Broken Tail

Gr 9 Up—Cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson and his guide, Salim Ali, filmed the tiger they named Broken Tail for a year-and-a-half—from the tiger's birth to the day he disappeared from India's main tiger reserve. When they learned that Broken Tail had been killed by a train more than 100 miles from his home, they followed his trail on horseback, trying to determine where he went and why, hoping that their inquiries and discoveries might aid tiger conservation. The cinematography is superb, with gorgeous, warm-colored images of India. The pace is gentle, even a bit slow at times, matching the sedate horseback journey. Stafford-Johnson narrates with a pleasant Irish lilt. Scenes of their journey are intercut with video of Broken Tail growing up, showing viewers the life cycle of a great cat. The history of tiger preservation is also touched on, with black-and-white archival footage of gruesome, Victorian-era tiger hunts. Although sad about Broken Tail's death, their journey does have a positive ending: a new National Park is created to protect tigers, and a new tiger sanctuary is being considered. Bonus features includes five short videos that each look a bit more in-depth into an aspect of the film. What really stands out is a chilling interview with a "master poacher" who has killed five tigers. This is a fascinating four minutes of film that would have really enlivened the main feature. This award-winning documentary fits nicely into high school environmental science classes.—Geri Diorio, The Ridgefield Library, CT