Sunday, September 10, 2017

BORN IN CHINA: GOING BACK TO BASICS



Growing up as a child of the sixties it seemed that every year we were required to watch NATURE’S HALF ACRE, the classic Disney documentary about nature. It was interesting the first time but after repetitive viewings as a child my interest waned. Now as an adult I can appreciate what was being done with this and the other movies that were a part of what’s known as the Disney True Life Adventures.

I think that the interest in these movies led to the rise of the nature documentaries that followed. In the sixties we grew up with periodic adventures of Jacque Cousteau at sea as well as a ton of National Geographic specials that took us around the world. For most it was our second glimpse at the wonder of nature having been exposed to the Disney films. Fortunately that history continues.

BORN IN CHINA takes us to the Far East and the world of three animals native to that country.  The first is a snow leopard raising her two cubs on one of the most desolate areas found. Her coloring helping her blend in with her surroundings helps but still doesn’t account for the shortage of game to hunt and thus take care of her family. An intrusion by another set of snow leopards makes things even more difficult.

On a somewhat lighter note is the tale of a golden snubbed nose monkey, a young male discovering that he’s not the child anymore as his mother has just had another baby, a girl this time. Not receiving the attention he once did, he wanders off to be with a group of other males until danger calls him back to his family.

The third animal is the cuddliest looking of the three, a panda bear and her cub. The lifestyle of the bears is relaxed enough to seem catatonic at times, but there is more humor found in their story than in the rest. Add to that the adorable nature of the panda as well as their being less danger than with the other two animals and it adds some relief here.

All of these stories are presented with some of the most amazing photography to be found on film. These are situations culled from reality and not some stage set up in Hollywood. The situations offer themselves as they are filmed allowing for more real life stories to be told than could be invented. The patience it would take to film these subjects while remaining some safe distance shows the amount of improvement that has taken place when it comes to equipment used.

It is also interesting to get a glimpse of a world that most of us will never have the opportunity to see firsthand. Even those who might make a trip to China will have little access (or deep desire) to venture into the deep forest or the mountainous regions found here. As much as the scenes depicting the major cities of China that we’re accustomed to on TV, we now get to see the beauty of its land as well.

All that being said the movie may be a tad slow for adults as it combines humorous narration to what we are watching. I’m fearful of its interest for children as well. While we grew up mesmerized by the natural wonder we saw in films like this years ago, have children grown so jaded that this will bore them to tears? In a land of non-stop multi-media opportunities, of streaming video, plentiful access to video games and cell phones offering YouTube, will kids be willing to sit through a movie like this?

The best answer is don’t give them the option. Realize how important it is that they be exposed to films like this, to learn about the world outside of their block. Let them know the importance of nature, not to create the next bio-activists but to at least appreciate what the world has to offer. That is perhaps the greatest legacy a film like this has to offer. It makes it one worth taking the time to watch, especially with your family.

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