David Attenborough's Witness Statement
David Attenborough has given us his witness statement – through film. His film featured on Netflix called “A life on our planet” offers a glimpse into his 60-year extraordinary career as a wildlife expert while providing a scathing commentary on how the earth has changed during his lifetime. Not only is this a must-see for this current generation, but it is also a must-see film for everyone.
Attenborough begins with a trenchant thesis regarding the plight of human life on earth –asserting that our very existence is at risk. Thereafter, he builds his case citing his observations alongside data illustrating the current ecological imbalance. But he doesn’t stop there. Attenborough does not simply proselytize about climate change but illustrates what has contributed to it and what can be done to halt its effects before it’s too late.
In the opening sequence, scenes from an abandoned Chernobyl grip the audience – remnants of a classroom, scattered books, broken windowpanes, and damaged art of children playing – illustrating a catastrophic event. And catastrophic it was. Over 50,000 people once lived and flourished in this Ukrainian city. A nuclear disaster resulted in a mass evacuation– buildings, homes, courtyards – all deserted within 48 hours.
As Attenborough stands alone in the rubble of Chernobyl, he begins his statement by revisiting the five past mass extinction events the earth has seen. All five major extinctions were linked to volcanic eruptions causing high carbon emissions. Shockingly, within the past 100 years, industrialization has produced more carbon emissions than that which prompted the extinction of dinosaurs.
Next, Attenborough builds his case by providing poignant visual examples reviewing the degeneration of biodiversity throughout his career. Species he was covering as a young biologist, are now dwindling to the point of near extinction. It was particularly haunting to see the footage of young Attenborough discovering “exotic lands”, that are now mostly desolate. The astounding nature photography accentuated the current ecological imbalance. For example, the film begins with footage of luscious, green flora and fauna, and then quickly moves to more recent footage from the same locations; now brown and bare. Images of past flourishing, colorful coral reefs contrasted with today’s white skeletal reefs, drive home the reality of the transformative effects of climate change. Attenborough warns that these “bleak images” are just the beginning of even more catastrophic changes to come.
Attenborough proposes a few solutions ranging from having fewer children, farming in cities (without destroying biodiversity), protecting land and ocean zones from human interference, and replenishing fish populations in no-fish zones. The film ends with the same Chernobyl scene in the closing shot, only this time filled with various roaming creatures and covered in green ivy and trees. The regrowth of life in a place marked by death is inspiring. However, these shots also show how the earth will find a way to restore itself, with or without human life. The fate of humanity is only up to us.
Citation:
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. Directed by Alastair Fothergill
and Jonathan Hughes, Netflix.
This film sounds really interesting! It's astounding the amount that the climate has changed just during his career. I think it's really important that such a prominent figure like him is speaking out about this and hopefully people who may not have heard much about this but enjoy his films will speak out more. Overall, this seems like a really powerful statement and I enjoyed reading about it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautifully written post and I will definitely be watching this film over spring break. Your point about the fate of humanity being up to us is such an important one. I think people expect all of our problems to just fix themselves; or they just don't believe in the problems at all which is so detrimental to progress. We have to work to fix climate change while we still can and I think your writing really encapsulates that idea in a concise and powerful way.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an incredibly poignant film and I definitely will make sure to check it out! However, just hearing about the very visible changes that have taken place over Attenborough's lifetime is, by itself, a very saddening image. I think that a lot of us like to think of climate change, and the effects that come with that, as an incredibly nebulous and abstract thing. But the scenes you're describing seem to really put a picture to the desolation we hear so often about.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this film before until now, so I'm grateful that you brought awareness to what seems to be an incredibly moving and informative documentary. I think you did an excellent job with highlighting points of the movie, while not revealing all the information that David Attenborough discusses. The opening shot that you describe also sticks out to me, because I think it sets the tone of the documentary showing the real life consequences of climate changes through exhibiting the effects on our very own towns. I will definitely check this movie out!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very powerful and jarring film, and I really enjoyed reading your review of it. The opening sequence in which images of once flourishing places are placed side-by-side with images of their desolate state in the present sounds like an incredibly interesting, and deeply saddening and compelling way to start a film. I like the way Attenborough structures his film, giving us just enough depressing imagery and information to move the audience, and rounding it out with a glimpse of what could be, giving us hope for the future and reminding us what we need to fight for. Whether or not the world can rebuild itself like you say is something I am curious about, especially with the endangerment of bees, and that doomsday-like, point of no return environmental countdown that was created. I hope that we as citizens of the world can get our act together before it's too late, and I hope that we can observe the future Attenborough depicts in his film.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog post, not to mention a fantastic film review. The opening sequence you incredibly illustrate is very striking. I think one of the most important parts of the film is how strong the opening is. By the sounds of it, A Life on Our Planet accomplishes and exceeds this goal. I am glad that you provided context and immersed us as the readers into the story without giving away any spoilers. I have not heard of this movie yet but I am surely interested in it now and plan to take a look at it very soon!
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