Backbencher
Weblog for HIST 381 at NDSUSunday, April 30, 2006
MR: CANE TOADS
In this film it showed humans introducing a species into an environment that has no counterbalances in place, that species quickly takes over the ecosystem and invariably ruins it forever. This new species that was introduced in Australia was the cane toad, as explained in the charming documentary
Back in 1935, about 100 cane toads were imported from Hawaii into Queensland, Australia to combat the cane grub, bane of the sugar cane farmer. Of course, the cane toads didn’t eat the grubs at all, and rather than fulfilling their agricultural destiny, they promptly began creating more and more cane toads. As the toads furiously expanded their territory, they attained a mythic status among Queenslanders, who were apparently desperate for a mascot. Whereas biologists nearly unanimously hate the toads for their destruction of native wildlife, ordinary Queenslanders have a sort of affection for the ugly, noxious things. Some of the funniest sequences in Cane Toads involve Australians killing the toads, and that humor is heightened by the scenes featuring scientists detailing their hatred for the same critters.
That hatred is quite well founded, given the unstoppable nature of the toad. Not only do cane toads eat any living thing smaller than themselves, they also have a disturbingly effective predator deterrent system. Two ducts behind their squat little necks shoot deadly venom into the mouth of whatever unfortunate creature tries to pick them up.
The musical track that the filmmakers place behind the human commentary and cane toad action scenes adds greatly to the film. A gentle, sentimental tune accompanies an elderly couple’s praise of the toads, while tense horror-movie music scores the footage of toads hopping all over a suburban yard, lurking underneath a step or having genuinely icky toad sex.
My favorite part of the movie is when a Volkswagen Microbus swerves erratically down a road, and tries to take out as many cane toads as possible. Over all I thought this film was very odd, but I think the films main purpose is to try to make you laugh.
Only in Australia.
Back in 1935, about 100 cane toads were imported from Hawaii into Queensland, Australia to combat the cane grub, bane of the sugar cane farmer. Of course, the cane toads didn’t eat the grubs at all, and rather than fulfilling their agricultural destiny, they promptly began creating more and more cane toads. As the toads furiously expanded their territory, they attained a mythic status among Queenslanders, who were apparently desperate for a mascot. Whereas biologists nearly unanimously hate the toads for their destruction of native wildlife, ordinary Queenslanders have a sort of affection for the ugly, noxious things. Some of the funniest sequences in Cane Toads involve Australians killing the toads, and that humor is heightened by the scenes featuring scientists detailing their hatred for the same critters.
That hatred is quite well founded, given the unstoppable nature of the toad. Not only do cane toads eat any living thing smaller than themselves, they also have a disturbingly effective predator deterrent system. Two ducts behind their squat little necks shoot deadly venom into the mouth of whatever unfortunate creature tries to pick them up.
The musical track that the filmmakers place behind the human commentary and cane toad action scenes adds greatly to the film. A gentle, sentimental tune accompanies an elderly couple’s praise of the toads, while tense horror-movie music scores the footage of toads hopping all over a suburban yard, lurking underneath a step or having genuinely icky toad sex.
My favorite part of the movie is when a Volkswagen Microbus swerves erratically down a road, and tries to take out as many cane toads as possible. Over all I thought this film was very odd, but I think the films main purpose is to try to make you laugh.
Only in Australia.
Archives
January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 December 2006 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008
