SEED: THE UNTOLD STORY -- Jon Betz and Taggart Siegel's food and farming doc opens

When we think about our food and where it comes from, the last thing on many of our minds is the humble little seed. Those of us who follow the ever-rising control of big corporations worldwide, however, may think first of seeds, and then of power-hungry behemoths such as Montsanto, soon, it would seem, to be merged into Bayer, an even bigger power-hungry behemoth: (You can register your disapproval of that merger by clicking here).

SEED: THE UNTOLD STORY, a new documentary from Jon Betz and Taggart Siegel, very smartly begins with a kind of history of seeds, introducing us to an ex-hippie farmer, shown below, who has now collected literally thousands of varieties of seeds, and who tells us that, sadly, we've lost 94 percent of our seed diversity during the 20th Century.

It was wise of the filmmakers to provide us this seed history and importance before showing us what the reign of Capitalism and "hybrid seeds," along with corporations and their venal and ridiculous idea of "patenting" nature are doing, with the help of slime balls like Clarence Thomas, surely the sleaziest member of our current Supreme Court. Next we move to Mexico and the fascinating story/history of corn. "We are seeds," explains one of several of the Indians who guide us through all this, as we are made to see and understand the kind of love that goes into caring for seeds. (Seed farming and seed banks, we learn, are now internationally connected.)

We visit Hawaii and watch as neighbors and whole communities protest the poisoning of their land and their children via toxic pesticides. We learn that NAFTA, by selling subsidized corn in Mexico, has forced two million farmers off their land. We see something similar in India, thanks to -- yes, again -- Montsanto. We view "Seed schools" in action via the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, an organization devoted to increasing, rather than further depleting, seed diversity.

Seed: The Untold Story is a vitally important documentary, subject-wise, at least. But, as you may have gathered from the above paragraphs, its approach to its subject is scattershot and all over the place. Also, for anyone who has followed the subject of food and farming via the number of good documentaries that have appeared over the past decade or two, the movie cannot help but seem repetitive. A figure such as Vandana Shiva, above, has already made some 78 appearances on film and TV, including the documentaries Dirt! The Movie and Solutions locales pour un désordre global. (Click the preceding link and then scroll way down for my review of that latter film.)

Filmmakers Betz and Siegel (shown above, with Betz on the left) are to be thanked for their efforts, even if the end result does not rise artistically to the level of importance of the subject itself. There are still plenty of things to be learned and gained from viewing this movie.

Seed:The Untold Story -- from Collective Eye Films and running 94 minutes -- opens this Friday, September 23, in New York City at the Cinema Village and the following Friday, September 30, in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Monica Film Center.

Will the film be shown elsewhere? I have no idea, and since it does not yet even appear on the Collective Eye web site, don't expect any help there, either.

Taggart Siegel's QUEEN OF THE SUN links bees, honey, crops and colony-collapse

A few years back filmmaker Taggart Siegel shot and directed an 82-minute documentary called The Real Dirt of Farmer John about an unorthodox farmer that proved a surprise mini-hit on the fest circuit. Siegel is back this year with another 82-minute (is that the charm?) documentary that covers a topic impacting the world's well-being that is but another in the growing chain of environmental disasters that we humans seem to enjoy bringing upon ourselves. If you have been following the colony collapse disorder that has affected the honeybee population since 2006, around our country and across Europe, and you realize the link between bees and crop pollination, you'll also understand the importance that the disappearance of the bees could have for humanity.

Siegel -- who this time has shot, directed and co-edited his film -- with his co-producer John Betz (the two are shown above, with Betz on the left), buzzes bee-like around a lot of locations, hives and people -- gathering up information and theories on the reasons for this colony-collapse phenomenon. Nothing proves conclusive here (nothing yet has) but the use of dangerous pesticides is certainly not helping matters. Nor is the Varroa mite, which is a terrible natural danger to the bees, but one on which the use of antibiotics appears to make into an even stronger predator. We see one organic bee-keeper intent on letting the bees sort out this mite problem themselves. Sounds possible but unfortunately we never see or hear about the results of his theory. (Perhaps there aren't any yet.)

We meet bee-keepers around the world, the most germane of which may be those in Australia and New Zealand, where the use of pesticides are not allowed and where colony-collapse disorder has not yet come. (Is there a connection, do you think?) We learn about silica and its near-universal appearance -- in the earth, in honey, in us! And we see an organic bee-keeper (above) working his hives -- even in the midst of an area controlled by the dreaded Montsanto.

A documentary of surprising beauty (given the rather ordinary look of Siegel's Farmer John doc), Queen of the Sun is full of gorgeous images (above and below) -- a visual love letter to bees and all they mean to us. The film makes a number of interesting connections, too. Just as bees are linked in so many way to the health of our society, the film is full of asssociations both to other movies and to life itself.

Simply for the few-minute section on honey, monasteries, monks, wax and light, the film is worth seeing and mulling over. (Remember those wonderful monks in Of Gods and Men? Wasn't one of their main occupations producing honey?)

On the subject of genetic modification and scientific interventions into genetics, the film is less convincing, perhaps because we still know so little about all this. (Of course, we do have Splice to rely on....) On the subject of inbreeding, however -- and what this has done to bee colonies (as well as to everything from poultry to cattle to pigs) -- Siegel does convince. As he does regarding the healing power of honey and the importance of swarming. After seeing this film, I'll never again -- pace the late Irwin Allen -- look at a swarm of bees with anything approaching fear.

Above all, this film is the rare documentary (these days) that actually heartens, showing us small steps toward a necessary goal, one that ought to be achievable over the long haul.  If we still have time for such a thing.

Queen of the Sun, a Collective Eye production, opens tomorrow, Friday, June 10, in New York City at the Cinema Village.  Click here to find other screening around the country throughout the summer months -- with cities, dates and theaters.