The first volume in the 'Wild South' series features:
ISLAND OF STRANGE NOISES
The sheer volcanic cliffs and wind-swept tussocks of Antipodes Island form a breeding ground for many strange species that emit a weird cacophony of even stranger noises. The Antipodes Islands are named because they are directly opposite London -- and they couldn't be more different than the English capital. There are no red busses, no black cabs, no people. Fogs are the most familiar phenomenon, but Antipodes are more intense and more frequent. The storms of the furious forties drive huge swells to lash the cliffs, and gales and rain batter the huge tussocks. The wild weather adds to the symphony of strange noises.
This film won a major award at the 1980 New York Film & Television Festival.
LIVING TOGETHER
The wild citizens of Dunedin Peninsula have to share a coastline with man. For the fur seals, albatrosses, penguins, wading birds, and shags, co-existence is on man's terms. The programme examines the delicate balance of animal and man -- a balance we must take great care not to upset if these species are to survive. This can create problems, but communication is improving.
AS IT WASN'T IN THE BEGINNING
The ecological balance on Enderby Island in the sub-Antarctic was completely overturned when man marooned cattle and rabbits there to provide food for shipwrecked mariners. These two animals not only revolutionised the existing order governing plants and animals native to the island, but they also had to change their own ways quite substantially just to survive. There is now a new society and a new order on Enderby. In showing how the island adapted, this film clearly illustrates the tenuous nature of any "ecological balance".
SAME TIME SAME PLACE
One animal is drawn to the same tiny patch of Antarctica at the same time every year to follow a strict timetable of mating and raising its young. Along with its 50,000 neighbours and the tens of millions of these animals all around Antarctica, the Adelie Penguin must not ignore the rules of time and place. To do so would invite hazards for young and old alike.
SEALION SUMMER
Every summer the tiny sub-Antarctic Enderby Island becomes the breeding ground for the rare Hooker's sea lion. This film records all the drama and tragedy that unfolds during the short season -- the arrival and courtship of the adults, the young bulls battling for supremacy, the life and death struggle as the new born pups are immediately confronted with a hostile world and the hazards they face before finally coming to terms with the ocean.
Approx 131 minutes
All Regions - Regular 1.33:1 / 4:3 - Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - Colour - PAL
