Earth Days
{{Infobox film
|name = Earth Days
|image = EarthDays poster.jpg
|caption = Theatrical release poster
|director = Robert Stone
|producer = Robert Stone
|writer = Robert Stone
|music = Michael Giacchino
|cinematography = Howard Shack
|editing = Don Kleszy
Robert Stone
|studio = American Experience
Robert Stone Productions
WGBH
|distributor = Zeitgeist Films
|released = {{Film date|2009|4|2|Wisconsin Film Festival|2009|8|14|United States}}
|runtime = 102 minutes
|country = United States
|language = English
|budget = $1.2 million
|gross = $23,179
}}
Earth Days is a 2009 documentary film about the history of the environmental movement in the United States, directed by Robert Stone and distributed by Zeitgeist Films in theaters. Earth Days premiered at the 2009 Wisconsin Film Festival, and released to theatres on August 14, 2009.
Overview
Earth Days combines personal testimony and archival media. The film reviews the development of the modern environmental movement—from the post-war 1950s and the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s bestseller Silent Spring, to the successful Earth Day celebration in 1970. Featured pioneers of the era include the former United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; biologist Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb; Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand; Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart; "The Forecaster" Dennis Meadows, scientist and Emeritus Professor of Systems Management; and "The Politician" Pete McCloskey, former Republican. Also included are Richard Nixon, former Governor of California Jerry Brown, Jimmy Carter, Denis Hayes, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and Hunter Lovins.
Release
The film premiered on April 2, 2009 at the Wisconsin Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/wifilmfest/docs/2009_wff_film_guide|title=2009 Wisconsin Film Festival Film Guide|work=Issuu|access-date=26 June 2020}} It went on to have a limited theatrical release on August 14, 2009.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/movies/14earth.html|title=Planetary Reflections|work=The New York Times |date=13 August 2009|access-date=26 June 2020|via=NYTimes.com|last1=Catsoulis |first1=Jeannette }} It aired on US television on April 19, 2010 as part of the American Experience series on PBS.{{cite web|url=http://video.pbs.org/video/1463378089 |title=American Experience: Earth Days |access-date=June 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002191837/http://video.pbs.org/video/1463378089 |archive-date=October 2, 2011 |url-status=dead }}
=Critical reception=
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 33 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "This engaging and well-organized eco-doc maps the successes and failures of the American environmental movement, thanks to sharp interviews and remarkable archive footage."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1215791_earth_days? |title=Earth Days (2009) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=March 19, 2018}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/earth-days |title=Earth Days Reviews |work=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=March 19, 2018}}
=Awards and nominations=
- Closing night film, 2009 Sundance Film Festival
- The Sheffield Green Award, 2009 Sheffield Doc/Fest
- Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay, 62nd Writers Guild of America Awards.{{cite web|url=https://tvsourcemagazine.com/2010/02/1904-2010-writers-guild-award-winners |title=2010 Writers Guild Award Winners |date=21 February 2010 |website=TVSourceMagazine.com |access-date=20 February 2019}}
See also
{{Portal|Environment}}
- Environmentalism
- Radio Bikini (1988)
- Biophilia hypothesis
- Catching the Sun (2015)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|1=http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=earthdays}}
- {{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/earthdays/player/ |title=Earth Days (full documentary) |author= |website=pbs.org |publisher=PBS |access-date=August 23, 2016 }}
- {{IMDb title|1230130|Earth Days}}
- [http://uprisingradio.org/home/?p=9575 Uprising Radio] interview with Robert Stone
{{American Experience}}
Category:2009 in the environment
Category:American documentary films
Category:Documentary films about environmental issues
Category:Environment of the United States
Category:2009 documentary films
Category:Films scored by Michael Giacchino
Category:Films directed by Robert Stone