger Tory Peterson
"The best film of its kind that I have seen in a long while. The shots of the birds and forest were excellent, but it was the man himself who gave the film the intimate quality most 'nature' films never approach."
Frank Graham, Jr., Field Editor, Audubon Magazine
"It is truly rare to find someone like Mr. Skutch, who is such a wonderful and pure role model for the spirit of inquiry we value and hope to encourage in young people. Perhaps, it's rarer still to have his story told as beautifully as you did it in your film."
Connie Moffit, Executive Director, APASE