''Birds Do It, Bees Do It'' is a 1974 American

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

covering sexuality in the animal kingdom. It was directed by Nicolas Noxon (a regular crewmember for

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

's early television specials) and

Irwin Rosten Irwin Rosten (September 10, 1924 – May 23, 2010) was an American documentary filmmaker who also produced several hour-long documentaries for television. He is best known for his 1975 film '' The Incredible Machine''. He was twice nominated for a ...

, and co-produced by

David L. Wolper David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as ''Roots'', '' The Thorn Birds'', and ''North and South'', and the theatrically-released films ''L.A. Confiden ...

. Thanks to its copulation scenes, the film was marketed with the tagline "So real it will never be shown on TV". The same scenes initially earned it an R rating from the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

; after a brief discussion between Wolper and then-MPAA chairman

Richard Heffner Richard Douglas Heffner (August 5, 1925 – December 17, 2013) was the creator and host of '' The Open Mind,'' a public affairs television show first broadcast in 1956. He was a University Professor of Communications and Public Policy at Rutgers Uni ...

, a few changes were made to ensure the eventual PG rating. ''Birds Do It, Bees Do It'' received a nomination for Best Documentary at the

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Gerald Fried Gerald Fried (born February 13, 1928) is an American composer, conductor, and oboist known for his film and television scores. He composed music for well-known television series of the 1960s and 70s, including ''Mission: Impossible'', ''Gilliga ...

's music earned an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for Best Original Score. The film was screened at the

1974 Cannes Film Festival The 27th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 24 May 1974. The Grand Prix du Festival International du Film went to ''The Conversation'' by Francis Ford Coppola. The festival opened with '' Amarcord'', directed by Federico Fellini and closed ...

, but did not enter the main competition.

References

External links

* 1974 films American documentary films Columbia Pictures films Documentary films about nature 1974 documentary films The Wolper Organization films Documentary films about sexuality Films scored by Gerald Fried 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{nature-documentary-film-stub

See also

References

External links