Beautiful bugs and erotic snails (Microcosmos (DVD))

Name: Kjartan

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Product:	Microcosmos (DVD)
Date:	15/04/02 (424 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A gentle but mesmerizing film of one day in the lives of insects in a French meadow., Incredible photography and original soundtrack., The beauty and magic of nature.

Disadvantages: None, unless you are truly phobic about insects.

Microcosmos (1996) was directed, filmed and edited by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou, 2 French scientists. The cast includes ladybirds, Swallow-tail butterflies, Long-tailed caterpillars, Burgundy snails, Red ants, Stag beetles and many more. The soundtrack is original music composed and orchestrated by Bruno Coulais which was released on CD in the same year. I have included both the film and its soundtrack because for me they are inseparable in a way that film and its music should be (but more on the soundtrack later).

This gentle but mesmerizing film took 5 years to make: 2 years were spent designing the lighting and the ‘micro-cameras’ for the intense close-up photography which allows the film-makers to achieve the sense of being carried into a parallel universe and 3 years were spent in a French meadow shooting the footage.

Microcosmos does not sit easily in the conventional genres of documentary or nature/science film. Its incredible photography and music, the lack of an overbearing narration, its drama, action and poignancy make a truly original film.

The setting of the film is one day in the lives of the insects of a French meadow. Although this somewhat artificial timeframe is imposed on 3 years of footage, the chronology and photography create a different sense of time and scale. The use of the timeframe, one day from the rise of the sun to the rise of the moon, gives us a reference point for understanding the timescale of the existence of the insects. In the microcosmos time seems to be both speeded up – for some of the insects one day is their whole lifetime of existence in their current incarnation – and slowed down, there is no rush in the meadow, a metamorphosizing mosquito slowly wills itself to emerge from the water and the struggle of the Dung beetle seems to last an eternity. In this world the dimensions and qualities of everything familiar to us in a meadow are changed. Water becomes
an impenetrable substance for water spiders and raindrops become bouncing bombs threatening the existence of the ladybirds clinging on to skyscrapers of grass.

Not only do time and scale undergo a transformation but our understanding of the insects themselves is transformed for us in the way in which we become involved in their lives. We are set free from the restraints of conventional nature films and we get a real sense of the lives of the insects and their drama, comedy and sometimes struggle for existence. There are moments in this film that are breathtakingly beautiful. Since witnessing snail sex in this film the snails in my garden seem to have much more interesting and erotic lives than I ever gave snails credit for. This is one of the truly remarkable achievements of this film – it transforms your understanding of insects and your appreciation of their existence is enhanced.

In addition to the photography, one of the key elements that makes this film work was the decision to exclude an overbearing narration. There is none of the narration of conventional nature films which tries to make sense for us what is happening and what the actions of the insects ‘mean’ and in doing so anthropomorphizes the insects and their behaviour. We see the insects as they are – there is no attempt on the part of the film-makers to add their meanings on to what the insects are doing – they are simply existing.

This lack of narration underscores the importance of the soundtrack. In place of any burbling narrator we have Bruno Coulais’ hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. For me the soundtrack successfully portrays the sounds of nature and in doing so enhances the drama of the ladybirds in the thunderstorm in the track ‘L’orage’ (‘The Thunderstorm’) and the operatic ‘L’amour des escargots’ (Snail-love) is the perfect accompaniment to snail sex. The film uses the clos
ing track ‘La fin du rêve’ (Dream’s end) to pull us out of the reverie with the sounds of children playing, pealing bells and the wingbeats of dragonflies that sound like faraway passing cars.

Although the film is inseparable from its soundtrack, the soundtrack is quality music in its own right and inevitably evokes images of the film. For me the creativity that has gone into all aspects of the production of this film and its music make it truly inspiring. I appreciate the fact that a group of artists of all kinds spent at least 5 years creating this true gift for us.

Finally! When I first watched this film I thought ‘ew bugs’ but it was a balmy summer’s evening, the light was starting to fade and the film was being shown for free in open air. When the film started there must have been around 100 people sitting, talking, picnicking but slowly becoming transfixed by the film on the huge screen, it was a beautiful evening. Since then I have bought both the film and the soundtrack and as you might guess by now I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants some time of calm, beauty and magic.

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