Secrets of Life

"THE WONDROUS Mysteries of Nature Brought to the Screen for the First Time in a Motion Picture You Will Never Forget!"

1956 1h 10m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 18

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A feature-length documentary showing the changing world of nature, the sky, the sea, the sun, planets, insects and volcanic action. A story of nature's strange and intricate designs for survival and her many methods of perpetuating life.

“THE WONDROUS Mysteries of Nature Brought to the Screen for the First Time in a Motion Picture You Will Never Forget!”

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Cast

Winston Hibler
Narrator

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Algar
Writers: James Algar
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "True-Life Adventures Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul J. Smith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "THE WONDROUS Mysteries of Nature Brought to the Screen for the First Time in a Motion Picture You Will Never Forget!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0049733 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Algar directs. Paul J. Smith scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
270 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "True-Life Adventures Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Original score by Paul J. Smith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Marketing tagline: "THE WONDROUS Mysteries of Nature Brought to the Screen for the First Time in a Motion Picture You Will Never Forget!".
7IMDB entry: tt0049733 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "nature", "time lapse photography", "forces of nature", "mother nature".

The technical file

Original score: Paul J. Smith
Runtime: 70 min · 1h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Secrets of Life (1956)

Part of

True-Life Adventures Collection

In 1940 Walt Disney got the idea for the first ever nature documentary True Life Adventures during animal studies for his upcoming film Bambi. Instead of imitating the natural through animation, he could just use what was already there. When the sun rises and light enters through the eyelids the body is triggered to begin its wake-up cycle, including the release of cortisol. By the time the light is at full brightness, sleepers wake up on their own. An alarm is not needed anymore.