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United States / 1949

Ant City

Ant City

Ant City, an archival ephemeral film in the Prelinger Archives collection.

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

Depicts ants as social creatures living in complex societies. Shows ways they control their environment. Ken Smith sez: This is probably the most genuinely entertaining of all the John Kieran's Kaleidoscope films. The poor ants are anthropomorphised to the nth degree; we even hear The Wedding March when the queen and her drone fly away from the nest. Kieran's patter has never been more meandering; he sounds like a befuddled uncle narrating home movies. Clumsy but enjoyable. PESTILENCE (ANTS) VS of ants: Building and repairing their city. Birthing of grub. Mating with queen.

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected
FamiliarWeird

A CLOSER LOOK

The Prelinger collection preserves ephemeral films that document everyday life, instruction, commerce, and popular culture. This entry is cataloged as Ant City.

Depicts ants as social creatures living in complex societies. Shows ways they control their environment. Ken Smith sez: This is probably the most genuinely entertaining of all the John Kieran's Kaleidoscope films. The poor ants are anthropomorphised to the nth degree; we even hear The Wedding March when the queen and her drone fly away from the nest. Kieran's patter has never been more meandering; he sounds like a befuddled uncle narrating home movies. Clumsy but enjoyable. PESTILENCE (ANTS) VS of ants: Building and repairing their city. Birthing of grub. Mating with queen.

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Internet Archive · Prelinger ArchivesAnt City

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