January 14, 2000

'Reel Nature: America's Romance With Wildlife on Film'

By NINA C. AYOUB

Is nature "red in tooth and claw" or one big happy ecosystem? Both extremes have found favor in nature filmmaking, Gregg Mitman's topic in Reel Nature: America' s Romance With Wildlife on Film (Harvard University Press). Whether designed to provoke thrills or teach conservation, he writes, wildlife films "reveal much about the yearnings of Americans to be both close to nature and yet distinctly apart."

Early audiences for nature films often "craved drama over authenticity," says Mr.

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