The Hellstrom Chronicle
- Lawrence Pressman: Dr. Nils Hellstrom
The Hellstrom Chronicle ( Original title: The Hellstrom Chronicle) is an American film made in 1971 are trademarks of this combination of documentary and science fiction film, the numerous slow- and macro shots of the insect world. . Directed by Walon Green, the screenplay was written by David Seltzer. The Hellstrom Chronicle won the 1972 Oscar for Best Documentary.
Action
By the actions of a fictional scientist carries named Nils Hellstrom (played by Lawrence Pressman ), who wants to prove that only the insects are predestined to win the battle for survival against humanity. Hellstrom called adaptability, lack of emotions, subordination to the common good and numerical superiority as the main reasons. As evidence, he makes use of documentary material from the world of insects.
Background
The Hellstrom Chronicle was launched in May 1971 out of competition at the International Film Festival in Cannes. The film opened on 28 June 1971 in the United States and on 12 November the same year in the German cinemas.
David Seltzer was known in 1976 as a writer of Richard Donner's The Omen. Walon Green wrote the screenplay for this film, Sam Peckinpah Western classic The Wild Bunch - They knew no law, and later, among others, the screenplays for RoboCop 2, Eraser, and several episodes of the television series ER - Emergency Room. Ken Middleham also introduced the camera in the similarly themed mounted Phase IV (1974).
For the numerous archival recordings used in the film was, among others, also resorted to material from Heinz Sielmann.
Analysis
For film- historical position and aftereffect wrote Georg Seeßlen: "In addition to rats, fish or frogs in the disaster films that threaten people, even the insects came [ in the 1970s ] to new, created in the phobias of the genre manifestations. [ ... ] The latent fear of the insects came about in the documentary "The Hellstrom Chronicle " [... ] reflect that connected a remarkable recording technology with the not entirely rationalized news of the takeover of earth by the insects. This idea is " Phase IV " [... ] in a play action to. [ ... ] Man, it could be to face the fact must always subordinate to nature and not nature to man. "
Criticism
Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote the film's release that the film would seem to advertise for a reasonable ecological policy, which was also announced in advance. Similarly, the performance of the camera men involved was outstanding. The narrator commentary and the position expressed are, however, " a sensational bad and possibly misleading ."
Although the lexicon of international film praised the technical aspects of the film, but criticized the view expressed in the film 's thesis that the "total subordination of the individual and determined booty are ideal images of today's society," as questionable.
For the time the insects were used to illustrate a " reactionary survival philosophy."
Aftereffect
The film was the inspiration for the book Hellstrom 's Hive (1973 ) by Frank Herbert, where it also has a Nils Hellstrom are representing the same assumptions as the Hellstrom of the film. The Hellstrom of the book stands in front of a cluster of ten thousands of people group which forms a secret, sequestered in underground tunnels living parallel society which attempts to orient themselves according to the behavior of the insects as close as possible.
Awards
- Great art prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971.
- Oscar 1972 for Best Documentary
- British Academy Film Awards in 1972 for Best Documentary
Publications
2003, some 30 years after the premiere of the film, Lalo Schifrin's film music on CD was released. 2012 appeared The Hellstrom Chronicle in the U.S. on Blu- ray Disc and DVD.