Review of Manufactured Landscapes (2006) by Peter D — 10 Feb 2008

You think global warming is scary? Had there been cameras to record the waste, excess and folly of the Industrial Revolution in America, the images might have looked something like the beautiful horrorshows photographer Edward Burtynsky captures on his visit to contemporary China, where a massive transformation is underway.

But amid such enormous potential lies another inconvenient truth: China has learned nothing from the mistakes of our past, stripping natural resources and polluting the environment like there's no tomorrow, encouraged by the demands of Western consumers.

For the sake of this documentary, director Jennifer Baichwal accompanies Burtynsky on his journey. Last year, Our Daily Bread examined the food industry through a series of similar haunting tableaux, but did so â?? as Burtynsky's pictures do â?? without any additional information.

Baichwal's film puts everything in perspective, giving context to the photographer's work and complimenting his images with breathtaking compositions of her own.