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S39 Ep10

Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas

Premiere: 2/10/2021 | 00:00:30 |

Roam the Wild West frontier land of the Rio Grande’s Big Bend alongside its iconic animals, including black bears, rattlesnakes and scorpions.

About the Episode

The majestic Rio Grande River cuts deep canyons between the United States and Mexico, creating staggering landscapes in one of the largest protected areas of its kind in North America. The most remote corner of this infamous borderland is Big Bend National Park – a vast, unspoiled wonderland of serene beauty and home to some of America’s most glorious wildlife. This is true frontier land, where horizons never end and stars blaze as they have for eons.

In a journey narrated by Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, HBO Divorce), uncover Western dramas as told by the animals themselves. Showcasing the natural magic of Big Bend over the course of a year, the film searches out its secret places and wild creatures, including many species of birds, butterflies, bats, reptiles, cacti and scorpions. Big Bend is home to a greater variety of these creatures than nearly any other US National Park.

The film features Big Bend’s remarkable Black Bears – pioneers who came across the Mexican desert and were the first to reclaim Texas after decades of hunting and persecution. Witness in super slow motion the magnificent courtship display of the Lucifer Hummingbird and the extraordinary Pallid Bat stalking its insect prey on the desert floor at night. Observe male Bighorn Sheep fighting for dominance and the unique way beavers keep themselves groomed. Watch the Elf Owl, the smallest owl in the world, hunt food for its chicks. And catch a glimpse of the first-ever footage of Anna’s Hummingbirds nesting in Big Bend.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

NARRATED BY
THOMAS HADEN CHURCH

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
SKIP HOBBIE
DOMENICO PONTILLO

MUSIC
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY

DIRECTORS
JOHN MURRAY
JAMIE FITZPATRICK

WRITER
JOHN MURRAY

EDITOR
JAMIE FITZPATRICK

CAMERA ASSISTANTS
HENRY DAVIS
BRIAN O’LEARY
CIARA BAKER
AUSTIN ALVARADO

FIELD RESEARCH
LEE HOY
RAYMOND SKILES

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
MEGAN MURPHY

SOUND DESIGN & MIX
PAUL FINAN

ONLINE EDITOR
SÉAMUS CONNOLLY

COLORIST
GARY CURRAN

GRAPHICS
IAN BENJAMIN KENNY

ASSISTANT EDITOR
AOIFE CAREY

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
HENRY DAVIS
JOHN MURRAY
BRIAN O’LEARY

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
CIARA BAKER

PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT
SIOBHÁN MURRAY

ARCHIVE
FIN & FUR FILMS

FILMING LOCATION ASSISTANCE
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
CAROLYN OHL
LEE HOY
RAYMOND SKILES
JAKE HOCHBERGER
MELISSA FORSYTHE
BETTY MOORE
PARKER JOHNSON
BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK
DR. LOREN AMMERMAN
VIRGINIA JAQUISH
SYDNEY DECKER
ANGELA ROLLINS
ROMEY SWANSON
GREG P. HENINGTON

LODGING FURNISHED BY
JIM WALKER
AURORA AVILA

SPECIAL THANKS
BEN MASTERS
COURTNEY LYONS-GARCIA
JOHN NAU
EDGERTRONIC
ROLAND WAUER
JIM WEBER
LYNNE WEBER
DOVE BROWN
DR. LOUIS HARVESON
DR. PATRICIA HARVESON,
HUNTER HOPKINS
BORDERLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
ROY AVILA
HARRY MILLER
BOB KRUMENAKER
DAVID LARSON
TOM VANDENBERG
NATHANAEL GOLD
SCOTT WHITENER
DAVE MOLLENDORF
DR. RANDY SIMPSON
MAC WOMACK
JULIA CAMPBELL
EMILY HOBBIE
REEVE HOBBIE

PRODUCED BY
CEPA GIBLIN
JOHN MURRAY
SKIP HOBBIE

HEAD OF PRODUCTION
SIOBHÁN WARD

POST PRODUCER
SÉAMUS CONNOLLY

FOR NATURE

SERIES EDITOR
JANET HESS

SENIOR PRODUCER
LAURA METZGER LYNCH

COORDINATING PRODUCER
JAYNE YOON JUNG JUN

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
JAMES F. BURKE

LEGAL COUNSEL
BLANCHE ROBERTSON

DIGITAL LEAD
DANIELLE STEINBERG

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER – DIGITAL
AMANDA SCHMIDT

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
KAREN HO

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
CHELSEY SAATKAMP

BUDGET CONTROLLER
JAYNE LISI

ONLINE EDITOR
CHRIS GUIDO

RE-RECORDING MIXER
JON BERMAN

PRODUCED WITH THE SUPPORT OF INCENTIVES FOR THE IRISH FILM INDUSTRY PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND

FISCAL AGENT
BIG BEND CONSERVANCY

ORIGINAL EPISODE PRODUCTION FUNDING PROVIDED IN PART BY
CREATIVE EUROPE – MEDIA PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
WILL AND PAM HARTE
THE HORIZON FOUNDATION
CINA ALEXANDER FORGASON
THE SUN HILL FAMILY FOUNDATION

ORIGINAL SERIES PRODUCTION FUNDING PROVIDED IN PART BY
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
ARNHOLD FOUNDATION
THE FAIRWEATHER FOUNDATION
KATE W. CASSIDY FOUNDATION
SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III
KATHY CHIAO AND KEN HAO
FILOMEN M. D’AGOSTINO FOUNDATION
CHARLES ROSENBLUM
LILLIAN GOLDMAN CHARITABLE TRUST
SANDRA ATLAS BASS

SERIES PRODUCER
BILL MURPHY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
FRED KAUFMAN

A PRODUCTION OF CROSSING THE LINE PRODUCTIONS AND THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC FOR WNET IN COPRODUCTION WITH ORF-UNIVERSUM AND FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RTÉ AND SVT

THIS PROGRAM WAS PRODUCED BY THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC, WHICH IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT.

© 2021 CROSSING THE LINE PRODUCTIONS LTD, THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC, FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS AND ORF
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

FUNDING

Supplementary promotional support for “Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas” was provided by Big Bend Conservancy.

“Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas” was produced with the support of Creative Europe – Media Programme of the European Union, Will and Pam Harte, The Horizon Foundation, Cina Alexander Forgason, and The Sun Hill Family Foundation in memory of Susan and Edwin Malloy. Support for NATURE is made possible in part by The Arnhold Family in memory of Henry and Clarisse Arnhold, The Fairweather Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao, the Filomen M. D’Agostino Foundation, Charles Rosenblum, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, Sandra Atlas Bass, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by PBS. Additional financial support for this episode was provided by Incentives for the Irish Film Industry provided by the Government of Ireland.

TRANSCRIPT

- [Narrator] On the southern border of the United States lies a remote desert kingdom.

This is Big Bend, where the legendary Rio Grande River has cut deep canyons between Texas and Mexico, but the wildlife knows no borders in this truly special place.

America's wildest frontier, the road ends at Big Bend.

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