Product Details

• Actors: Tip Byrne, H.W. Kerr, Glen Ingram, Bill Freeland, E.S. Edgerton
• Directors: Mark Lewis
• Writers: Mark Lewis
• Producers: Tristram Miall
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: First Run Features
• VHS Release Date: April 13, 1999
• Run Time: 47 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302212812
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,017 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Video > Art House & International > By Country > Australia & New Zealand
  #39 in	Video > Documentary > Nature & Wildlife > Animals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This odd documentary is for the audience that can't get enough of off-center, real-life tales akin to those captured by Errol Morris (Gates of Heaven). In the 1930s Australian sugar-cane farmers imported the bufo marinus, or cane toad, from Hawaii to destroy the crop-damaging greyback beetle. In short, the descendents of the original 102 toads virtually took over half a continent. We hear from all sides about the problem: the scientific studies of their mating habits (bruising), defense systems (poison that can kill a predator), and their eating habits (almost anything). Much of Mark Lewis's short film sticks with the common folk and their polarized feelings about the animal. Told with a great amount of wit, this 1987 documentary illustrates that the strangest things on film are always true. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Example of Human Stupidity!, December 21, 1999

By A Customer

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History does an excellent job of illustrating just what can (and often does) happen when humans attempt to alter nature without fully researching the possible outcome. I have been using this video for several years with the middle school life science class that I teach at an independent school in Topeka, Kansas. The students love it, and they learn some important lessons in regard to our natural world and the evolution of life on the planet Earth.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cane toads will crack you up!, February 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Cane Toads - An Unnatural History (DVD)

I show this video in my environmental classes and the students LOVE it!!! This is one of the cleverest, funniest natural history videos out there--I only wish there were more videos by the same writer/director. It's not really just for scientists either...there's something in there for everyone.

I've shown this video to lots of people and have yet to meet someone who didn't love it. As the DVD cover says, this is what you'd get if Monty Python made National Geographic specials. It's a bit old and dated looking, but you'll hardly notice because you'll be laughing so hard. I wish it came with subtitles because the Aussie accent is sometimes hard to follow, so you have to listen closely.

I know a few people commented on the raunchy or bizarre aspects of the video but there's nothing here that's not PG. In all, I recommend it highly! It's a delight.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best movie i have ever seen in science class, June 12, 2002

By	a high schooler (Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cane Toads - An Unnatural History (DVD)

Okay... We we're studying ecosystems in 9th grade biology. In the middle of class my teacher totally cracks up, and tells us that we are going to have fun in class the next day. So we all come into class the next day, and surprise!!! a video about cane toads!!! Of course we were all excited(not really, we thought the teacher had gone a little whacko) but 5 minutes into the movie, every person was laughing their head off! This is the best movie i have ever seen in any science class!!! (or any classroom for that matter) IT talked aobut how everything went wrong when the cane toads were introduced into Australia, and how they now cover most of the northern part of Australia. It interviews a lot of aussies (one who is now addicted to smoking the cane toad poison and one who enjoys watching them mate... you can imagine how those two went over in a class full of high school freshman) and several scientists (one describes their mating habits) This is a totally awesome movie that had my whole class laughing (including the teacher) and also had us a little grossed out (in a good way.) Definitely buy this movie if you want a good laugh...its worth the 20 bucks!