Michael's Movie Grade:C
Year Released: 1953
History
One thing that has to be remembered when talking about Walt Disney was that he was a constant experimenter. One of his biggest experiments was for the Disney studio to make live-action nature documentaries. Nearly everyone but Walt felt that this was a bad idea, but Walt persisted with it anyway. This series was dubbed The True Life Adventures. The first of these films was a short called Seal Island. RKO was not sure how to distribute that film as they felt it was too short for a feature and too long for a short. However this was released and it won an academy award. That short was directed by James Algar. James Algar had been a Disney animator on films like Snow White, and had also directed The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia. He was initially surprised when asked to direct live action nature documentaries, but Walt saw this talent in him. He would direct many True Life Adventures, including the film we are discussing here, The Living Desert. Also to work on True Life Adventures was Ben Sharpsteen, who had directed such animated Disney classics as Pinocchio and Dumbo. He would mainly work as a producer though he did direct some True Life Adventures.
RKO didn't like the True Life Adventures from the start, and didn't want the studio to keep making them. Walt grew tired of trying to please RKO. Therefore he created the Buena Vista Distribution Company. The Living Desert along with it's accompanying short film, a delightful cartoon called Ben and Me, became the first Disney films to be distributed by the Buena Vista Distribution Company. RKO would distribute a few Disney films after this but not many. RKO would close in 1957.
A UCLA student named N. Paul Kenworthy JR. had been studying in the American desert for a doctoral thesis. For this assignment he filmed his subject. Walt saw this film and decided it's photographer and it's subject matter would both be used for the first feature length True Life Adventure. Kenworthy would not only help photograph this film but he would also photograph for the next feature length True Life Adventure, The Vanishing Prairie, and co-direct the Disney feature Perri, which was also the first and only True Life Fantasy, and featured a lot of wildlife photography. He also later helped create the snorkel camera system for Daniel Petrie's 1973 Si-Fi film, The Neptune Factor.
The Living Desert became a huge box office success, and it even received an academy award for best documentary feature. The film also won an award at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival and another award at the Berlin Film Festival. This pleased Walt greatly because he had proven all those who didn't want him to make nature documentaries wrong. However not everybody was happy with the film. Critics were upset by the film inserting comedic narration. They were even more upset by a scene where through trick photography the film makers made it look like two scorpions were doing a square dance. They felt these devices betrayed the whole purpose of a nature documentary. Walt took these criticisms to heart and tried to avoid using these or similar devices in future True Life Adventures.
The Living Desert left a big impact on film history. It helped popularize feature length nature documentaries. It also lead to many more Disney nature documentary features, many of which are still being made today.
Review
Incredible nature photography, and less than incredible narration, and comedic moments.
Again the photography is incredible. It shows us nature's great artistry very well. It also shows that even in a desert, where one doesn't except to look for beauty it can be found. Certain images in this film are breathtaking, and need to be seen by all nature lovers. It amazes me how they were even able to get some of these incredible shots.
The narration and comedy are very unfortunate. Winston Hibler's narration could have honestly just been dropped. At times it feels like a boring school lecture we have had to sit through. It is just honestly not that entertaining or informative. At other times he is telling really bad jokes. Though these are not as cringe-worthy as the scorpion square dance. It is sad that these were added to what was otherwise a really good film. The photography is excellent and the film really didn't need to add anything to it. Especially since films like Dziga Vertov's The Man with a Movie Camera, have shown that great art can be made simply out of film photography.
Disney would make better feature length nature documentaries in the future, but this was a good if faulted start.
Film Credits
Director: James Algar
Writers: James Algar, Winston Hibler, Ted Sears, Jack Moffitt
Narrator: Winston Hibler
Producers: Walt Disney, Ben Sharpsteen
Music: Paul J. Smith, Edward H. Plumb
Photographers: Robert H. Crandall, Paul Kenworthy, Don Arlen, Jack Couffer, Stuart V. Jewell, Tad Nichols
Editor: Norman R. Palmer
Sound Department: C.O. Slyfield, Harold J. Steck
Special Effects: John Hench, Ub Iwerks, Joshua Meador, Art Riley
Resources Used
The Disney Films By Leonard Maltin
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046008/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Living%20Desert%20%28The%29
-Michael J. Ruhland
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