The Commoners (excerpt)

In 1890, one man had the idea to collect every bird ever mentioned in Shakespeare and release them into Central Park. The only bird to survive in the New World was the European Starling, now one of the commonest birds in America. Its introduction is now widely considered a major environmental disaster.

The Commoners is a moving image essay about starlings, poetry, and the purist rhetoric used to describe "invasive species." It is also about the paths people forge through history, intentionally or not, as they attempt to change the natural world.

***This is a short excerpt; to purchase a DVD of the full 12 minute film contact me.

The Commoners
Total running time: 12 minutes
High definition video with 5.1 sound

Written & directed by Jessica Bardsley & Penny Lane
Sound Design: Jesse Stiles
Additional footage: Dylan Winter
Additional narration: Caspar Stracke

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• European Starling
• starling
• Penny Lane
• Central Park
• Eugene Schieffelin