Jan Švankmajer’s beautiful, mesmerizing yet strangely unsettling film Historia Naturae, Suita (1967), presents a short, 8-part history of nature, presenting each phylum through a different piece of music. These are:
Aquatilia - Foxtrot
Hexapoda - Bolero
Pisces - Blues
Reptilia - Tarantella
Aves - Tango
Mammalia - Minuet
Simiae - Polka
Homo - Waltz
Švankmajer is currently working on his next full-length animated feature Pictures from the Insects’ Life is due for release in 2015. Based on Karel Čapek and Josef Čapek satirical play from 1922, Pictures from the Insects’ Life tells the story of a tramp who falls asleep in a forest and dreams of insects as a metaphor for human life.
With thanks to Teresa Carrington
