Seven Crows a Secret

Artist Leonard Baskin doesn't much care for birds, but he likes the universally despised crow--a raucous, hardy, no-nonsense bird with a wake-up call that is decidedly not delicate ("no nightingale crap about crows," as Leonard puts it). At one time, crows were revered creatures, popular in Norse and Native American myths; today, they're considered dirty scavengers. Combining clay and other types of animation, an interview with--among others--the late British Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, and nature facts (crows like sex in the morning), Seven Crows a Secret is a distinctly non-formulaic look at the world of crows. In addition to representations in mythology and contemporary art, the program also visits the nine ravens who are still kept for good luck in the Tower of London (a practice dating back to Charles II). Now, for the green wedge, what's the difference between crows and ravens? Trick question: ravens are crows. A fun look at a much maligned member of the bird family seen through the characteristically wacky eye of the National Film Board of Canada. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)