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Bees (Russian film)

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 54

Scope and Contents

This program presents a film produced in the Soviet Union as propaganda celebrating the "hive." Host Charles Collingwood first looks at the film without its soundtrack, as a natural history film, and then comments on its use as a propaganda film. Viewed from a historical perspective, the McCarthy era and Cold War mentality of Americans is evident and provides an interesting angle to the subject at hand. Soviet scientists produced a beautifully photographed film on the life of a bee in a hive, including close-ups of the hive, queen and drones, bees repairing the hive, etc. As a propaganda tool, to the Soviets the hive becomes a representation of communist society, with the people as a whole and all components of it working for the greater good. At the conclusion of this discussion, the show looks at American individualism in a patriotic ethnocentric fashion. The broadcast ends with an image of a model of Rodin's The Thinker.

Dates

  • 1954

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Extent

1 Film Reel (30 minutes) : sound, black and white ; 16 mm.

1 Videocassette (U-Matic (30 minutes)) : sound, black and white ; 3/4 in.

Other Finding Aids

Finding aid: script.

General

3/4 in., U-Matic, viewing copy

General

Original format: 16mm kinescope.

General

Originally aired Jan. 3, 1954 as part of the CBS/AMNH Adventure television series.

General

http://libcat1.amnh.org/record=b1138281

General

Charles Collingwood, host; Tom Donovan, director; Perry Wolff, producer and writer; Leon Rice, editorial supervisor; Jac Venza, production design; Bernard Birnbaum, supervisor of film.

Title
Bees (Russian film), 1954
Author
Iris Lee
Date
2018
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Museum Archives at the Gottesman Research Library Repository

Contact:
American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West
New York NY 10024 USA
(212) 769-5420