Review of Manufactured Landscapes (2006) by John G — 10 Sep 2008

Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky's photos powerfully illustrate humanity's impact on the environment in a way that statistics and perhaps even natural disasters can't. "Manufactured Landscapes" is a great showcase of his work and, although it will bore you to tears with its long, panoramic shots and deadpan delivery, this starkness makes the film's message that much more powerful.

Burtynsky deserves credit for his more objective approach to his subject matter--this is not "An Inconvenient Truth" or "Farenheit 9/11", and his apolitical nature is a refreshing change from the noisy but ineffectual political left.

Still, Burtynsky makes his concern for the environment and, more subtly, labor rights, known from the beginning. A more objective approach would have considered the notion that what constitutes dignified labor is a subjective notion tied to a time, place, and culture (Were 19th century jobs in America really different from the ones currently in China?) evaluated any practical occupational alternatives to such low wage labor in China and Bangladesh, shown the positive benefits from such exploitation of the environment, and asked the question of whether what we get from our planet is worth the harm that we inflict upon it.

Still, the film will make you think about the impact of the choices you make as a consumer, and will perhaps give the Green movement something to think about when they consider that recycling things can also inadvertently involve the exploitation of labor as well.