Documentary

• Title: Nanking
• IMDb: link

“We have to keep in mind that it’s not just about the numbers of people who died; it’s also the manner which many of these victims met their deaths. “
—Iris Chang

To tell the story a group of actors is assembled together.  Each is assigned a role and will read the letters, diaries, journal entries, and accounts of that person which are then intercut with real footage of Nanking.  This unusual set-up takes a little to get used to, but by the time the historical context is covered and the film moves into the gory and ghastly details of the Rape of Nanking you have forgotten the actors and are completely immersed in this horrific tale.

Nanking was the Chinese capitol in 1937 when the Japanese army invaded the country and took control of the city.  The occupation of Nanking lasted for more than six weeks and visited such atrocities on the civilian population it has been named the Nanking Massacre and The Rape of Nanking.  A small group of missionaries from foreign countries including America and Germany created a safety zone in the city for refugees and survivors.

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• Title: The 11th Hour
• IMDb: link

Well, it’s not An Inconvenient Truth (read the review), let’s get that out of the way first.  This new documentary on the increasing problems with the environment doesn’t have the jau de vive, the heart, or the spirit of Al Gore’s documentary from last year.  Though it may not live up to the Gore standard there is plenty to watch (especially in the film’s second half) and more than a little to discuss.

The documentary focuses our attention on the changing climate of the Earth due to a variety of factors including global warming, pollution, over population, and man’s destructive effect on the environment.  Leonardo DiCaprio narrates the film which is filled with interviews from scientists from many fields and countries including Stephen Hawking.

The documentary breaks down into two parts.  The first showcases the increasing dangers and causes and foretells of a dangerous and disastrous future if real change isn’t embraced soon.  This part of the film comes dangerously close to the scare tactics many wanted to, falsely, lay at the feet of An Inconvenient Truth.  This first section of the film comes off as part lecture and part blame instead of the imploring and instruction Al Gore utilized to much better effect.

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• Title: Arctic Tale
• IMDb: link

The documentary, as narrated by Queen Latifah, follows a handful of arctic creatures.  The main focus of the film is the separate stories of two animals: a polar bear named Nanu and a walrus named Seela.  The documentary begins with their births and development and follows each of them through the first eight years of their lives as they grow, mature, and have children of their own.  Somebody cue up “Circle of Life” from The Lion King.

As a documentary for young viewers it does a good job of setting up the life cycles of its main characters and explaining how the changing climate in the arctic is effecting everything.  Though adults won’t really find any new information, the film does work as a good primer for kids.  It is well shot and compiled, including many scenes which you wonder how close the camera men got to their subjects, and for adults wanting something educational to watch and discuss with their youngsters this will suffice.

What doesn’t work?  The documentary is geared to young children and although Latifah never comes off as condescending, at times it does seem to talk down to kids.  It is also filled with some juvenile fart humor that anyone over the age of ten will grow tired of quickly enough.  And finally, the film is filled with musical cues that are a little too cute for me.  An example, when discussing the family of walruses, “We Are Family” begins to play.

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