In over sixty years, from 1925 to 1986, Painlevé shot more than two hundred films, on a wide range of subjects (from seahorses, octopuses to vampire bats, folk dances, liquid crystals or pigeons), with a predilection for marine life. In this process, he revealed an extraordinary inventiveness in his use of technology as well as in his exploration of the documentary style.
The Octopus
The Sea Urchins
The Daphnia
The Hermit Crab
Crabs and Shrimps
Skeleton Shrimps and Spider Crabs
Hyas and Stenorrynchus
The Seahorse
The Vampire
Freshwater Assassins
The Notation of Movement
Calder's 1927 Great Circus
Sea Urchins
How some Jellyfish are born
Sea Ballerinas
Shrimp Stories
The Love Life of the Octopus
Diatoms
Acera or the Witches’ Dance
Phase Transition in Liquid Crystals
The Pigeons of the Square