Frédéric Rossif specialized in two types of documentary: the historic documentary: "mourir à Madrid" (1963) and the second one concerns animals. Here, "la fête sauvage" ranks in the second quoted type. It's obvious that Rossif takes pleasure in filming animals. His documentary articulates and focuses on several key-moments in the life of an animal: love and its rituals, the anxiety of death, the hunting of the different carnivorous ( the lion, the cheetah, the tiger etc...). If Rossif favours the use of a slow camera, it's precisely in the goal of a better observation of the animal in its action and (why not?) in its living environment. Sometimes, the film-maker tries to define the animal's feelings. Besides, no matter who the animals are because Rossif never favours any animal. He simply films them with much distance as possible. We are under the impression that the movie searches for the aesthetic beauty and it reaches its goal. This beauty expresses itself by some sumptuous pictures and they create a entrancing climate supported by Vangelis' fascinating music. The best sequence is probably the wildebeest hunting of the two lionesses. Even if the comments told are sometimes difficult to understand, they're a good way to enrich your culture of the world animal. At the end, this is a beautiful book of pictures and the work of a keen filmmaker who showed patience. If you wish to discover other Rossif's animal documentaries, try "les animaux" or "sauvage et beau".
