“The Valley of the Ravens” is a documentary about ravens, filmed in the Austrian part of the Alps. While seriously intended, it has its fair share of involuntary comedy. At one point, an Austrian brass band plays something that sounds like the theme from “Terminator 2”! At another point, the narrator claims that some of the geese at the late Konrad Lorentz' research station at Grünau knew the Nobel Prize winner personally. Anthropomorphism, much? The narrator also confuses a Jay with a Hawfinch…
The ravens themselves are pretty comic, too. They love to ride on top of boars, and one of them observes buzzards (and harasses them) for the sheer fun of it, rather than trying to steal their food. It struck me that this seemingly irrational non-Darwinian behavior is a product of intelligence, ravens being the most intelligent birds. Look at us humans – we film the raven harassing the buzzards and put in on TV! I mean, what's up with that?
Apart from ravens, the valley of Alm is home for the previously mentioned geese, a flock of ibises (sic) at another research station, wolves, foxes and, I suppose, hayfinches. Our own species is prominently featured, too, with the ravens constantly stealing our specs and car keys…
Most people will probably find “The Valley of the Ravens” extremely boring (welcome to Grünau im Almtal! Signed Upper Austrian tourist bureau), but if you have the right sense of humor, or an undying love for feathered creatures in black, this might just be your cup of joe.
No comments:
Post a Comment