documentary Nature | Wildlife THE HOUSEFLY an ... - Interspot Film

documentary
Nature | Wildlife
THE HOUSEFLY
an everyday monster
Unequalled shots, never before attempted, take the viewer
into a microcosm that is hidden to the naked eye. The ordinary
little housefly is revealed as a veritable monster: seen
through the microscope, eyes, snout, legs and wings appear as
phantastic creations of nature, bizarre and foreign, as if out of
this world.
A spectacular journey to the world of an underrated insect with
fascinating wildlife scenes and impressive animation sequences.
Breathtaking shots demonstrate that the fly, as the winged messenger
of illness and epidemics, is more dangerous than is widely
assumed. And no matter what we humans have been trying in
our fight against this everyday monster, we cannot get rid of it,
because it successfully resists all our extermination efforts.
AUSTRIA’S TOP FILM AND TV PRODUCERS OF WILDLIFE MOVIES
length
45 minutes
director
kurt mündl
year
1994
format
beta sp
version
english and german
completed

documentary
Nature | Wildlife
THE HOUSEFLY
an everyday monster
Everybody knows the common housefly, yet actually we know nothing of it. It is omnipresent,
on meadows, in stables and barns and right among humans, in their living rooms.
With the domestication of animals, the fly followed suit and started on its progress around the
world. The common housefly may well be our oldest companion. And although it can be
found everywhere in the world, we still don't know much about it.
An “Everyday Monster” is the firstever documentary to take a close look at the cosmopolitan
housefly. It not only investigates why the creature came to inhabit such a large part of the
earth, but also shows in detail how it lives, loves and, above all, dies. After all, this small insect
has many carnivorous enemies and is itself an important link in the food chain. The danger it
poses to humans as a carrier of diseases is also documented.
Kurt Mündl, specialist for documentaries on animals, had to use plenty of special effects and
tricks to get a full picture of the tiny fly. Made-to-order microscopes and converted lenses
were required for his venture into new territory. A special recording technique was developed
to get top-quality images of the housefly in full flight. What’s more, no stuffed specimens
were used: all close-ups were shot with living insects. The movie’s leading parts were played
by 5000 purpose-bred flies enjoying the fruits of stardom in their own particular universe.
The outcome was fully worth the effort: Viewers see pictures never before shown of the secret
macro-world of this inconspicuous yet highly important insect and its manner of procreation
and spreading, its biology and its part in the endless cycle of eating and living.
It took altogether 90 hours of film material to make the 45-minute documentary.
For further information please contact
HEINRICH MAYER
Interspot Film-Ges.m.b.H
A-1230 Vienna
Walter-Jurmann-Gasse 4
phone: + 43 1 | 80 120-420
fax: + 43 1 | 80 120-222
e-mail: mayer@interspot.at
www.interspot.at
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