The director said this is his celebration of the chicken. He is right. I really enjoyed this film. It shows the charming stories of chickens living on a lovely Maine farm. It also shows the horrors of chickens living in factories. But, it does not preach, only gives you the facts. I highly recommend it. You won't believe the re-enactments!
18 Reviews
Fun tales of chickenhood
tributarystu14 February 2010
I wouldn't have expected such a strong, consistent and enticing show from a chicken documentary, just like most people here. Watching the tender tales of chicken love was a fun and, to some degree, beautiful experience. The connections that can be made between human beings and animal usually have this loving and innocent quality to them that eludes most relationships in life. To find these chicken stories and portray them in such a skillful way is surely a feat worth praising.
Yet, while it is consistent with the world-view of this film, I resent the fact that industrially bred chicken - and their owners - are deemed to be inferior in passion and devotion. While the comments (or lack thereof) in presenting the larger chicken business do not go into blatantly manipulative affirmations against chicken products, they still spell out a very negative view of what is outlined to be exploitative behavior. I'm sure you can find interesting tales of care from farmers who happen to own large chicken housing establishments, because it's not easy at all to look after tens of thousands of chickens and ensure they live a healthy life. And while there is certainly a level of detachment involved in "the industrial chicken", it's necessity for basic and essential food products cannot be denied and should not be denigrated. To my mind, restricting the film to what it does best - establish the beauty of life - would've done it more good and would've conferred it a higher consistency and integrity, in a purely structural sense.
Beyond this though, which is truly only a slight part of this documentary, I think it's worth a recommendation for its ability to encapsulate the specialness in this absolutely unique relationship people have with animals.
Yet, while it is consistent with the world-view of this film, I resent the fact that industrially bred chicken - and their owners - are deemed to be inferior in passion and devotion. While the comments (or lack thereof) in presenting the larger chicken business do not go into blatantly manipulative affirmations against chicken products, they still spell out a very negative view of what is outlined to be exploitative behavior. I'm sure you can find interesting tales of care from farmers who happen to own large chicken housing establishments, because it's not easy at all to look after tens of thousands of chickens and ensure they live a healthy life. And while there is certainly a level of detachment involved in "the industrial chicken", it's necessity for basic and essential food products cannot be denied and should not be denigrated. To my mind, restricting the film to what it does best - establish the beauty of life - would've done it more good and would've conferred it a higher consistency and integrity, in a purely structural sense.
Beyond this though, which is truly only a slight part of this documentary, I think it's worth a recommendation for its ability to encapsulate the specialness in this absolutely unique relationship people have with animals.
Worth the time
stevenjaba2 August 2005
Channel surfing one night, I ran across what appeared to be a PBS program on chickens. While PBS programs tend to be different from the usual TV fare, this was way outside the norm. I stopped to see what this program really was, and within a few minutes, was hooked.
What followed was an hour of sheer amusement. Really, this "documentary" is more about people than it is about chickens. And quite unusual people too! The next day around the office "water cooler", I found myself talking about chickens and the people who love them. Next thing I knew, I was trying to convince everyone that Mike the Headless Chicken really did exist once, a dispute that finally had to be resolved via internet research. I'm afraid the water-cooler will never be the same.
If you take delight in the obscure, find humor in the quirky, watch this movie. It will be time well spent.
Now - to track down one of this director's other movies: "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History". Sure to be a riot!
What followed was an hour of sheer amusement. Really, this "documentary" is more about people than it is about chickens. And quite unusual people too! The next day around the office "water cooler", I found myself talking about chickens and the people who love them. Next thing I knew, I was trying to convince everyone that Mike the Headless Chicken really did exist once, a dispute that finally had to be resolved via internet research. I'm afraid the water-cooler will never be the same.
If you take delight in the obscure, find humor in the quirky, watch this movie. It will be time well spent.
Now - to track down one of this director's other movies: "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History". Sure to be a riot!
Blown away by this entertaining documentary.
TxMike18 January 2002
Last night on PBS I watched "Natural History of the Chicken", expecting to see a rather dry scientific discourse on the evolution of the chicken, and a history of how it achieved its current status in out modern society. It was nothing like that!
It is entertaining, funny, smart, educational. At times I asked myself, "Is this a Christopher Guest film, like 'Best in Show'?" There was the fluffy white chicken kept as a pet, rides in a car, carried in a basket through the supermarket. And with a diaper, no less! The chicken that froze outside, then was revived through "mouth to beak resuscitation." The 100 fighting roosters that made so much noise the neighbors had to get a court order to shut them down to 5 max! The miserable life of laying chickens in pens. The "headless" chicken that wouldn't die. The little, fluffy white chicken that protected her chicks when the hawk dived down.
Very well done film, I hope to catch it again, as a documentary I rate it "8" of 10, might even deserve a "9". Marvelous!! :-)
It is entertaining, funny, smart, educational. At times I asked myself, "Is this a Christopher Guest film, like 'Best in Show'?" There was the fluffy white chicken kept as a pet, rides in a car, carried in a basket through the supermarket. And with a diaper, no less! The chicken that froze outside, then was revived through "mouth to beak resuscitation." The 100 fighting roosters that made so much noise the neighbors had to get a court order to shut them down to 5 max! The miserable life of laying chickens in pens. The "headless" chicken that wouldn't die. The little, fluffy white chicken that protected her chicks when the hawk dived down.
Very well done film, I hope to catch it again, as a documentary I rate it "8" of 10, might even deserve a "9". Marvelous!! :-)
One of the Funniest and Craziest Documentaries Ever Made!
framptonhollis27 November 2015
This is the best possible way you could make a documentary film about chickens. Rather than being a dull, bland, and boring film with a narrator whose voice sounds miserable, you get a bright, quirky, heartwarming and zany look at human eccentricity and the chicken's more interesting and surprisingly intelligent behavior.
From a woman who is seen carrying her pet chicken in her pocket book while buying groceries to a man, hilariously, doing impressions of the various calls of chickens to the story of a living headless chicken, this documentary is consistently entertaining and well made. It actually gets even more bizarre than the two early Errol Morris films ("Gates of Heaven" and "Vernon Florida")!
The film isn't about the history of chickens at all. I mean, nothing in this film is historical, therefore making "The Natural History of Chickens" a pretty misleading title. So if you're looking for an ACTUAL history of chickens, then you probably shouldn't watch the film. However, if you want to see a really funny and weird doc that is sure to entertain and amuse, this one's totally for you!
From a woman who is seen carrying her pet chicken in her pocket book while buying groceries to a man, hilariously, doing impressions of the various calls of chickens to the story of a living headless chicken, this documentary is consistently entertaining and well made. It actually gets even more bizarre than the two early Errol Morris films ("Gates of Heaven" and "Vernon Florida")!
The film isn't about the history of chickens at all. I mean, nothing in this film is historical, therefore making "The Natural History of Chickens" a pretty misleading title. So if you're looking for an ACTUAL history of chickens, then you probably shouldn't watch the film. However, if you want to see a really funny and weird doc that is sure to entertain and amuse, this one's totally for you!
A collection of vignettes
gbill-748774 January 2024
This is a documentary that says as much about people as it does about chickens (and it's certainly not a "natural history" lesson of the fowl). Seemingly random in the quirky episodes he relates, Mark Lewis shows us a range of human behavior, from those who understand and appreciate chickens for their personalities, to the nameless corporations who run factory farms, the footage from which is appalling, though the film is far from comprehensive about anything.
There's a woman in Maine who gave CPR to save a frozen chicken's life, but there are also a couple of farmers from the 1940's who had a rooster live after its head was chopped off, then cruelly kept it alive for months so that they could monetize it in travelling sideshows. There's a woman who sees her chicken as her soulmate and goes swimming with it, but there's also the guy who was raising 100 roosters for cockfighting, an enterprise that was scuttled because they drove their neighbors crazy with their incessant crowing. Maybe my favorite human in this was the guy who could imitate a rooster to a tee, including its mating ritual.
There is also a degree of information here about the chicken, or at least, through the various scenes we understand they have a degree of intelligence and compassion that is usually conveniently overlooked to reduce guilt in those that eat them. This is another film that makes me happy I'm a vegetarian, though the film is not pushing this agenda, and if anything, the idea of "God's natural order," and free-range, organic farming seem to be its ideals. The final story, with a farmer relating the story of Liza, a Japanese silky bantam who desperately wanting to have chicks and then was willing to sacrifice herself in the face of a hawk attack for them, is certainly stirring.
There's a woman in Maine who gave CPR to save a frozen chicken's life, but there are also a couple of farmers from the 1940's who had a rooster live after its head was chopped off, then cruelly kept it alive for months so that they could monetize it in travelling sideshows. There's a woman who sees her chicken as her soulmate and goes swimming with it, but there's also the guy who was raising 100 roosters for cockfighting, an enterprise that was scuttled because they drove their neighbors crazy with their incessant crowing. Maybe my favorite human in this was the guy who could imitate a rooster to a tee, including its mating ritual.
There is also a degree of information here about the chicken, or at least, through the various scenes we understand they have a degree of intelligence and compassion that is usually conveniently overlooked to reduce guilt in those that eat them. This is another film that makes me happy I'm a vegetarian, though the film is not pushing this agenda, and if anything, the idea of "God's natural order," and free-range, organic farming seem to be its ideals. The final story, with a farmer relating the story of Liza, a Japanese silky bantam who desperately wanting to have chicks and then was willing to sacrifice herself in the face of a hawk attack for them, is certainly stirring.
A fun, quirky film that fans of "Trekkies" or "Crumb" should check out.
noble7019 August 2001
As a documentary editor and film-maker (Tesla: Master of Lightning, Korean War Stories) I know how hard putting a piece like this together can be. I make a good portion of my living from publicly funded television, but this, even more than the checks I've recieved from my bosses, made me say, "Thank God for PBS." In this day and age, a piece of work this odd, beautiful, and though-provoking could only have been made possible by public television.
Congratulations to all involved with "The Natural History of the Chicken."
Congratulations to all involved with "The Natural History of the Chicken."
Eggactly what I needed for a laugh :)!
opsbooks11 March 2004
A pal with a sense of humour sent me a tape of this documentary, without a label to indicate the contents. Well, I popped the tape in the player and sat there, totally entranced by the sights and sounds! Brilliantly photographed and directed, full of good humour, captivating people and chooks, it literally kept me sitting on the edge of my seat until the credits appeared.
Without a doubt, this is the best animal documentary I've seen in the past 20 years. Seemingly chooks are more difficult to train than any other member of the animal kingdom. The feathered actors in this documentary seemed far more intelligent than many human actors I've seen in the current crop of big name movies.
Great fun for all the family.
Without a doubt, this is the best animal documentary I've seen in the past 20 years. Seemingly chooks are more difficult to train than any other member of the animal kingdom. The feathered actors in this documentary seemed far more intelligent than many human actors I've seen in the current crop of big name movies.
Great fun for all the family.
Plucky Cluckers
pdwebbsite23 March 2008
You know if it says PBS it will have quality, as far as documentaries go--but who would have thought an hour's worth of chicken fact, trivia, and homespun truth could be so entertaining! Having grown up around friends and neighbors who raised chickens in their backyards I know how amusing these feathered comedians can be. Yet, there is also something dignified about them as well. This documentary covers the whole scenario of where chickens are in the hearts of Americans. They are livestock, they are pets, they are sideshow wonderment,and they are noisy nuisances. They are also big business. Clever editing, reenactments, and filming techniques make this a keeper. We tend to watch it in winter, right around when the snow is lingering too long on the ground. Watching Cotton the Chicken taking a swim, or the drama of Valerie's rescue is enough to bring anyone out of the winter glums.
Quirky stories, no actual history
Jenno1129 April 2013
This documentary's title and description imply that the movie will at some point locate the chicken within multiple contexts: historical, biological, social, etc. In fact, it merely locates a handful of not particularly interesting people (in this context), each of whom has a different personal relationship to a chicken or a chicken story. My nine-year old, who loves documentaries, kept asking when we'd learn something about actual chickens. Point well taken. True, the movie shows us eggs and takes a brief look into a factory where eggs are laid and collected. By brief, I mean a minute of watching chickens eat food, and a later shot of a conveyor belt transporting eggs. There is no enlargement on why we see this at all, For example, no discussion of the shift from small independent farming to mass production. Or of chicken evolution. Or, really, of any research-based insight. The focus is really on people who can squawk like chickens, a guy whose grandfather had a headless chicken, a woman who dotes on her rooster, and so on. If you're feeling extremely passively voyeuristic and have a fever and so need about an hour's worth of barely related and not very compelling stories about people whose main claim to fame is having a charming little chicken story, then this is the movie for you. This state of mind might also work well with the general sloppiness or perhaps intentional disinterest in stitching a relevant narrative out of footage that seemed more random and aimless as the movie went on.
Fun, Fun Project to work on!!
ofp85721 July 2006
It's a great little film! I'm so happy to have worked on it!! When we shot this film, out in Sacramento, at the Cal Expo fair, it was sooooo hot! But you know seeing the results, well it was well worth the torture of the heat! :)
I wish I could do it all over again!
When we saw the offices at UC Davis, CA, now that was cool too!
We got to see so much that you don't get to check out on any normal day!
Have fun with this video everyone!!
Gabe de Kelaita! :)
I wish I could do it all over again!
When we saw the offices at UC Davis, CA, now that was cool too!
We got to see so much that you don't get to check out on any normal day!
Have fun with this video everyone!!
Gabe de Kelaita! :)
Superbly done!
lntift9 January 2005
This little film is honestly quite captivating. The cinematography is so artistic, and the content is quirky, interesting, and entertaining. I appreciate that it juxtaposes the free-range chicken existence with the mass marketed chicken hatcheries. Yet it doesn't hammer on the viewer that it's wrong to eat chicken. It simply shows the interesting characters that can be found in chickens, and the people who care about them. I think it gives a very healthy viewpoint regarding appreciating them as creatures, and yet allowing us the right to eat them as well.
The editing is quite good, well paced.
This film is wonderful! If you like the movie Babe (the first one), you will be fond of this project.
The editing is quite good, well paced.
This film is wonderful! If you like the movie Babe (the first one), you will be fond of this project.
I have a new favorite movie, and it's about chickens.
ishpanblobikah20 December 2005
This was an amazing film. We watched it in Bio whilst coloring in diagrams of photosynthesis (my chloroplasts were pink!), and I was expecting something boring on eggs and whatnot.
Instead, it introduced us to a "plucky farmer" who saved her frozen chicken with mouth-to-beak. There's a woman with a chicken named Cotton who swims with it, gives it daily baths, and gives it a diaper. There's moral discourse on killing chickens for food. There's a guy, my new hero, who can perfectly imitate various rooster noises. He's rather good at the mating dances, too.
I am in love with this film.
Instead, it introduced us to a "plucky farmer" who saved her frozen chicken with mouth-to-beak. There's a woman with a chicken named Cotton who swims with it, gives it daily baths, and gives it a diaper. There's moral discourse on killing chickens for food. There's a guy, my new hero, who can perfectly imitate various rooster noises. He's rather good at the mating dances, too.
I am in love with this film.
Not At All What You Expect From the Title
gavin694222 April 2015
This short documentary is full of interesting characters.
A Maine farmer says she found a chicken frozen stiff, but was able to resuscitate it. Colorado natives tell a story of the chicken who lost its head -- and went on living. A Virginia farmer tells about (and demonstrates) the benefits of raising chickens for his own consumption. Perhaps most surprising is the case of the Florida woman: she bathes her pet bird, and takes it both swimming and shopping.
The unfortunate part of this show is that it really seems to have no central narrative other than to be a few stories about chickens. One, the headless chicken named Mike, was rather fascinating and probably deserved more time. The film as a whole disappointed me, though, in part because the title is misleading: rather than a history of how chickens became domesticated and such a crucial part of modern humanity, such things are not even vaguely alluded to.
A Maine farmer says she found a chicken frozen stiff, but was able to resuscitate it. Colorado natives tell a story of the chicken who lost its head -- and went on living. A Virginia farmer tells about (and demonstrates) the benefits of raising chickens for his own consumption. Perhaps most surprising is the case of the Florida woman: she bathes her pet bird, and takes it both swimming and shopping.
The unfortunate part of this show is that it really seems to have no central narrative other than to be a few stories about chickens. One, the headless chicken named Mike, was rather fascinating and probably deserved more time. The film as a whole disappointed me, though, in part because the title is misleading: rather than a history of how chickens became domesticated and such a crucial part of modern humanity, such things are not even vaguely alluded to.
Credits?
mixerkim27 January 2007
This was actually a great little project to work on and I had a great time doing it. I was contacted by the Sound Designer Paul Ottoson because he knew that I had done voice over recording in the past, as well as worked as an ADR recordist and Editor on several films. I spent many hours trying desperately to mimic the "feelings" of each chicken portrayed in this documentary. (Which by the way is no small task even for veteran voice over talents). Needless to say, I was very disappointed to finally get my own copy of this DVD only to find out that after 3 HOURS of ADR recording, I did NOT receive my credit for voicing ALL THESE CHICKENS! I know it's silly, but it meant something to me. Too bad , Mark.
Kim Beltran (formerly Kim Bartlein) Voice Over
Kim Beltran (formerly Kim Bartlein) Voice Over
This one will surprise you!
jbitt27 July 2005
I have seen negative reviews of this very good film elsewhere that were the result of the title "misleading" viewers. While I'll grant that the title is a little quirky (just like the characters), the actual content is so interesting, funny and entertaining that all should be easilly forgiven.
This is a type of documentary, but not a purely scientific study aimed at agriculture majors. There is definitely a point of view, but it is not heavy or negative.
You will never feel the same again about chickens or some of their amazing owners. It will not stop you from eating the birds, except, perhaps, those unfortunate ones raised in today's horrible warehouse "farms." Don't chicken out -- watch this film!
This is a type of documentary, but not a purely scientific study aimed at agriculture majors. There is definitely a point of view, but it is not heavy or negative.
You will never feel the same again about chickens or some of their amazing owners. It will not stop you from eating the birds, except, perhaps, those unfortunate ones raised in today's horrible warehouse "farms." Don't chicken out -- watch this film!
Click bait. Not a Natural History
seibold-0212923 August 2019
A celebration of the lowly chicken.
planktonrules8 April 2012
Mark Lewis has made several quirky documentaries about animals--such as about dogs, cats, cane toads and in this case, the chicken. In the case of this chicken film, the show seems very episodic--with a wide variety of folks discussing chickens. Some are farmers, some are people who HATED that their neighbor suddenly started raising very LOUD chickens, some talk about the famous headless chicken ('Mike') owned by Olie, and some seemed just plain infatuated with them! One woman, in particular, has a pet chicken that she dotes over and adores--just like a puppy. I will make no comments about this lady--you just have to see her to believe her! In addition to all the odd stories and characters you also briefly take a trip to a HUGE egg-producing facility that was a bit disturbing--the chickens really were crammed together very tightly. You also, at a GREAT distance, see a guy beheading a chicken and discussing how this is something people don't want to think about--but we DO eat chickens! There's nothing exactly profound or deep about this film. Just an odd little celebration of this animal. Still, in a strange way, it's quite watchable. A decent time-passer.
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