One From the Vault – The Environment Meets the Movies
This classic article from long-time EELS member Louis A. Alexander ran in 1999 – Vol. 19 No. 4, for those keeping score at home. The article speaks for itself. However, the editors’ note there are some omissions and notable movies released since then. Where does “Chinatown” fit in this, particularly considering current water resource issues out west? What about “Avatar”? Perhaps this will spur Lou to grace us with an update. Louis A. Alexander is deputy commissioner, hearings and mediation services, for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The editors presume that any opinions expressed in this article are his own, and don’t represent those of DEC.
I was recently standing in a ticket line to the movies when a friend kidded me that she could not recall any good “environmental” film. That got me thinking. Motion pictures have long been the primary art form of popular culture, reflecting our traditions, aspirations, and fears. Although many movies utilize environmental themes for Grade-Z science fiction or dull moralistic messages, there are a number of environmental films worthy of a look. For this observer’s selections, the envelopes please.
Best Movies on the Environmental Threat of Nuclear Power: Them (1954); The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), and On the Beach (1959). An ever-present fear is that modern-day activities will have serious and unintended effects on the environment. From the beginning of the atomic age, the negative impact of nuclear testing and nuclear waste has been the setting for a number of movies. Three films stand out. In Them, a catacomb of ants, mutated into giants by atomic testing, is discovered in the middle of the American southwest. The creatures wreak havoc on the countryside in their search for food, killing those unfortunate souls who cross their path, until they meet a fiery end in the sewers of a major American city.1
In The Incredible Shrinking Man, a man begins to shrink after being exposed to a cloud of radiation. The screenplay is intelligently written, documenting how the man seeks to adjust to his ever-dwindling size, reaching a point where he has to fight a spider (with a pin). At the end, he becomes so small that he melts into the cosmos itself. Don’t miss the closing existential soliloquy.
On the Beach was scripted from Nevil Shute’s bestselling novel. Following nuclear warfare among the Soviet Union, China and the United States, Australians await the arrival of fallout that has systematically destroyed the rest of the world and which will end their lives. The film presents a somber and thought-provoking depiction of the consequences of nuclear war.2
Best Movie on Environmental Litigation: A Civil Action (1998). The film, which is based on an actual lawsuit over water pollution that may have caused the deaths of a number of children in a Massachusetts town, depicts some of the strengths (and failings) of environmental litigation. Robert Duvall, as an attorney for one of the alleged corporate polluters, has some of the best scenes.
Best Movies on Environmental Conspiracies: China Syndrome (1979) and Silkwood (1983). Environmental controversies often include accusations of deception and conspiracy which threaten public health and safety. (Of course, if you ever have worked for the government or a private corporation, you know that such conspiracies rarely exist as nothing can be kept confidential for long).
In China Syndrome, television reporter Jane Fonda and cameraman Michael Douglas are filming a documentary on a nuclear facility when an accident occurs. The attempted cover-up, and the pressure to bring the facility back on-line as soon as possible to limit financial losses, portray a devastating picture of corporate greed. Jack Lemmon plays the dedicated plant executive whose attempts to implement safeguards leads to a shocking conclusion. Ironically, the movie was released just days before the real-life nuclear plant accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.
Although slower-paced, Silkwood is an effective recounting of the true story of Karen Silkwood (portrayed by Meryl Streep), a nuclear plant worker who blew the whistle on worker safety problems, and then died under mysterious circumstances while on her way to meet with a newspaper reporter.
Best Movie on Human Protectors of Endangered Species: Gorillas in the Mist (1988). This movie is based on the life of Dian Fossey, who is portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. Fossey had traveled to Africa and began studying the endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Her efforts soon focused on protecting the gorillas from the ravages of poachers and trappers. Over activities became fanatical and marked by apparent madness. In 1985, she was murdered at her African camp.
Best Movie on Overpopulation: Soylent Green (1973). This science fiction film is set in New York City in 2022—an overcrowded city, with polluted and unbreathable air and tap water only for the rich. One of the main food sources is Soylent Green, ostensibly made of soybeans. Policeman Charlton Heston, while investigating the death of a rich corporate executive, discovers the chilling source of Soylent Green.
Best Comic Depiction of an Environmental Regulator: Ghostbusters (1984). We all have witnessed environmental regulators who blindly interpret the rules and are unable to factor in relevant circumstances. There is no better comic depiction than William Atherton’s Environmental Protection Agency bureaucrat whose rote enforcement of the regulations allows ghosts and spirits to escape and release untold evil on New York City.
Best Movie on the Drawbacks of Energy Exploration: Crack in the World (1965). Actor Dana Andrews plays a scientist who, in seeking to tap geothermal energy, explodes a thermonuclear device in the Earth’s interior. As a result of the explosion, a crack develops in the earth’s crust which threatens to split the earth and engulf it in flames and molten lava.
Best Movie in Support of Genetic Engineering: Bad Seed (1956). A well-crafted story from the Broadway play about a precocious child whose inherited bad tendencies lead her to lie, steal, and murder. At the climax, nature addresses the genetic evil. The performances are excellent with several actors recreating their stage roles.
Best Movie in Opposition to Genetic Engineering: Island of Lost Souls (1933). Bela Lugosi (of Dracula fame) and Charles Laughton star in this effective adaptation of an H.G. Wells’ tale. It is an eerie story of a scientist on a remote tropical island who, through genetic research, transforms jungle beasts into half-human “mansters.”3
Best Movie on the Evils of Animal Experimentation: Plague Dogs (1982). This animated feature involves two dogs (who are rumored to be plague carriers) that escape from a research laboratory and try to survive in the wild. Although slow-moving, it provides a sympathetic look at animal rights issues.
Best Movie on Efforts to Protect Flora: Silent Running (1972). Actor Bruce Dem is a space-age botanist who looks after plants and trees, which have disappeared from the Earth, in giant space greenhouses. When orders are received to destroy these greenhouses, he takes whatever actions are necessary (including murder) to protect the remaining samples.
Best Environmental Movie that Demonstrates that Richard Gere Is Right on Tibet: Lost Horizon (1937). A marvelous Hollywood classic—five people crash land in the Himalayas and discover the strange Tibetan-like land of Shangri-La. It is a paradise where life and nature are in harmony, and where there is no war, greed, or hatred. The superb (albeit now forgotten) actor Ronald Colman4 leaves Shangri-La only to desperately seek to find his way back.5
Best Environmental Movie for the Younger Set: FernGully (1992). This animated feature revolves around efforts to preserve the rainforest. Although at times silly and saccharine, it generally conveys its pro-environmental message in a genuinely affecting manner. Robin Williams provides the voice of the bat “Batty Koda,” and, as would be expected, with amusing comic relief.
Best Environmental Revenge Movie: Frogs (1972). In this film, a family with no environmental sensitivities destroys local wildlife. Finally, the wildlife, led by frogs, counterattack.
Best of the Worst Environmental Movies: Toxic Avenger (1985). Billed as the movie which gives us the first superhero from New Jersey, the plot involves a nerdy janitor who, after landing in a drum of toxic waste, becomes a deformed monster. In his new form, he courageously fights corrupt local officials.6
No list would be complete without mentioning The Conqueror (1956). Although this dreadful movie, which starred John Wayne as Genghis Khan, has no environmental message, it offers a troubling footnote. Shot near an atomic test site, many of this movie’s cast and crew would later be fatally stricken with cancer. Even Hollywood is not immune from environmental risk.
Certainly, there are more categories to be considered: Best Charlie Chan Environmental Movie; Best Foreign Language Environmental Movie; Best Teenage Comedy Environmental Movie; Best Environmental Documentary, and the list goes on. But, in true Hollywood style, stay tuned for the sequel.
Louis A. Alexander, who is Co-chair of the Environmental Law Section’s Legislation Committee, is a partner in the Albany, New York office of Bond, Schoeneck & King, LLP. He would like to thank the many environmental colleagues who suggested movies for consideration.
This article is based on a column that first appeared in the September 6-12, 1999 issue of the Capital District Business Review, which is published weekly in Albany, New York.
