The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Walon Green
Ed Spiegel

Writer:

David Seltzer (writer)

Release Date:

1 November 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama

Tagline:

Shocking. Beautiful. Brilliant. Sensual. Deadly... and in the end only they will survive.

Plot:

A scientist explains how the savagery and efficiency of the insect world could result in their taking over the world. |

Plot Keywords:

Insect | Animal Behavior | Nature | Entomology | Independent Film

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Lawrence Pressman

...

Dr. Hellstrom

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (cut) (1972) | Sweden:Btl | USA:G

Company:

Wolper Pictures

Trivia:

David Wolper and Cinema 5 got audiences into theatres to see this documentary by promoting it as if it were a science fiction thriller.

Quotes:

Dr. Hellstrom: Confronted with this incredible resourcefulness - this desperate desire to survive - we must wonder, why? What is the value, even for oneself, to sustain an existence that must ultimately end in death? The insect has the answer, because he never posed the question.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Matrix (1999)

Not since THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT have I been so disturbed by a movie.

"The earth was created not with the gentle caress of love, but with the brutal violence of rape."

This portentous statement opens THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLE, a stunning quasi-documentary which is, in its own way, one of the most frightening movies I've ever seen, with themes that are eerily prescient in today's world.

Winner of the 1971 Oscar for Best Documentary, this mostly non-fiction film - the dark side of MICROCOSMOS - recounts the history and nature of the insect world, as well as the myriad ways insects are more equipped to outlive Man in the long run. Insects have a 200-million-year head start, don't have feelings, don't ponder their own existence, don't fight within their species, can adapt to their surroundings, live harmoniously with their environment, have been using "robots" and the airwaves long before we came to be, and aren't afraid to die. Nothing Man throws at them (like pesticides) can stop their reproduction; insects quickly develop immunities while Man chokes on its own weaponry while polluting its environment. And, it would take Man a million years to repopulate the world after nuclear fallout; insects could do it in three weeks.

This ominous storyline is framed in the film with Dr. Hellstrom, a fictional entomologist who narrates with an effectively brooding yet pragmatic tone that somehow comes off as dire but soothing. Some may feel that the human segments of the film distract from the force of the narrative. I, however, believe these breaks from the storyline give the viewer a breather, for the foreboding menace would be nearly unbearably intense otherwise. Also, there is one segment of the film that's obviously faked, but that's okay: it wouldn't have been prudent to film it realistically, and it nonetheless succeeds in making its point as is.

Similar to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT in that what's waiting for us in nature is scarier than any boogeyman, THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLE raises questions about Man's arrogance - our fatal flaw which will be the reason for our ultimate downfall. While the film never uses the word "God," it speaks of a "Creator," and ponders the significance of the only species that believes in a higher power yet uses "intelligence" to disprove its existence. THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLE is edge-of-your-seat drama about the horror of war and our inevitable fight to the death with the insect world - a battle that we're sure to lose.

10/10