Animals on Film on BFI Player – 10 to try
We’ve curated a menagerie of marvellous animal films, almost all of which are free to watch.
Britain’s wildlife filmmakers have long been the envy of the world, well before the era of Sir David Attenborough. Back in the 1910s, 20s and 30s, resourceful, dogged and sometimes eccentric pioneers were exploring the borderlands of film and science.
Others, meanwhile, were drawn to animals as a subject for much the same reasons as their audiences: the eternal appeal of soft fur and tender paws, of exotic plumage or fearsome claws.
Here are 10 of the best films in our new BFI Player collection Animals on Film.
Lobsters (1936)
Quirky documentary from Bauhaus pioneer László Moholy-Nagy.
Nursery Island (1936)
Beautiful documentary on bird life from the Secrets of Nature series.
Fricker’s Trained Alsatians (1945)
Some very clever police dogs are put through their paces.
Sally the Sparrow (1945)
Explore London Zoo with Sally, one of its greediest residents.
Juno Helps Out (1953)
Mum’s laid up ill – but family dog Juno is ready to help.
Beer Drinking Billy (1967)
A goat develops a taste for the stronger stuff.
Horse Transport (1975)
Beat pollution and petrol prices with a different mode of transport…
Barnstaple’s Pet Puma (1976)
Could this be the Beast of Bodmin?
I Guinea Pig (1983)
Charming, kitsch animation about caring for a pet guinea pig.
Dog Years (2004)
A potty-mouthed dog reflects on the ageing process.
