With all due respect to The Wrong Trousers, The Mighty River should have either shared the Academy Award or won it outright. I'm very fond of and impressed by the Wallace and Grommit short, but The Mighty River, like its subject (the St. Lawrence River) is magnificent.
It bears a great many similarities to The Man Who Planted Trees. Given that the same man directed both and had many of the same people working on both films, the fact that they are similar is not surprising. Both films feature narration, with Donald Sutherland doing the honors here. The incredible attention to detail is here as well and is, if anything, even more remarkable in The Mighty River. Animals of all sorts are depicted with loving care and attention, from fish swimming the river through bears and seals on to birds taking wing.
The Mighty River is a look at the history (and the reckless abuse by over-harvesting of) the river. It is really one long love note to not only a great river, but to nature herself. If mankind is to prosper, nature must prosper as well, for our continued well-being is inextricably connected with the ecosystem around us. The message is that we must stop doing damage immediately. If we want to help nature recover more rapidly, that's fine. But if we'd stop sticking our finger in nature's eyes, the ecosphere is generally quite capable of healing itself-if the damage stops.
Remarkable and beautiful film that is in print, available and deserves to be seen by more people. Most highly recommended.
It bears a great many similarities to The Man Who Planted Trees. Given that the same man directed both and had many of the same people working on both films, the fact that they are similar is not surprising. Both films feature narration, with Donald Sutherland doing the honors here. The incredible attention to detail is here as well and is, if anything, even more remarkable in The Mighty River. Animals of all sorts are depicted with loving care and attention, from fish swimming the river through bears and seals on to birds taking wing.
The Mighty River is a look at the history (and the reckless abuse by over-harvesting of) the river. It is really one long love note to not only a great river, but to nature herself. If mankind is to prosper, nature must prosper as well, for our continued well-being is inextricably connected with the ecosystem around us. The message is that we must stop doing damage immediately. If we want to help nature recover more rapidly, that's fine. But if we'd stop sticking our finger in nature's eyes, the ecosphere is generally quite capable of healing itself-if the damage stops.
Remarkable and beautiful film that is in print, available and deserves to be seen by more people. Most highly recommended.