The Sea Horse

Overview

Examines the sea horse, the only fish that swims upright. We watch it use its prehensile tail to wrap around plants and other sea horses. A frontal bulge houses organs including an air ballast. Three fins propel this fish. We see a female place her eggs in a male's pouch where they are fertilized and nurtured until birth in violent contractions. Inside the pouch are nurturing blood vessels. We then follow the growth of an embryo, greatly magnified: we examine its heart beating and its dorsal fin moving. Young sea horses attach themselves to each other. The film ends with images of many sea horses moving on the ocean floor, superimposed on a horse race.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

August 10, 1935

Original language

French

Spoken languages

French

Countries

France

Production

Cinégraphie Documentaire

Director

Jean Painlevé

Writer

Jean Painlevé

Producer

Jean Painlevé

Cinematography

André Raymond

Music

Darius Milhaud

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt0129994