Life On the Reef

What makes a piece of living rock travel halfway around the globe? Sex, of course. From the producers of Coral Sea Dreaming (VL-7/94), Life on the Reef is an exquisitely filmed documentary about the reproductive life of coral, and, frankly, in terms of sheer steaminess, All My Children plays like Captain Kangaroo in comparison. For one week each November under a full moon, the Great Barrier Reef engages in a synchronized mass spawning, as undulating sea cucumbers spew milky swirls of sperm from the tops of their heads and thousands of egg polyps emerge from miles of coral reef tubes. There under the soft white moonlight, egg and sperm meet and.. you...know the story: cigars all round. Featured on National Geographic Explorer, the film has already garnered a Gold Camera Award at the U.S. International Film & Video Festival for Best Nature Video. Combining gorgeous cinematography, a lovely soundtrack (which often has a sense of humor), and computer animation, Life on the Reef teaches viewers how this seemingly fragile life form has withstood eons of continental shifts, blistering droughts, and massive ocean storms. A little ecosystem theory, a fascinating close-up look at the denizens of the deep, and the biggest underwater orgy on the planet, Life on the Reef's drama of science, nature, and sex should have wide appeal. And the footage of tubular creatures who basically eat and poop sand for a living is extremely educational (children will very quickly forget all of the scientific talk about coral reproduction, but they'll definitely remember this segment for months-most likely recalling it at the dinner table: "mom, that meatloaf looks exactly like...") Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)