Life — January 1933 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a film review by J. P. McEvoy discussing Frank Buck's "Bring 'Em Back Alive," a nature documentary about capturing wild animals in Africa and Asia. The illustrated cartoon shows a rhinoceros being thrown or falling, with the caption "P'shaw—they'll all say I took it from a tree!" This is satirizing the film's sensationalism and dubious authenticity. The joke suggests that Buck staged or exaggerated dangerous animal encounters for dramatic effect—viewers might claim he faked the spectacular action, yet he presents it as genuine wildlife footage. The article describes various scenes of animal fights and tension, with censors cutting content. The satire mocks both Buck's adventure film and the era's appetite for exotic "danger" entertainment, while questioning whether audiences could distinguish fact from fabrication in early nature cinema.