The Natural History of the Chicken

‘We have sixteen chickens here, and they’re all very different,’ says the woman who made international headlines by saving a frozen chicken’s life by mouth-to-bill resuscitation. Indeed, the chickens in The Natural History of the Chicken are all very different, just like their owners. Director Mark Lewis does not ignore the endless battery cages and incubators, but concentrates more on amazing stories about individual chickens and their owners. The woman who plunges into a fountain with her favourite chicken; the man who can imitate all chicken sounds; Miracle Mike, the chicken without a head that kept living for months. But also the neighbourhood that is terrorised by the noise of a hundred fighting cocks. Lewis makes a couple of superb reconstructions, such as the dramatic self-sacrifice of a mother chicken for her chicks. The lighting and editing give the documentary the appearance of a feature film. In a hilarious and extremely American way, Lewis sheds a refreshing light on the chicken. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)