The Living Desert
Release date: 1953-11-10
Votes: 65
Genres: Documentary
Although first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between desert creatures of every shape, size and description.
Reviews
CinemaSerf
There’s a fun scene in this documentary that sees a tiny little mouse try to burrow it’s way out of the jaws of a rattlesnake only to find it’s assisted by a very unlikely ally - a tarantula! That should give you a clue as to the content of this film that very much does what it says on the can. Using some intimate (and probably patient) photographic techniques, we spend time in the arid wilderness of Death and Monument Valleys where despite the dryness a great variety of flora and fauna not only survive but thrive. It’s very much an eat or be eaten mentality for just about everything as there prove to be few safe hiding places for predators with two feet, four feet, giant leaves, prickles or great big wings but there’s a sense of equilibrium here as everything seems to be in proportion. It doesn’t rain much, nor has it for years, but at greater and more distant altitudes the cloudbursts do provide great volumes of water that make their way down the usually bone-dry river valleys with considerable force as they provide much needed sustenance for the environment for an hour or two, or a day or two, before the sun reasserts itself and evaporates anything not put to better use already. I’m not a great fan of Winston Hibler’s narrations, but here that matters less as we can just sit and watch how vivid colours emerge from the constant beige of the sand and everything from small insects to giant eagles exist in harmony. Some of the scenarios do look a little shall we say “created”, but they still serve their purpose in introducing an audience to life here and, well it is Disney after all. Worth a watch.
Movie Recommendation
The Wind in the Willows1949-05-10This animated fairy tale for kids tells the classic story of a dapper, automobile loving fellow named Mr. Toad, whose passion becomes a problem when he's framed for stealing cars by a band of rogue weasels.More...
MatchMaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance2020-04-25When a romance writer is murdered, matchmaker Angie Dove gets entangled in another case…and with Detective Kyle Cooper. Can they read between the lines to find the murderer?More...
The Vanishing Prairie1954-08-16Story of the American Prairie as it was when vast herds of bison and elk grazed.More...
Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue1953-10-26After the 1715 defeat of the clans, one of the highland leaders, Rob Roy MacGregor escapes, has lots of adventures, gets married, and eventually becomes enough of a nuisance to George I to be outlawed, and hunted by the EnglishMore...
Aquarela do Brasil1942-08-24José Carioca, showing Donald Duck around South America and introducing him to the sambaMore...
Das verrückte Strandhotel1983-08-12Various German tourists arrive at the African vacation hotel "Leisure Lodge". Businessman Harry Weber wants to seduce his secretary Julia undisturbed, but unbeknownst to him, his wife Melanie has also arrived to seduce skier Toni. Weber's business partner, the industrialist Pfefferkorn, also turns up, and Weber's secretary is trying to woo his son Florian. Harry is given the call girl Christine by a friend, but Pfefferkorn is also after her. Hairdresser Agathe is the first to recognize the connections and uses her knowledge for business purposes. Finally, Toni's fiancée Resi arrives and adds to the confusion.More...
The Third Man1949-08-31In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.More...
Face/Off1997-06-27In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.More...
Peter Pan1953-02-05Leaving the safety of their nursery behind, Wendy, Michael and John follow Peter Pan to a magical world where childhood lasts forever. But while in Neverland, the kids must face Captain Hook and foil his attempts to get rid of Peter for good.More...
Doctor Strange2016-10-25After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.More...
Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School2008-04-06When Alex is caught using magic to clean her room she is forced to go to wizard school with Justin. Max and Jerry camp out on the terrace to prove their manhood.More...
...Re2016-03-04Re is a Kannada comedy drama starring Ramesh Aravind and Anant Nag. A rich man arrives at an old palatial house to find that his ancestors are cursed to an afterlife in the house. Now it becomes his responsibility to undo the curse.More...
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad1958-12-05When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.More...
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School1988-10-16Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy are on their way to a Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls, where they've been hired as gym teachers. Once there, however, they find that not only is it actually an all-girl school of famous monsters' daughters but there's a villainess out to enslave the girls.More...
Hunter × Hunter Pilot1998-07-26The stand-alone pilot OVA which was shown as part of the "Jump Super Anime Tour" of 1998. Shortly before the TV series, a summary is presented of the story of Gon who wants to become a hunter and the friends he makes in the process.More...
Twitches Too2007-10-12Reunited witch twins Camryn and Alex adjust to their new life as supernatural beings while at the same time trying to maintain a normal existence in this sequel to the magical Disney Channel original movie Twitches. But they soon find themselves going head to head with the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy their world. Luckily, their birth mother, the powerful Miranda, is on hand to help out.More...
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis1970-12-04In 1930s Italy, a wealthy Jewish family tries to maintain their privileged lifestyle, hosting friends for tennis and parties at their villa. As anti-Semitism intensifies under Fascism, they must ultimately face the horrors of the Holocaust.More...
That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana2006-07-28The exciting crossover event begins when Raven Baxter checks into the swanky Tipton Hotel while on a business trip with her designer boss. Zack and Cody get into the action when the models for Raven's photo shoot take a detour and Raven has a spooky premonition about the twins' fate. Meanwhile, Maddie comes up with a plan to get London to wear one of Raven’s new dresses. It almost backfires until London finds out that super pop star Hannah Montana wants a Raven original to wear on her new tour.More...
Passing2021-10-27In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.More...
Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights1994-09-03Scooby-Doo and Shaggy travel to Arabia to become the Caliph's Royal Food Tasters. But they bite off more than they can chew and are forced to run for their lives! It's a wild magic carpet ride as Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and their genie (Yogi Bear) and a jolly sailor named Sinbad (Magilla Gorilla) take you on an adventure of mistaken identities, exotic locations and fun-filled action and surprises!More...
Similar Movies
The Story of the Weep...
2004-08-12When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.Deutschlands wilde Vö...
2013-10-10There is no descriptionGalapagos - Trauminse...
1962-05-31Following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, Heinz Sielmann traveled to the bizarre volcanic islands of Galapagos. The multi-award-winning film shows the unique wildlife on the Pacific Noah's Ark.I'll See You Again
2022-11-18A group of artists settle in a swamp on the banks of the Indre River. Meanwhile, a voice describes a utopian world.Seeing Through the Da...
2025-05-30The film follows five people who lost their sight in armed conflicts, gathering fragments of their present-day lives. Through an enveloping sound composition, veiled archival material, footage shot by the protagonists themselves, and a sensitive visual approach, the film explores memory, perception, and our relationship to the visible. Steering away from spectacle, it invites us to hear what often goes unheard, and to feel differently. In an age saturated with images, this documentary offers a sensory experience where listening becomes a gesture of resistance and human reconnection.Pris au piège : 60 he...
2023-01-01There is no descriptionTiger on the Rocks
2022-09-20The Tasmanian Tiger twists and turns depending on how it's seen. Sheep-killing beast or tragic victim of human induced extinction. Ancient painting on a rock or vivid ancestor spirit. Lost forever, or a timely reminder to respect the connection between human and animal, culture, nature and country. In stunning landscapes across Australia where Thylacines once roamed, people from wide-ranging traditions share their experiences: First Nations artists, rangers and custodians; biologists, bone hunters and archaeologists. Multiple insights combine to throw light on Australia's most wanted animal.Yosemite Americas Tre...
2020-05-05Experience Yosemite's incredible wonders with breathtaking cinematography, including such icons as the granite monoliths El Capitan and Half Dome, and the spectacular Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls. Learn about Yosemite's fascinating history as the first land set aside for preservation that inspired John Muir and photographer Ansel Adams and discover why Yosemite is one of America's Crown Jewels.Dans les pas du Group...
2019-10-08There is no descriptionMarch of the Penguins...
2005-01-26Every year, thousands of Antarctica's emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They walk, marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest and coldest continent on Earth. This amazing, true-life tale is touched with humour and alive with thrills. Breathtaking photography captures the transcendent beauty and staggering drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the fierce polar winter, take turns guarding their egg and trekking to the ocean in search of food. Predators hunt them, storms lash them. But the safety of their adorable chicks makes it all worthwhile. So follow the leader... to adventure!!An Inconvenient Truth...
2006-05-24A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.Hogwood: A Modern Hor...
2020-09-03Hogwood: A Modern Horror Story takes you beyond the factory farm walls and follows an intrepid group of undercover investigators as they enter some of Britain's biggest factory farms for the very first time.Microcosmos
1996-09-06A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.Na ptačích horách
1949-01-01There is no descriptionShark Gangs
2021-07-16Scientists have discovered and investigate the reason behind the behavior of sharks swimming around in gangs even though they are viewed as solitary predators.Zugvögel - Kundschaft...
2016-06-11Why do migratory birds take on the hardships of a long flight year after year? The documentary accompanies migratory birds with breathtaking aerial images of their journeys from a "bird's eye view" in the service of science. The camera helicopter crosses the dangerous Strait of Gibraltar together with storks and accompanies them in the air all the way to Tanzania and Kenya.Feral Love
2016-05-29Crazy cat lady or world-class musician? You decide. Dorian Rence smashes our notions of what matters and who counts in "Feral Love." Dorian was the seventh woman to join the New York Philharmonic. In her 40-year career she has performed with all the greats: Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Yo Yo Ma to name a few. And she cares for a feral cat colony in the tunnels of New York City.Pélagos, voyage au la...
2023-06-01There is no descriptionThe Last Apostle: Jou...
2020-01-01Dr. Mark Fairchild, world-renowned archaeologist, traces the hidden years of Saint Paul's life in the mountainous Turkish countryside of Rough Cilicia.76 Days Adrift
2025-07-10Steven Callahan gives a gripping first-hand account of his NYT bestselling novel "Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea." On the eve of February 4, 1982, in the middle of the night there was a loud boom as a whale collided with Steven's boat. Within minutes, his small craft was flooded with a rush of water. He grabbed what he could, heaved his life raft into the ocean, and snatched his emergency kit. Without food or water, for an incredible 76 days the inflatable raft was his home as he drifted across the entire Atlantic Ocean. Forced to come to terms with his own shortcomings and limitations, Steven finds a strength he never knew he had. This official documentary, executive produced by Callahan, brings the story to life with found 8MM footage, original stills of the time of the voyage, and first-person recreation. Still possessing many of the original artifacts, he takes us step-by-step through his harrowing and life-altering adventure.