A nature documentary on Bees.
"Technically superb macroscopic work marks the great part of the footage of Swamp Song, a color story of the insects found in the marshes and woods of the countryside, filmed by R. H. Unseld. Perfect focus and precise exposure distinguish the studies of insects, and it is not unlikely that they are the best of their type that have yet been filmed with an amateur camera. It is unfortunate that the story motif of this picture — a father and son wandering through the woods in search of insect types — is not better integrated with the extraordinary macroscopic footage. Nor is the technique of the titling on a par with the rest of the film. But the macroscopic insect scenes are truly astonishing, and such highlights as the invasion of a termite colony by a roving band of ants and a series of ultra closeups of butterflies are without parallel." Movie Makers, Dec. 1938, 621.
"A study of the Wanderer Butterfly presented in an interesting manner. Making full use of extension tubes and telelenses, the excellent extreme close-up photography affords the audience a detailed glimpse of the life cycle of this beautiful insect." PSA Journal, Dec. 1955, 36.
"War of the Ants is a deft piece of animation against elaborate stage settings and masterful props. No scale tells us how big the ants are, but their movements and actions are superb. The story has a similarity to human warfare in its satirical approach" PSA Journal, Aug. 1967, 36.
"It is a strange and savage world indeed which Dr. Richard Cassell explores in his Warriors of Another World, a striking recording of nature's continuing and inexorable conflict. His warriors, among others, are the ant lion (with its simple but treacherous sand trap), the scorpion, the mantis, the black widow and the field spider. Into the life of each of these — and their unwary and often unarmed victims — Dr. Cassell has probed with his long focus lenses, to bring back reports of murder, sudden death and cannibalism among the insects. His technical handling of the specialized tools of his trade is beyond reproach, while his continuity treatments range the full gamut of motion picture story telling. Both micro and macrocinematography are used in the film's course, to develop well rounded sequences that are, incredibly, complete with medium shots, near shots, closeups and even reaction scenes made during the tiny but titanic battles. We see (in full frame closeup) the multiple lensed eye of a housefly, only to learn from immediate and striking imagery what such an eye might record — a housewife approaching with a fly swatter. Warriors of Another World is a distinguished contribution to educational film making." Movie Makers, Dec. 1943, 474.
"Robert P. Kehoe, who won Honorable Mention last year with Chromatic Rhapsody, has "done it again" — only more so. In Wildflowers, with his own inimitable magic, he has gathered into light and color all the lazy loveliness of high summer. Here, as if he talked their secret language, bees drone and butterflies dance before his lens. Daisies and buttercups, the wild geranium and "butter and eggs" — a dozen flowers you do know and a score you have forgotten — nod in the warm sun with simple and unassuming beauty. Often, six blades of grass and a single bloom will comprise a moment of ineffable gaiety and song. The rough wood of a slanting black post gives accent to a field of daisies, or the delicate tracery of a "four o'clock" is a breath taking frame for a summer sunset. In Wildflowers, Mr. Kehoe has written once again a lyric testament to nature's incomparable loveliness." Movie Makers, Dec. 1940, 600.
Total Pages: 5
Amateur Cinema