User:Septagram/Ratopolis

Ratopolis is a 1973 sociology film that shows the connection between environment, biological stress, and social conditions. The film shows a controlled study of a small colony of brown rats in a fixed environment. At first, when the rat colony has enough resources and space, the rats breed and their behavior is as expected. Later, as space becomes more restricted and food becomes limited, the rat colony starts to display unexpected complex disturbing behavior. The film unsettling analogies and behaviors have implications for not only animals but humans as well, even after 30+ years after the film's creation.

Other summaries of Ratopolis: Étude du comportement social de Ratus Norvegicus en territoire clos et dans sa colonie en milieu naturel. Le stress du territoire clos provoque chez les rats alphas (dominants), beta (dominés) et oméga (rejetés) la mort de l'espèce (agressivité, cannibalisme). Observation des moeurs du rat dans sa colonie: cueillette de nourriture, reproduction, soins aux petits, son rôle dans la propagation de maladies parasitaires et la destruction des réserves de nourriture de l'homme.

Directed by Gilles Thérien

Produced by François Séguillon

Production Agency National Film Board of Canada (National du film du Canada, 1973 56 min 40 s) and the book Ratopolis (Presses de l'Université du Québec, 1975)

Examines the rat and its relationship to man. Explores behavior experiments in stress and overcrowding: "...under the effects of stress caused by inadequate living space, exaggerated individualism destroy the instinct of group survival thus it can be seen that the aspects of a territory play a vital part in the evolution of a species." Shows how sickness, famine and death have been associated with rats throughout history.A study of the wily brown rat, humankind's unwanted companion throughout the world, whose bite on the world's food resources adds to the growing threat of shortage. In a normal, free-ranging environment, the rat is more than a match for its hosts and colonies flourish. Under abnormal conditions of restricted space and limited food, a rat colony loses all "social" constraints on behavior. The film has implicit analogies for all animal behavior, including humanity's. Plagues, predators and extermination attempts are among the topics discussed.A claustrophobic film about the Darwinian future of urban life. What starts out as a happy ant farm of rats quickly becomes a distopian apocalypse when resources and living space run out. And thats just the beginning of the film, before the various rodent extermination techniques are demonstrated! This one is not for the squeamish! Many, many, many rats were harmed in the making of this feature. Still, if you can stomach the pain and suffering by our furry friends, you will be astounded by their relentless drive and courage in the face of terrible odds and the pitiful efforts of humans to stop the legions of rats.
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