More than Honey DVD 2012 A Méhek világa / Directed by Markus Imhoof / Starring: Fred Jaggi / Documentary on the role and importance of bees

UPC 5999546336153

REGION 2 PAL DVD  

MADE IN HUNGARY

AUDIO: Hungarian 2.0, German 2.0, German 5.1

SUBTITLES: HUNGARIAN

Runtime: 90 minutes

Fifty years ago, Einstein had already insisted on the symbiotic relationship binding these pollen gatherers to mankind: “If bees were to disappear from the globe,” he predicted, “mankind would only have four years left to live.”

English Summary:

More than Honey is a 2012 Swiss documentary film directed by Markus Imhoof about honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Austria. The film was submitted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Bumblebee researcher Felicity Muth called the film "visually magnificent." Stephen Holden, writing for the New York Times, calls the cinematography "spectacularly beautiful," and calls the film "a fascinating but rambling documentary." Peter Bradshaw, writing for the Guardian, gave the movie three stars out of five and called it an "interestingly laidback film", opining that, "Imhoof seems disconcertingly untroubled" about the ecological challenges currently facing bees. The film received a critics rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a rating of 70% on Metacritic.

Hungarian Summary:

Az elmúlt öt év során méhek milliói tűntek el a Föld színéről, látszólag megmagyarázhatatlan okokból. Ha a kis állatok radikális fogyása tovább folytatódik, az a bolygó egész élővilágára, így az emberiségére is hatással lesz: az általunk elfogyasztott élelmiszerek több mint harmada a méhek beporzásától függ. Az Oscar-jelölt és a Berlini Nemzetközi Filmfesztiválon több díjjal kitüntetett Markus Imhoof (A csónak megtelt) nagyszabású természetfilmje lenyűgöző, soha nem látott felvételek segítségével mutatja be a méhek életét és a mi mindennapjainkra gyakorolt hatásukat. Imhoof a műfajban rendkívül magasnak számító, 2 millió eurós költségvetésből forgathatott, melynek minden fillére meglátszik a vásznon: a rendező stábjával bejárta az egész világot, és számtalan szakértőt megszólaltatva nem riadt vissza attól sem, hogy ellentmondó véleményeket ütköztessen egymással.

Cast:

• Fred Jaggi as Himself
• Prof. Dr. Randolf Menzelas Himself
• John Miller as Himself
• Liane Singer as Herself
• Heidrun Singer as Herself
• Zhao Su Zhang as Herself
• Fred Terry as Himself
• Prof. Dr. Boris Baer as Himself
• Elisabeth Schild as Herself

INTERESTING FACTS

In the US, the latest estimates suggest that a total of 1.5 million (out of 2.4 million total beehives) have disappeared across 27 states. In Germany, according to the national beekeepers association, one fourth of all colonies have been destroyed, with losses reaching up to 80% on some farms. The same phenomenon has been observed in Switzerland, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Poland and England, where this syndrome has been nicknamed “the Mary Celeste Phenomenon”, after a ship whose crew vanished in 1872.

Scientists have found a name for the phenomenon that matches its scale, “colony collapse disorder,” and they have good reason to be worried: 80% of plant species require bees to be pollinated. Without bees, there is no pollinization, and fruits and vegetables could disappear from the face of the Earth. Apis mellifera (the honey bee) is as indispensable to the economy as it is to man’s survival.

Should we blame pesticides or even medication used to combat them? Maybe look at parasites such as varroa mites? New viruses? Travelling stress? The multiplication of electromagnetic waves disturbing the magnetite nanoparticles found in the bees’ abdomen? So far, it looks like a combination of all these agents has been responsible for the weakening of the bees’ immune defenses. 

Fifty years ago, Einstein had already insisted on the symbiotic relationship binding these pollen gatherers to mankind: “If bees were to disappear from the globe,” he predicted, “mankind would only have four years left to live.”