IU Themester Streaming and DVD Resources

Since prehistoric times, the lives of non-human animals have been interwoven with those of human animals. Philosophically, animals have frequently served as a counterpoint for thinking about what it means to be human. Animals have been used by humans for food and labor, for security and transportation, in scientific testing, and often, in ways that are not necessarily exclusive of the former, as helpers and companions of their human keepers.

Animals have been kept as curiosities, for the pleasing sounds they make, for their visual and auditory mimicry of people, and assigned tasks that highlight their superhuman species-specific sensory adaptations, such as the work of bomb-sniffing canines at airports.

At the same time, humans have become increasingly aware of our encroachments on non-human animals through urbanization, deforestation, and hunting, and of our role in the extinction or near-extinction of many species, as well as how animal agriculture contributes to global warming. Legislation to protect animals from unnecessary suffering has become common in many countries, and some theorists and lawyers have argued that “human” rights should be extended for certain non-human animals. - Adapted from IU Themester Homepage

All images courtesy of imdb.com; accessed August 2021

The following resources require IUB CAS Authentication.

Black Swan (2010, 108 min.): Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Carnival of the Birds ( 2008, 15min.) Trilby starts the day with some historical background and visual references. Soon the class settle down and start creating. Before long their half-human, half-bird-like forms take shape and we see them investigate structure, create fantastic shapes, get their hands dirty with glue and have fun with fabulous decorations.

Count Dracula ( 1970, 97min.) In 1970, cult director Jess Franco and screen legend Christopher Lee collaborated on what they promised would be the most faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel ever filmed. From its remarkable performances to its lush locations and atmosphere of sinister sensuality, it remains perhaps the most spellbinding version of Dracula in movie history.

Function of the Brain (Behavior of Animals and Humans)  (1932, 48min.) This video contains the original 1932 footage of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov's work on the behavior of animals and humans, prepared under his own direction. Introduction: Function of the Brain (3:38); Functions of the Brain (12:25); Defense Reflexes (5:34); Studying the Two Brain Centers (6:38); Conditioned Reflexes (6:21); Establishing a Conditioned Reflex (4:01); Conditioned Reflexes in Humans (9:42); Credits: Function of the Brain (0:15);

Invasion (2014, 44min.) This film looks at the history of alien invasion and encounters in science fiction films, and how the themes reflect the fears, hopes and attitudes prevalent at the time the films were made.

Jumbo wild = Qat'muk ( 2016, 60min) At the headwaters of the Columbia River in BC's Purcell Mountains, Jumbo Creek cascades out of deep snowpack, past crumbling glacial ice, wildflowers, and grizzly tracks. The Jumbo Valley has long been revered for its beauty; and to the Ktunaxa Nation, it is known as Qat'muk, home of the grizzly bear spirit. Part of an important international wildlife corridor, the Jumbo Valley is one of only two areas in North America where grizzly bears can freely roam between Canada and the U.S. But, for nearly 25 years, local people--First Nations, conservationists, backcountry skiers--have fought a large-scale ski resort in Jumbo.

The Life and Legend of Jane Goodall (1965, 50min.) Born in London in 1934, Jane Goodall spent decades in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park, studying the social and family structures of chimpanzees and helping to bring their ecological vulnerability into the public consciousness. She also founded and remains integral to the Jane Goodall Institute, which encourages environmental activism and stewardship among young people. In this program, the famous scientist reflects on her many years spent observing and learning about our primate cousins.

The Life of Pi (Dir. Ang Lee, 2013, 123 mins.):  Based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel, is a magical adventure story centering on Pi Patel, the precocious son of a zookeeper. Dwellers in Pondicherry, India, the family decides to move to Canada, hitching a ride on a huge freighter. After a shipwreck, Pi is found adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a 26-foot lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, all fighting for survival. 

The Lost World (1925, 93 mins.): This silent film, directed by Harry O. Hoyt and featuring Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, and Lloyd Hughes, is based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about the search for dinosaurs in South America.

The Shape of Water (Dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2018, 123 min.): Set in 1962 Cold War America, high-security government lab workers Elisa and Zelda unexpectedly discover a secret classified experiment.

Sunday Morning. King Kong (2005, 8min.) This segment talks about the classic cult film, King Kong.

Explore more awesome documentaries and feature films via IUCAT as well as via IUB's licensed subscriptions to Films for Education, Kanopy and SWANK at Media Services Libguide to Streaming Databases.

Be sure to check with Media Services for hours.  VHS titles are housed off-site at ALF, and can be requested via IUCAT. 

Alice in Wonderland (1951, 75min) An animated musical version of Lewis Carroll's tale about a girl named Alice. Alice follows a White Rabbit through a very small door and enters Wonderland, where she has many unusual adventures.

Amores perros (Love’s a Bitch, Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2001, 153 min.): Three different people are catapulted into dramatic and unforeseen circumstances in the wake of a terrible car crash: a young punk stumbles into the sinister underground world of dog fighting; an injured supermodel's designer pooch disappears into the apartment's floorboards; and an ex-radical turned hit man rescues a Rotweiler with a gunshot wound.

Au hasard Balthazar=Balthazar (2005, 95min.) Follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations beyond his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of man. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.

The Birds (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1963, 120 mins.): When Melanie Daniels rolls into Bodega Bay in pursuit of eligible bachelor Mitch Brenner, the small California town is inexplicably attacked by thousands of birds.

Boi Neon (Neon Bull, Dir. Gabriel Mascaro, 2016, 103 min.): This film takes place within the world of the vaquejada, a traditional exhibition sport in which cowboys try to pull bulls to the ground by their tails. Neon Bull explores the vaquejada through the eyes of Iremar, a handsome cowboy who works the events. While he's not afraid to get his hands dirty, Iremar's real dream is to design exotic outfits for dancers.

Equus (Dir. Sidney Lumet, 1977, 137 min.): A middle-aged psychiatrist tries to find out why a young man has blinded six horses entrusted to his care.

Fantastic Mr.Fox  ( 2010, 87min.)  Mr. and Mrs. Fox live a happy home life underground with their eccentric son Ash. Mr. Fox works as a journalist, but against the advice of Badger, his attorney, he moves his family into a larger and finer home inside a tree on a hill. The treehouse has an excellent view of the nearby farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Ash becomes hostile when his cousin, Kristofferson, joins the family for an extended stay. 

Grizzly Man ( 2005, 104min.) Filmmaker Werner Herzog investigates the death of preservationist and former television actor Timothy Treadwell, who was killed in the Alaskan wilderness, along with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard, by the bears he lived among and dedicated his life to protecting.

Harvey (Dir. Henry Koster, 1950, 105 min.): Comedy about a good-natured fellow whose constant companion is a six-foot tall invisible rabbit. His sister is determined to marry her daughter off and decides to commit her brother to a mental hospital to get him out of the way. Due to a mix-up the sister is committed instead, and it is up to the kindly brother and his imaginary friend to straighten things out!

Honeyland (Dirs. Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, 2019, 90 min.): Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice.

Jurassic Park (Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1994, 127 mins.): A wealthy entrepreneur invites a top paleontologist, a paleobotanist, a mathematician/theorist, and his two eager grandchildren to visit his secret island theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA.

King Kong (Dir. David O. Selznick, 1933, 104 min.): A moviemaking expedition to a fantastic island is filled with dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. A giant simian becomes lovestruck with the film's blonde starlet. King Kong is captured and is brought to Manhattan, where he goes on a rampage, culminating in the fateful finale atop the Empire State Building where he cradles his beloved and swats at machine-gunning airplanes.

The Shape of Water (Dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2018, 123 min.): Set in 1962 Cold War America, high-security government lab workers Elisa and Zelda unexpectedly discover a secret classified experiment.

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