The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971)

"The Hellstrom Chronicle" won an Academy Award in 1972 for best documentary -- (supposedly) presented by a (fictitious) filmmaker named Dr. Nils Hellstrom. Fans of science fiction writer Frank Herbert (author of "Dune") might like to go on and read Herbert's "Hellstrom's Hive" (1973) in which Dr. Hellstom is the principal protagonist.

One of the best documentaries ever to come to the screen "The Hallstrom Chronicle" is not only educational about the insect world but visually stunning with its eye popping microscopic and telescopic photography showing the viewer a world that for the most part he or she are almost totally unaware of.Were introduced to Prof. Niles Hellstrom, Lawrence Pressman, who's study of the insect world has had him become greatly alarmed in that the final battle of mankind would not be among itself in an Armageddon like nuclear holocaust but in a life and death confrontation with the what seems like indestructible insect! The insects who've been around for some 300 million years are the only creatures on earth who can give man a run for his money living space and food supply. In fact besides man the insect is the only species on earth who's population has increased instead of diminished over the last two or three centuries! with the insects now threatening the worlds food supply,like it did since Biblical times, and killing far more people, with insect borne diseases, then all the wars of mankind put together it's only a matter of time according to Prof. Hellstrom before man not insect will disappear off the face of the earth! That's unless man learns to live within his environment and not end up killing himself in wars pollution and nuclear radiation which the insect has over the centuries, unlike man, became completely immune to!A film not to be taken lightly "The Hellstrom Chronicle" is just as effective now as it was back in 1971 when it was released in showing that man is not in control of his own destiny but he for either good or bad has to work within the world he lives in and the life forms he share it with in oder to survive. The insect world is by far the biggest threat to mans survival and the sooner man realizes that the better chance he has to survive in the future.The fact that insects have shown that they can survive and even increase despite everything that man throws at them, like DDT and other insecticides, should tells us something. They unlike man have only one thought, if thats what you can call it, in mind survival of the species! Something that man in his greed and arrogance has yet to learn in his obsession of destroying himself in both wars and polluting the world that he lives in. The insect world seems to have no problem or worries in its future existence. It's been around for hundreds of millions of years and will continue to be around for countless more long after man like the dinosaurs have disappeared and been forgotten off the pages of history.

Only by chance did I manage to find out about this hidden gem, and I'm glad I did. While many disaster movies of late seem to put the emphasis on earthquakes, tidal waves, meteor strikes, fires and floods, The Hellstrom Chronicle looks at a perfectly plausible demise for the human race - itty bitty insects.And while it may sound like some sort of joke, the case for such a scenario is well documented here. There is a degree of dramatisation involved, granted, but there's no getting away from the fact that given the right set of conditions, mankind could be faced with pestilence or famine on such a huge scale that it threatens their very survival.Bear in mind that this feature was made in 1971 - so excuse the big hair, tweed jackets and not-so-high-definition images - but nonetheless, there are some jaw-dropping sequences that make you say 'HOW did they get that shot?', despite it's thirty-something age.I also need to add that it's extremely difficult to get hold of - as far as I know, it isn't available on DVD, although you may be able to find it on VHS or BETA at a thrift store - so if you see it advertised in your TV guide one week, be sure to set the timer.Fascinating, if a little dated, stuff.

By far, one of the best, if not the best, documentaries I have seen. Incredible story of man vs. insects in the battle for survival and it doesn't look good for man. This documentary tells why. Brilliantly narrated and photographed, I thought this movie had more suspense than an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, especially when you consider, this stuff is for real.