The apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato. Four plants compose the starring lineup of the film adapation of Michael Pollan's book, The Botany of Desire. and they represent sweetness, beauty, intoxication and control, respectively. Who knew?
An exploration of plants and our relationship with them, the film (like the book before it) takes us from Pollan's backyard to the apple orchards of Kazakhstan, the tulip markets of Amsterdam, a medicinal marijuana hothouse and the potato fields of South America.
A reviewer on Newsday.com had this to say: "Shot in beautiful high-definition videography. 'The Botany of Desire' is a perfect story for television,' says producer and director Michael Schwartz. 'It takes a world we thought we knew and allows us to see it in an entirely new way.' The special is two hours of pure joy that contains all the requisites of must-see TV - it's intriguing and fascinating, engaging, entertaining and educational. It's brilliant. I just wish I'd thought of it first."
The film was broken up into segments are aired in Madison's Central Library over the past four weeks, but the entire thing (joy!) will be aired at 7 p.m. tomorrow night (Wednesday Oct 28) on Wisconsin Public Television.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, along with local listings, lesson plans and bonus features, go to pbs.org/thebotanyofdesire.
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