I did see it, and have to confess that I was disappointed. A heart-felt and sincere efort, but, in my view, not successful. Despite some brilliant pieces and insights, there were a lot of problems. Too many loose ends and points made vaguely or imprecisely. Too many questions embedded in the basic narrative (How's that guy providing the energy and maintenance for all those massive computers as humanity nearly vanishes and society has collapsed? Or didn't the filmmakers just love all too much that fancy computer wizardry as a way of telling a story, so, what the hell with the basic narrative underpinning?) How about telling us the real story of the long conflict in the Nigerian Delta region? And, by the by, why did that bright young lady decide she was going to be famous instead of becoming a doctor--maybe because she was seeing herself depicted on film and having those good times with the film makers--a problem of the observed being changed by the observor, perhaps? And, ho! w about pointing out that the Delta region itself is likely to be an early victim of sea level rise? And, similarly, throughout the film, just a lot of things that are not well carried through nor adequately explored.
And, in forty years of activism and teaching, if there is one thing that I think I have learned it is that you are not likely to get very far with people by calling them stupid. No better way to close a mind than that. Or invite irritated counter-arguments that are likely to be beside the point but that assert a will and intelligence on the part of the one called stupid. For me, one of the most important and well-done segments was the one on NIMBY and wind farms in England. This one was well-framed and beautifully told in a way that at least should have an impact. One felt that the film-makers were more assured and competent on their home ground. As an example of organizing, it didn't seem well-organized--there was virtually no local publicity and the theater was near empty in Sacramento, and clearly with the already deeply converted. The Hollywood premier imitation was cheesey and distracting. And, rather than simply having an academic tell us that mass organizing was a good idea, or in addition to that, actually telling us about some of the many examples of effective organizing that are going on? It seems to me that An Inconvenient Truth remains a much better film whether one is looking for accuracy or impact. I would be interested in reading what others think. Angus Angus Wright Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies California State University, Sacramento ________________________________ From: owner-gep...@listserve1.allegheny.edu [owner-gep...@listserve1.allegheny.edu] On Behalf Of Alcock, Frank [falc...@ncf.edu] Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 7:34 PM To: rldavis; NEES List; Global Environmental Education Cc: Monique Bosch Subject: RE: "The Age of Stupid" Premiers Did anyone besides myself see the film tonight? If so, what did you think? ________________________________ From: owner-gep...@listserve1.allegheny.edu on behalf of rldavis Sent: Sat 9/12/2009 4:48 PM To: NEES List; Global Environmental Education Cc: Monique Bosch Subject: "The Age of Stupid" Premiers Hi all-forgive me for cross posting. I wanted to bring the premier of a very important film to you attention. I was fortunate enough to see The Age of Stupid at a special showing for the attendees of the Climate Project’s Nashville Summit in March. At that time, it had only been released in the UK. It is a provocative, powerful, plausible, and disturbing film set in a post global warming world of 2055. From that perspective, it looks back at our own time, the “age of stupid” and chronicles 6 highly plausible (in fact, I see most of them actually going on now) stories that are interwoven to show how we got to a destroyed world. It is beautifully acted with Pete Postlethwaite as the principle and the production is excellent. About 20% fiction and 80% documentary. Here is the “blurb” from the web site: The Age of Stupid is the new four-year epic from McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance? MORE This will be premiered at a special showing at 400 theaters in North America on Monday 21 September at 7:30 eastern (6:30 central, etc.). I will be urging my own students to attend and I urge you to bring it to the attention of your students, friends, colleagues. You can get further information on both the film at the premier at the following web site: http://www.ageofstupid.net/screenings/country/United%20States the actual web site for the film (there is a link on the previous web site) is www.ageofstudpid.net. This site also talks about where to see the premier in 149 other countries around the world. For a review of the film from the Sydney Herald (it premiered in Aust and NZ in late August) go to http://www.ageofstupid.net/review/the_age_of_stupid_movie_review. Larry Davis -- ************************************************************************* R. Laurence Davis, Ph.D. Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and University Research Scholar Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of New Haven 300 Boston Post Road West Haven, Connecticut 06516 <rlda...@newhaven.edu> Office: 203-932-7108 Fax: 203-931-6097 *************************************************************************
