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Romance in a Pond (1932)
 

Synopsis

Warning: screenonline full synopses contain 'spoilers' which give away key plot points. Don't read on if you don't want to know the ending!

A hand removes a stone to reveal a newt sheltering at the beginning of the year. A large pond in Springtime. A female newt stirs; newts enter a pond in an underwater shot. The commentary draws attention to the reflection on the underside of the surface of the water. The surface of the pond; an explanation of newts' amphibious nature, and their changing appearance. Female newts feed on worms. Male newts enter the pond; commentary notes their appearance at this stage in the life cycle, including a crest running along the body. A sequence intercutting female and male newts; the commentary refers to the pond as the 'honeymoon home' of the newts. Newts leave the pond and return to land. Shots of newts on land. Dark ground microcinematographic sequences (some probably time-lapse) of a newt egg and the development of the embryo, including shots of newt twins in a single egg shell. Underwater shots describe the development of the newt: gills, legs, tail. Microcinematographic close-ups of newt foot and gills, showing circulation of the blood. Underwater shots of a newt at the stage when the gills are beginning to atrophy as the lungs develop. A young newt emerges onto dry land, completing the life cycle.