Review of Manufactured Landscapes (2006) by Rain W — 16 Jul 2007
Near the end of the long tracking shot at the opening of this documentary, Edward Burtynsky says that his purpose as a photographer is neither "to glorify nor to damn" humankind's effect upon the environment.
He is merely trying to show the scale of our impact upon nature. Just one of the interesting things about watching this film is asking if Burtynsky achieves the impartialty that he claims is his goal.
Another question is if his ends are the same as the director who filmed "Manufactured Landscapes". (I thought that his photos were more balanced than the clips that the diector selected for the film.
) There are many more issues that this movie raises (photography and context; weighing the cost of so-called progress, etc.), but what makes this movie so good is that, unlike Michael Moore and other partisan documentarians, it doesn't provide the viewer with an easy answer to the problems it raises or blare one reductive point over and over again.
I'd definitely recommend this movie.
This review of Manufactured Landscapes (2006) was written by Rain W on 16 Jul 2007.
Manufactured Landscapes has generally received positive reviews.
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