I was chatting with John Cooley of Cicadas @ UCONN, and he suggested a list of cicadas heard in TV and Movies — so here it is. If you have any to add, leave them in the comments.
The scene in Star Wars (1977) where C3PO and R2-D2 are walking through the desert.
Around 9 minutes in. It’s less apparent in recent versions of the film, but you can hear it in older versions. Neotibicen tibicen cicadas can be heard in the background.
The scene in Captain Marvel (2019) where Captain Marvel is outside at dusk on the farm
Around 1 hour 11 minutes into the film. You’ll hear a mix of cicadas including a Neotibicen pruinosus and Neotibien linnei.
WandaVision on Disney+
I won’t say which episode, because the series is new, but a cicada prominently appears in at least 2 scenes in the series.
More to come… for now see the comments on Facebook.
Were there cicadas in Deliverance?
Probably, but I haven’t watched it past the banjo duel so I can’t say for sure.
Cicadas were prominant in the low budget Troma Team film “Blood Hook”…80s I think. Their sound triggered a series of horrific murders at a local fishing tournament.
“The Beast Within” from 1982 or do was about a human cicada….low budget horror movie,but memorable for its plot
The same with Japanese animes! One example is Episode 20 of Revolutionary Girl Utena “Wakaba Flourishing”. There’s brief cicada noise at 10:28 right as Wakaba says, “I think it’s just perfect”, and again at the end of the episode 21:30 when Wakaba returns to an empty dorm room. The jaunty music stops abruptly, and when the cicada sounds start from the silence it effectively conveys a hollow feeling, like static.
Check out Korean dramas. They often have cicadas calling in them, and sometimes loudly, for long periods in summer scenes. Next time I hear them I will make a note of the show.