Don't: The Metamorphosis of the Monarch Butterfly

An extraordinary film that won a 1974 Oscar as the year's best short documentary, "Don't" is also extraordinarily hard to classify. This Robin Lehman film, now on DVD, is a study of the lyric passage of a Monarch butterfly from its birth and its delicate metamorphosis from caterpillar into butterfly, and also of its journey from country to city. From the first frame, the audience experiences the tension of the butterfly's perilous flight as numerous adversaries, from a praying mantis to a railroad train to man himself, threaten the beautiful creature’s buoyant freedom. A lively soundtrack, with music composed by Frederick Chopin, persuades us to live, for a few moments, in this fleeting world. Produced and directed by Robin Lehman. Academy Award-Best Documentary Short Cannes International Film Festival-Grand Prix CINE Golden Eagle Atlanta Film Festival-Gold Plaque Superieure Technique du Cinema Long Island International Film Festival-Golden Image San Francisco Film Festival-Special Jur