Brief summary of the movies
The 11th Hours (2007) is a documentary film that was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners. This documentary was written by Leonardo DiCaprio. This documentary highlights the effects of human activities on the environment. This is viewed from different perspectives, such as oceanography, environmental science, economics, history and medicine. The documentary asserts that the future of forests and humanity is in jeopardy if action is not taken to refocus energies towards environmental sustainability.
Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) is a science movie that was written and directed by Dena Siedel. The science feature film follows scientists interested in climate change and the changing patterns of warming of the world. The scientists in this movie seek to understand this phenomenon of climate change by studying the effects of climate change on the lives of penguin.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Compare And Contrast Movies: The 11th Hours and Antarctic Edge: 70o South".
Interpretation and discussion
Both films have significance in development of cultural understanding of climate change. The audience of the film includes government regulatory agencies, corporate managers, citizens and environmental conservation groups. In both films, climate change is seen to arise from the culture of capitalism and industrialization that result in destruction of natural resources. According to Stephen Hawking in The 11th Hours (2007), “One can see from space how the human race has changed the Earth. Nearly all of the available land has been cleared of forest and is now used for agriculture or urban development.” This is a manifestation of human actions on the environment. Industrialization and capitalism have created pressure on the available resources. Before industrialization and urbanization, there was a higher forest cover. The films therefore call for action in order to mitigate against the adverse consequences of global warming and climate change. Through the films, it is seen that there is a need to communicate to the general public. Stephen Hawking states that there is no more land and ocean available to be polluted and there is need to balance human demands and expectations with the environment.
The balance would help in reducing the dangerous effects of climate change that can be seen in both films. For example in Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) Joe Cope states, “Pretty much every cruise, something completely different goes wrong with it, so these are to appease the sea gods, we hope.”This shows the harsh environmental conditions that have been created through climate change. The quotes humanize the scientists involved in production of the films rather than characterize them based on the role that they play in the scientific inquiry. An example of this can be seen in Dena Siedel who states that she is excited to work as a scientist in the global warming project that she is involved in. However, she states, “but as a citizen of this planet, I’m very concerned.” This highlights the worries that she has about the adverse effects of global warming based on the destruction that she is seeing while cruising on the ship.
One difference between the documentaries is that while The 11th Hours (2007) considers the increased desertification and the shrinking of polar icecaps as indicators of global warming and climate change Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) considers the declining population of penguins as the indicator of climate change.
Effectiveness of message
Both The 11th Hours (2007) and Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) are effective in communicating the message of climate change to their audience. The directors of the documentaries manage to make the films interesting and effective in delivering the message. This the films achieve by separating the lives of scientists from humanity. For example, Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) is not just a science story, it is an adventure. It is through this adventure that the audience is able to see the harmful effects of global warming on the environment.
From these films, I have learned the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability. These are very important concepts that are competing with capitalistic interests. The dangerous work that the scientists in Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) do is very admirable and encouraging. They put their lives on the line to help bring the message of climate change. One thing that I do not agree with in both the films is that they do not expressly state the persons who suffer most from the harmful effects of environmental destruction. The message in The 11th Hours (2007) and Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) would have delved deeper to show how the poor are the ones who suffer from the actions of the rich capitalistic members of the society.
Conclusion
The 11th Hours (2007) and Antarctic Edge: 70o South (2015) compare strongly to one another on the message of climate change and global warming. The directors of the films use scientists to help expound on the messages within the films. There is intense use of imagery and visual technology to help separate science from the personality of the scientists in the films. There is need for humanity to consider the actions of capitalism in order to reduce the harmful effects of industrialization on the environment. Destruction of forests should be limited. In addition, the poor people of the society should not be made to suffer for the actions of the rich. The audience and environmental stakeholders should take the message from the films seriously and act in order to promote sustainability for the sake of future generations.
- DiCaprio, L., Conners, L., Castleberry, C., & Gerber, B. (Producers). Conners, L. (Director).(2007). The 11th Hours. [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Independent Pictures
- Siedel, D. (Producer). (2015). Antarctic Edge: 70o South. [Motion Picture]. United States: Rutgers University
