Cane Toads – An
Unnatural History (Documentary)
Picture: C-
Sound: C- Extras: C Film: C+
In 1935, Australia had a terrible Greyback beetle problem,
with no solution in sight. A science
convention came to the conclusion that the cane toad was their natural enemy
and would solve the problem in no time.
By simply introducing them to the environment, they would eliminate the
problem at practically no cost and would save them the trouble of using harmful
chemicals in the environment. However,
this all backfired when the brilliant scientists forgot one thing: the beetles could fly away!
The result was two crop-destroying problems, which is just
the beginning of the story told in Mark Lewis’ Cane Toads – An Unnatural
History (1988), which almost plays like a mockup of a documentary with its
often eccentric set of interviewees, but this is the real thing. The toads love to have sex, so they multiply
faster than rabbits, and they eat anything, as one proves when encountering a
small white rat!
The work also makes a point to show us how overbearing
they can be just to watch, let alone to live with, but it is now a strange
reality they have been stuck with. The
idea of a Biblical plague is not touched upon, though their numbering in the
thousands sure feels like it. Some of
this has humor to it, while others might find this a laugh riot, but the one
way it also worked was as a tale of very bad thinking that could have been a
catastrophe of unspeakable horror beyond a new species ruining crops. In one way, all those interviewed might be
lucky to be alive.
The full screen image is an old analog transfer that shows
its age, has whites that yellow, and is off color often. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono also seems to be
a few generations off, especially apparent in the end when we hear Tim Finn (of
Split Enz and Crowded House fame) sing “Cane Toad Blues”. The short film “Signing Off” is
unrelated to the main feature, but is a fun short to see, while a “guide” to
the toads simply allows you to access specific sections of the feature in a way
the scene access does not.
This is an eccentric work in itself, reminding one of
everything from Monty Python to the documentary spoofs of Christopher Guest and
his ensemble cast. Like the actual
creatures, Cane Toads is not for everyone, but it might be worth a look
if this is your kind of wild life.
- Nicholas Sheffo
