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The 11th Hour by Nadia Conners, Leila Conners Petersen
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DVD Cover InformationActor: James Woolsey, Kenny Ausubel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Thom Hartmann, Wangari Maathai Director: Leila Conners Petersen, Nadia Conners Brand: Warner Brothers DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled) Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.85:1 Running Time: 92 minutes DVD Release Date: 2008-04-08 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The 11th HourMovie Review: sigh - so promising but doesn't deliver Summary: 3 StarsThis movie was billed so highly that I expected it to be riveting. Instead what I saw felt like lots of stock tragedy footage in quick view montage (think Baraka without the art) designed to evoke emotion. They don't let the "experts" share the exciting things they are up to and give a very stilted view of who these (mostly) men are. Considering this was basically a bioneers conference syllabus except with better visuals I think they left out some of the most exciting things afoot right now.
Summary of The 11th HourEnvironmental documentary 11th HOUR resides at the polar opposite of escapist summer fare its mission to firmly confront viewers about the indelible human footprint that humans have left on this planet and the catastrophic effects of environmental neglect and abuse. Produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio and ably directed by Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Peterson the documentary doesn't get much fancier than talking heads news footage and the occasional animated illustration but its message is potent and delivered effectively.The first hour of the film is essentially a horror story recounting the myriad sins perpetrated against the environment (pollution deforestation over-mining resources) the reasons behind it (corporate greed faulty public policy bad leadership ignorance) and what it means for the human race. Thankfully the last third of the movie tilts the mood upward with a spirited discussion of solutions offered by a crack team of scientists designers and thinkers. Stirring visions of alternate energy sources diversified transportation enlightened governmental agendas sustainable homes and cities and most importantly more conscious consumer choices leave viewers with the palpable feeling that change is both necessary and possible. If the "eleventh hour" for our planet is drawing near this admirable film points confidently towards a new dawn.System Requirements:Running Time: 124 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/NATURE & WILDLIFE Rating: PG UPC: 085391183518 Manufacturer No: 118351 Comparisons to Al Gore's Oscar-winning slide show will be inevitable, but there's a key difference between the two documentaries. An Inconvenient Truth was aimed at the PBS set, while Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour combines a traditional structure with a more MTV-friendly pace. Of course, neither was made by these public figures. Davis Guggenheim directed the former, while Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen are behind the latter. DiCaprio serves as producer, co-writer, and narrator (the three previously worked on the short films Global Warming and Water Planet). Their first feature combines a diverse array of interviews with a dizzying variety of images, both soothing and alarming (droughts and hurricanes vs. serene sunsets and playful polar bears). Speakers include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking, and progressive CEO Ray Anderson, hero of The Corporation. Granted, there's no obvious youth appeal in these subjects, but the presence of the Titanic heartthrob-turned-Scorsese star, who keeps his on-screen narration to a tasteful minimum, plus atmospheric tracks from Sigur R?s, Coldplay and Mogwai seems likely to attract a younger crowd. And that seems to be the point, since The 11th Hour is, at heart, a call to arms. It begins by taking a look at the causes of global warming before exploring solutions, from eating organic to building with solar power. There isn't a ton of new information for environmental experts, but DiCaprio and his team have assembled a thought-provoking primer for neophytes and potential activists. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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