Educational Media Reviews Online

Dangerous Moves is one in a series of thirteen videos entitled For a Bowl of Rice. Each video in this series explores the occupations and the economic life of every-day individuals in Asia, focusing on traditional or unusual trades. In Dangerous Moves, the viewer learns about certain types of snakes and how they contribute to cultural and economic life in Malaysia.

The video profiles both a snake charmer and a zookeeper, drawing a comparison between the two. Both men are informative. The first explains what can be done to avoid or treat a snakebite, while the second explains how to feed and care for snakes. It is entertaining to watch the snake charmer, Ali Khan, at work, wrapping Anacondas around his shoulders or placing the head of a yellow-ringed cat snake into his mouth. Khan, a Muslim, reveals how he came to learn his trade, and how he acquires his slinky performers. The zookeeper is less concerned with entertainment. Instead, he bathes his snakes in water to cool them, and discusses their nutritional needs.

This video would fit nicely into a public library, and would be most useful as an educational tool at the grade school or middle school level. Technically, the video could be improved, as there is too much yellow in the picture, and the background is blurry in places. One appreciates that interviews are translated into English, but the timing is sometimes a bit awkward, as the interviewee continues in his or her native language long after the English voice-over has ceased. Despite these shortcomings, videos in the For a Bowl of Rice series offer detailed information about Asian occupations and crafts not to be found elsewhere. Dangerous Moves is also available in Spanish, and will cost as little as $166.65 or as much as $295.00 depending upon the level of licensing a library selects. Recommended.