Watch Animals Are Beautiful People

In 1974, the documentary film Animals Are Beautiful People was released, directed by Jamie Uys and narrated by Paddy O'Byrne. The film explores the animal kingdom of the Kalahari Desert and surrounding regions of Southern Africa. It was a commercial and critical success, receiving praise for its stunning visuals, humor, and the way it portrayed animals in their natural habitat.

The documentary film takes the viewer on a captivating journey through the vast, arid landscape that is the Kalahari Desert, one of Africa's harshest environments. To survive here, the animals have evolved in unique ways, and the film captures their lives in stunning detail. From the tiny meerkat, who stands guard over its family's burrow, to the mighty elephant, who uses its trunk to snatch food from trees, the viewer is treated to a close-up look at the daily life of these amazing creatures.

But Animals Are Beautiful People isn't just a showcase of the animal kingdom. The film also has a deeper message about the importance of interdependence and cooperation. The animals in the Kalahari have developed a delicate balance that allows each species to survive, and the film shows the viewer how this balance works. From the tiny dung beetle, who rolls up balls of dung and eats them, to the giraffe, who eats leaves from the tallest trees, every animal has a role to play in this ecosystem. The film also illustrates how the animals have adapted to cope with the extreme weather conditions, such as when it shows baboons dipping their fur in water to cool off and elephants using their trunks to spray themselves with water.

One of the things that sets Animals Are Beautiful People apart from other wildlife documentaries is its sense of humor. Director Jamie Uys injects plenty of laughs into the film without detracting from the breathtaking visuals or the serious message. The film is full of amusing and endearing moments that are sure to make even the most stoic viewer smile. For example, as the camera zooms in on a group of warthogs, O'Byrne cheekily intones: "If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"

Another highlight of the film is its cinematography. Shot on location in the Kalahari, the film features stunning footage of the desert landscape and its inhabitants. Shot in exceptional detail and slow-motion, the film captures the movements of animals with precision, from the way ostriches run to the way baboons groom each other. The camera work in Animals Are Beautiful People was praised at the time for helping to show the beauty of nature and wildlife, long before modern documentaries became the standard.

Overall, Animals Are Beautiful People is a charming, entertaining, and enlightening documentary film that showcases the natural world in all of its complexity, humor, and beauty. It remains an informative and enjoyable time capsule of wildlife in the 1970s, as well as a timeless reminder that all creatures, great and small, have a place in the natural world. For anyone with a love for animals or a fascination with the wilds of Africa, this film is a must-see.

Animals Are Beautiful People is a 1974 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 8.2.