SECRETS OF NATURE - MAGIC MYXIES

Secrets Of Nature : Secrets Of Nature - Magic Myxies 1931

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Description

Wardour Films Ltd. presents a British Instructional Films production.

Myxies are small mushroom like growths to be found on rotting wood or decaying leaves. Part of their lives they are vegetables, part of their lives they are animals (!). C/U shots of the toadstool-like growths. If the cells from the Myxies fall into water they turn into animals. Microscopic shot of tiny moving specks in water. They are tiny water creatures with a little tail. Microscopic shot of a human hair to compare with the tiny creatures floating around it. Myxies gather around floating rubbish. They split into two. C/U of Myxie pulling in its tail and changing shape. Through time lapse photography we see the change in form. It has no fixed shape and eats by surrounding its food. Very bizarre shot of the blob eating. Myxies join together into pairs and then "parties". Only Myxies in couples are allowed to join the parties.

The narrator comments: "If the Myxie has been so bad tempered that it has failed to find a partner, it is not allowed to become one of the party, but is eaten up! This is a far greater encouragement to matrimony than any tax on bachelors".

When the party of Myxies is large enough it decides to leave the water and venture on to dry land. Shot of pulsating Myxie thing! It turns back into an animal. Psychedelic shots of a changing, evolving Myxie creature. The shape is continually changing as it moves along. Microscopic shots of the cells of the Myxie. Myxies advancing and meeting. They join up and flow away together. Beautiful patterns are made by the moving Myxie cells. We see the Myxie devouring a decaying leaf. We see it quiver. The Myxie eats a toadstool stalk - seen through time lapse photography. The Myxie has no sense of smell. A drop of arsenic is put in front of the Myxie, it moves over it and "is taken very ill". We see the Myxie disintegrate.

A Myxie faced with a drop of Epsom Salts immediately retreats "leaving behind in his hurry a lot of good food that it had already swallowed". When there is not enough moisture the Myxie dries up - we see this through time lapse. Myxie comes to life with "the autumn rain". Myxie growing. Frozen Myxie thawing out. We see a hungry group of Myxies balance across a single cobweb thread to get to a mushroom and eat it. Myxie fruit - Time lapse photography of the Myxie growing into toadstools. Cells grow on the outside of the caps.

Note: this is a bizarre film about a bizarre entity! The time lapse photography is very good, with beautiful patterns being made by the Myxie. Weird!

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Data

Cataloguer:: Jenny
Stock:: Black & White
Sound:: Sound
Media URN:: 84886
Sort Number:: DOCS

Time in/Out:: 01:00:13:00 / 01:10:31:00
Canister:: DOCS
Film ID:: 2953.01
Issue Date:: 1931

Appears in...

Collections: Documentaries
Categories: Science & Technology
WorkSpaces: Secrets Of Nature favourites
Programmes: Secrets Of Nature

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Programme Episodes

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: Secrets Of Nature - Where Flies Go In The Winter-Time; Tinted print of an educational film about the life of flies.

: Secrets Of Nature - Seed-Time; Educational film showing various ways in which plant seeds are dispersed in nature.

: Secrets Of Nature - Down Under; Educational film showing how roots grow underground.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Raiders Of The Fens; Nature film about the birds of the fens, the Harriers and Bearded Tits.

: Secrets Of Nature - Springtime At The Zoo; Educational film showing various animals at the zoo.

: Secrets Of Nature - Safety In Hiding; Educational film about camouflage in the animal kingdom - various species featured.

: Secrets Of Nature - Sea Level; Quirky educational film comparing the sea bed with a busy traffic system - pile ups, crashes and jams.

: Secrets Of Nature - Peas And Cues; Educational film showing how pea plants grow and how pollination occurs.

: Secrets Of Nature - Plants Of The Underworld; Educational film showing how plants grow - lots of lovely time lapse photography.

: Secrets Of Nature - Mighty Atoms; Weird educational film about cheese mites and other assorted creatures.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Flight Machine; Educational film about the mechanics of flight - birds in flight compared to aircraft.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Frog; Educational film showing how frog spawn turns into tadpoles turn into frogs.

: Secrets Of Nature - Special Messengers; Educational film about messenger pigeons.

: Secrets Of Nature - Abnormal Methods Of Nutrition; Educational film showing various unusual plants detailing how they grow and "eat".

: Secrets Of Nature - Scarlet Runner & CO; Educational film showing how runner beans grow - good time lapse photography.

: Secrets Of Nature - Marine Models; Funny educational film comparing sea creatures to fashion items.

: Secrets Of Nature - Starting In Life - Version 1; Educational film all about how different plants disperse their seeds.

: Secrets Of Nature - Sundew; Educational film about the "sundew" plant - nice time lapse photography and microscope shots.

: Secrets Of Nature - Beef And Beer; Educational film about hop gathering and beef production in Australia.

: Secrets Of Nature - Hold All; Educational film showing various animals being fed in the zoo - humans are compared.

: Secrets Of Nature - Phantoms; Microscopic look at gnat and mosquito larvae.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Daily Dozen At The Zoo; Footage of animals at London zoo edited to music to comic effect.

: Secrets Of Nature - Playtime At The Zoo; Silly film showing the movements of animals edited to music.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Strangler; Educational film showing how a dodder grows - it is a plant which "strangles" others.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Merlin; Educational film showing Merlins (a type of bird) feeding their young, guarding nest, learning to fly etc.

: Secrets Of Nature - A Spoon In The Mouth; Film showing various species of birds filmed from a hide.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Aphis; Life and death of the Aphis.

: Secrets Of Nature - Magic Myxies; Wonderful educational film about a strange entity - sometimes vegetable, sometimes animal!

: Secrets Of Nature - In All His Glory; Educational film about the process of pollination - time lapse photography and an animated bee feature.

: Secrets Of Nature - Great Crested Grebe; Educational film showing the Great Crested Grebe nesting, taking care of baby birds, swimming etc.

: Secrets Of Nature - War In The Trees; Educational film showing attempts to control woodwasp population with parasites.

: Secrets Of Nature - The World In A Wineglass; Educational film showing the hundreds of microscopic creatures found in a glass of pond water.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Bittern; Educational film showing the Bittern on its nest, hatching eggs, attacking predators, feeding young etc.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Two Pounder; Educational film about fish - how they grow and how they are caught.

: Secrets Of Nature - Water Folk; Educational film about water fleas.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Nightingale; Educational film about the life of a nightingale.

: Secrets Of Nature - Orphans Of The Woods; Educational film about various types of pheasant.

: Secrets Of Nature - The Frothblower AKA Froth Blower; Educational film about cuckoo spit and froghoppers.

: Secrets Of Nature - Springtime In The Scillies; Educational film showing bird life of the Scilly Isles.

: Secrets Of Nature - Amazing Maize; Educational film showing how maize grows - some time lapse photography and animations.

: Secrets Of Nature - Brewster's Magic; Educational film all about hops - from seed to beer.

: Some Flowering Plants; Various footage of Dicotyledons showing growth processes in lapsed time

: Some Flowering Plants; Growth processes of Monocotyledons in lapsed time.

: Secrets Of Nature - Pilot; Pilot film for a series of nature films - birds, insects and badgers are featured.

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