ArgumentI argue through an analysis of spectacle that the relationship between wildlife documentary films’ entertainment and educational mandates is complex and co-constitutive. Accuracy-based criticism of wildlife films reveals assumptions of a deficit model of science communication and positions spectacle as an external commercial pressure influencing the genre. Using thePlanet Earth(2006) series as a case study, I describe spectacle's prominence within the recent blue-chip renaissance in wildlife film, resulting from technological innovations and twenty-first-century consumer and broadcast market contexts. I connect spectacle in contemporary wildlife films to its relevant precursors within natural history, situating spectacle as a central feature of natural history display designed to inspire awe and wonder in audiences. I show that contemporary documentary spectacle is best understood as an opportunity for affective knowing rather than a constraint on accuracy; as a result, spectacle contributes to the virtuous inter-reinforcement of entertainment and education at work in blue-chip wildlife films.

中文翻译：

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认真对待奇观：野生动物电影与自然历史展示的遗产

论据我通过对奇观的分析认为，野生动物纪录片的娱乐和教育任务之间的关系是复杂的和共同构成的。对野生动物电影的基于准确性的批评揭示了科学传播缺乏模型的假设，并将奇观定位为影响该类型的外部商业压力。使用行星地球(2006) 系列作为案例研究，我描述了奇观在最近野生动物电影蓝筹股复兴中的突出地位，这源于技术创新和 21 世纪的消费者和广播市场环境。我将当代野生动物电影中的奇观与其在自然历史中的相关前身联系起来，将奇观作为自然历史展示的核心特征，旨在激发观众的敬畏和惊奇。我表明，当代纪录片奇观最好被理解为情感认识的机会，而不是对准确性的限制；因此，奇观有助于在蓝筹野生动物电影中实现娱乐和教育的良性互动。