Sea Urchins (1929): cast, story & where to watch
1929 · Film · ★ 6.8
Released in 1929, Sea Urchins is a notable film directed by Jean Painlevé.
What it’s about. A close-up look at sand urchins and rock urchins. At the seashore, a man digs up a sand urchin. We look closely. He sets it back in the sand, and it burrows out of sight. Its intestines take nutrients out of sand. Using magnification 200,000 times normal size, we see a rock urchin's spines with suckers on the end; a drawing illustrates how they work. A sea urchin walks toward a rock. We see three-fingered jaws—pedicellaria at the end of flexible stems—take in algae and other bits. We also see cilia less than 0.001 ml in length; their motion constant, creating whirlpools. On the shore again, we watch the setting sun. Occasional titles in French tell us what to watch for.
How it landed. With an audience score of 6.8/10, Sea Urchins has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.
Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Criterion Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Sea Urchins page.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Sea Urchins (1929)?
- In US, Sea Urchins is available to stream on Criterion Channel. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Sea Urchins worth watching?
- Sea Urchins holds an audience score of 6.8 out of 10. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- When was Sea Urchins released?
- Sea Urchins was released in 1929.