Ecology and Popular Film

Joseph K. Heumann, Robin L. Murray

Description

Ecology and Popular Film examines representations of nature in mainstream film while also looking at film itself as a form of nature writing. Considering a selection of mainstream movies that embrace a wide variety of environmental themes, from the Lumières' Oil Wells of Baku (1896) to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (2006), Murray and Heumann explore such themes as environmental politics, eco-terrorism, ecology and home, tragic and comic eco-heroes, the spectacular, and evolutionary narrative, in a manner that is both accessible and fun. Other films discussed include The River (1937), Soylent Green (1971), Pale Rider (1985), 28 Days Later (2002), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004). The book also includes a comprehensive filmography of films that deal with environmental themes and issues.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Reading the Environment in Popular Cinema

1.   Ecology and Spectacle in Oil Wells of Baku: Close View: The First Eco-Disaster Film?

2.   Environmental Politics: Pare Lorentz’s The River and the Tennessee Valley Authority

3.   Reconstructing Underground Urban Space in Dark Days

4.   Ecology, Place, and Home in Dark City: Is It Our Nature to Live in the Dark?

5.   Environmental Nostalgia and The Tragic Eco-Hero: The Case of Soylent Green and the 1970s Eco-Disaster Film

6.   The Comic Eco-Hero: Spoofing Eco-Disaster in Eight Legged Freaks

7.   Eco-Terrorism in Film: Pale Rider and the Revenge Cycle

8.   Car Culture and the Transformation of the American Landscape in The Fast and the Furious

9.   Film Ecology: Simulated Construction and Destruction in Hooper

10.  Apocalypse as a “Return to Normality” in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later

Conclusion: Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and its Skeptics: A Case of Environmental Nostalgia 

Filmography
Works Cited
Index

Sujets

• Película fotográfica
• Popular culture
• Visual culture
• History of film
• Film

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 08 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• EAN13: 9780791477175
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 30 Mo

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Ecology and Popular Film

Also in the series

William Rothman, editor,Cavell on Film

J. David Slocum, editor,Rebel Without a Cause

Joe McElhaney,The Death of Classical Cinema

Kirsten Thompson,Apocalyptic Dread

Francis Gateward, editor,Seoul Searching

Michael Atkinson, editor,Exile Cinema

Bert Cardullo,Soundings on Cinema

Paul S. Moore,Now Playing

Ecology and Popular Film

Cinema on the Edge

7

Robin L. Murray and Joseph K. Heumann

Cover art courtesy of Photofest.

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2009 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu

Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Michael Campochiaro

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Murray, Robin L.  Ecology and popular film : cinema on the edge / Robin L. Murray and  Joseph K. Heumann.  p. cm. — (Horizons of cinema)  Includes bibiographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-7914-7677-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)  ISBN 978-0-7914-7678-9 (pbk : alk. paper)  1. Nature in motion pictures. 2. Ecology in motion pictures.  I. Heumann, Joseph K. II. Title.  PN1995.9.N38M87 2009  791.43'66—dc22 2008008873

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

 3. Reconstructing Underground Urban Space inDark Days

 4. Ecology, Place, and Home inDark City: Is It Our  Nature to Live in the Dark?

 8. Car Culture and the Transformation of the American  Landscape inThe Fast and the Furious

 6. The Comic Eco-Hero: Spoofing Eco-Disasterin Eight Legged Freaks

143

109

 7. Eco-Terrorism in Film:Pale Riderand the Revenge Cycle

127

1

9

3

7

7

5

Contents

3

7

vii

 2. Environmental Politics: Pare Lorentz’sThe Riverand the  Tennessee Valley Authority

Introduction  Reading the Environment in Popular Cinema

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

 5. Environmental Nostalgiaand The Tragic Eco-Hero:  The Case ofSoylent Greenand the 1970s Eco-Disaster Film

 1. Ecologyand SpectacleinOil Wells of Baku: Close View:  The First Eco-Disaster Film?

i

1

x

1

9

vi

Contents

 9. Film Ecology: Simulated Construction and Destruction  inHooper

10. Apocalypse as a “Return to Normality” in28 Days Later  and28 Weeks Later

Conclusion  Al Gore’sAn Inconvenient Truthand its Skeptics: A Case of  Environmental Nostalgia

Filmography

Works Cited

Index

165

181

195

207

215

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Figure I.1

Figure I.2

Figure I.3

Figure I.4

Figure I.5

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

Figure 1.3

Figure 2.1

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

Illustrations

The Day After Tomorrow: A wall of water in New York City.

The Day After Tomorrow: New York harbor after global warming’s aftermath.

The Day After Tomorrow: New eco-hero saves family.

Lumber Jerks (1954): The Goofy Gophers’ home is destroyed.

Lumber Jerks: The gophers’ new home built from lumber mill furniture.

Tulsa (1949): Oil field fire.

HellfightersJohn Wayne fights fires. (1968):

Lessons of DarknessBeautiful fires in Kuwait. (1992):

The River: Overuse of land on display.

The River: Human costs of flooding.

The River: Tennessee Valley Authority dam and hydroelectric power as solution.

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Pale Rider (1985): Preacher as Avenging Angel.

Eight Legged Freaks: Spider farm.

Pale Rider: Hull Barrett as eco-terrorist.

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Eight Legged FreaksToxic waste dumping (2002): into a stream near the spider farm.

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Omega Man: An isolated “pioneer.”

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Dark Days: Ralph above ground in the light.

Dark City: Anna/Emma and John smile at the light and water of life.

Illustrations

Figure 3.2

Figure 3.1

Pale Rider: Preacher and Barrett blow up the camp.

Figure 3.3

Figure 2.4

Dark City: No longer a dark city.

Figure 4.2

Figure 7.3

Figure 5.3

Figure 7.4

Figure 6.2

Figure 8.2

OriginalFast and the Furious (1954): Race to Mexico.

139

Pale Rider: Hydraulic mining tools.

Figure 8.3

Figure 6.1

viii

Figure 4.1

Figure 5.2

Soylent Green: Nostalgia for food.

Soylent Green: Sol’s last eco-memory.

Figure 5.1

Wild River: Clearing the island.

Figure 7.2

Figure 7.1

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OriginalFast and the Furious: Food and romance as tropes in the fast and furious films.

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The Fast and the Furious: Racing on Los Angeles streets.

Figure 8.1

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Dark Days (2001): Homeless shanty in the Amtrak tunnels.

Dark Days: Male/female relationships thrive underground.