They have cameras. And lions. And penguins. And sharks. And...

May 1, 2010 1:46 AM

Wild Film History is a guide to over 100 years of wildlife filmmaking, highlighting landmark films (1959's Serengeti Darf Nicht Sterben, aka Serengeti Shall Not Die - Clip 1, Clip 2) as well as historical relics (1910's The Birth of a Flower - Clip). Check out the links on the Key Events page for an overview of how the genre developed. The site also features biographies and oral history interviews with pioneers (mostly U.K.-based) in the industry. A project of Wildscreen.
posted by amyms (6 comments total)

Time lapse photography goes back to 1910. Who knew? Haunting flower pics.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:48 AM on May 1, 2010

I've always loved these videos of bears just being bears in the woods from the Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project.
posted by netbros at 7:54 AM on May 1, 2010

I'm a fan of this genre but I think it is vastly under-represented here. Just as traveling writing crosses genres so does nature filming. Still this is a neat site, most films pre-1990 or so I'd never heard of before.
posted by stbalbach at 8:13 AM on May 1, 2010

Thank you. A great resource. is Serengeti Shall Not Die available on DVD or download?
posted by binturong at 10:40 AM on May 1, 2010

is Serengeti Shall Not Die available on DVD or download?

Netflix says "This movie has not been released on DVD. Future availability is not guaranteed." Amazon lists it in VHS, but the page says "Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."

That sucks. I wonder why Wild Film History can't make the whole thing available online. Maybe the copyright holder (OKAPIA KG) won't let them? Here's the copyright holder's website (and in English).
posted by amyms at 11:25 AM on May 1, 2010

This is great, thank you.
posted by jokeefe at 11:31 AM on May 1, 2010