The film's title is borrowed from a Dani fable that Gardner recounts in voice-over. The Dani people, whom Gardner identifies mysteriously as "a mountain people," believe that there was once a great race between a bird and a snake, which was to determine the lives of human beings. Should men shed their skins and live forever like snakes, or die like birds? The bird won the race, dictating that man must die. The film's plot revolves around two characters, Weyak and Pua. Weyak is a warrior who guards the frontier between the land of his tribe and that of the neighboring tribe. Pua is a young boy whom Gardner depicts as weak and inept.
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Robert Gardner
Crew: Robert Gardner (Director), Robert Gardner (Editor), Robert Gardner (Cinematography), Michael Rockefeller (Sound Recordist), Joyce Chopra (Sound Editor), Jairus Lincoln (Sound Editor)
Country: Papua New Guinea, United States of America
Language: English
Studio: Peabody Museum
Runtime: 84 minutes
Quality: HD
Released: Oct 01, 1963
IMDb: 5.2
Keywords:ethologist, papua new guinea