In the Blood

George Butler, who has made a couple of excellent documentaries on bodybuilding (Pumping Iron, Pumping Iron II: The Women), here turns to an altogether different sport: big game hunting. Filmed in East Africa, the story is narrated by Tyssen Butler, the 13-year-old son of the filmmaker. On safari with the Butlers are Theodore Roosevelt IV and V, big game hunter Robin Hurt, and author R.L. Wilson, among others. Using archival footage of Teddy Roosevelt hunting in Africa, and voiceover excerpts from his reflections on hunting (as a bridging device between past and present), the film follows the hunters as they track a water buffalo, stake out a huge crocodile (which outsmarts them 21 days in a row), and sit around the campfire talking about the ethics of hunting. Not everyone will be able to reconcile the hunters' ideas of themselves as conservationists with what they're doing, but the simple fact is that for many of the prime dwelling places of Africa's multitudinous animal population, hunting is the economic lifeguard that keeps these lands from being developed. Gradually, the film builds up to its climax: Tyssen Butler's first big game hunt, using one of Roosevelt's original rifles. It is a moving and paradoxical scene of pride, sadness, tears, and joy. An excellent film, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--Nov. 18, 2003--Central Park Media, 90 min., PG, $39.95--Making its debut on DVD, George Butler's 1989 In the Blood boasts a reasonably sharp transfer, a solid Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack, and a handful of extras. Butler's commentary track is soporific-sounding, but informative, while his 3-minute intro to the film sounds weirdly self-congratulatory (although, hey, it is an excellent film). Other extras include a "Safari Shots" photo gallery, an animated map of Theodore Roosevelt's African safari, and a two-minute profile of the Holland & Holland rifle used by Roosevelt (literally referred to in his famous maxim, "speak softly, and carry a big stick"). Bottom line: a wonderful documentary, with solid extras.]