Climate change movies?

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Jay Schwartz
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Climate change movies?

Post by Jay Schwartz » Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:46 pm

What are some classic-era films, sound or silent, that possibly relate to climate change?

I can only think of...

THE WIND
THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE

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Mike Gebert
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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by Mike Gebert » Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:56 pm

Noah's Ark, The Ten Commandments, When Worlds Collide...
Cinema has no voice, but it speaks to us with eyes that mirror the soul. ―Ivan Mosjoukine

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Arndt
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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by Arndt » Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:08 pm

VERDENS UNDERGANG , August Blom 1916
"The greatest cinematic experience is the human face and it seems to me that silent films can teach us to read it anew." - Wim Wenders

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Roseha
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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by Roseha » Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:40 pm

The last part of STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. has always seemed pretty apocalyptic to me (until the happy ending of course)....if I'm remembering correctly, it even starts with a bland headline like "storm clouds in the offing...." kind of like Sandy sneaking up on the Eastern Seaboard.
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Christopher Jacobs
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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by Christopher Jacobs » Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:13 pm

There's also King Vidor's OUR DAILY BREAD and the documentary featurette THE PLOUGH THAT BROKE THE PLAINS from the 30s. Later, of course, there are the PLANET OF THE APES films, SILENT RUNNING, SOYLENT GREEN, and you might say ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS could fit. Robert Altman's QUINTET is another one.

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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by frankebe » Sun Nov 11, 2012 9:00 pm

"Fatty and Mabel Adrift" could represent bigger storms and the encroaching ocean. If increased CO2 and warm weather results in increased precipitation, it's always raining in "Blade Runner"... Of course global warming is seen by some as a positive: less difference between poles and tropics would mean MILDER weather, if perhaps more rain, so maybe Woody Allen's forested future in "Sleeper" is more accurate.

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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by bobfells » Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:19 pm

Perhaps WIZARD OF OZ is too obvious but there's climatic storms in SUEZ (1938), THE RAINS CAME (1939), and even the college football comedy HOLD THAT CO-ED (1938). I don't know if hordes of locusts are related to climate change but THE GOOD EARTH (1937) and BRIGHAM YOUNG - FRONTIERSMAN (1940) had very effective sequences.
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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by Henry Nicolella » Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:57 am

Deluge (1933)
Henry Nicolella

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Re: Climate change movies?

Post by greta de groat » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:13 am

The Hurricane (1937)
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