Science Is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painleve

This set of videos is historical, so don't expect slick Attenborough. It has the vibe of a scientist who had new film equipment and wanted to share his amazing observations. One highlight is the astonishingly detailed film of the lifecycle of seahorses. This collection is as much art as science, probably more art, even though it is frank film of the natural world.

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For those of us generally fatigued by the apparent cultural and commercial compulsion to identify genre; to separate the ideas of "art" and "science" and "life" into discrete, highly defined clots, there is the work of Jean Painleve. In addition to pioneering entirely new techniques in revealing many things previously unseen, Painleve's images are startling in their content and composition, transcending the purely documentary by the application of an aesthetic sense as refined as the nature it observes. Droll, playful and informative on multiple levels, these films are so immersive as to be literally saturated. With color. With image. With detail. With ideas. With associations. With knowledge. Criterion has done us all a service by placing this work within easy reach, ready to continually remind us of how compelling just being can be.

This is a very unique look a microscopic worlds that we usually don't get a look at. We only think of our existence but these films give you a look from the "little guy's" perspective. It is amazing that the subjects were able to be followed so closely even though they were held in a confined space. The photography is amazing!

These films are a hidden gem! The science is fantastic, the filmography remarkable for the day, and the commentary ranges from intriguing facts to hilarious narration. Jean Painlevé created a sort of "Planet Earth" long before the BBCs documentaries were even a twinkle in someone's eye.

Sublime

More information contained herein about biology than anything available now. It debunks evolution, hands down.

This DVD by Jean Painlevé is an absolut needed release.A fantastic dream through knowledge and poetry. Some insignifants things becomes arts and essentials.

Qualité de l'édition et des copies numérisées impeccable. Très bonne présentation des films dans la jaquette accompagnant le dvd. Et surtout...splendeur des images captées par l'innovateur qu'était Jean Painlevé!