A Sense of Wonder

Welsh-born filmmaker Christopher Monger brings Kaiulani Lee's one-woman stage show to the screen in this unconventional portrait of environmentalist Rachel Carson, filmed by famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler. First seen around her cottage on Southport Island, ME, Carson (an excellent performance by Lee) talks about her life in the year after the publication of Silent Spring (1962), her groundbreaking bestseller about the dangers of chemical pesticides. In a monologue drawn from her letters and writings, Carson praises the nature that surrounds her, the mother who taught her to appreciate it (and typed her manuscripts), and her adopted son Roger's “sense of wonder”—something she wishes more adults possessed. About her educational background, she says, “Women didn't go to college in 1926 to major in biology.” However, Carson went on to study marine biology and zoology, to work for the Fish and Wildlife Service, and to write several other books, including The Sea Around Us (1951), which made her a reluctant celebrity. In addition, she discusses the four-year battle with cancer that would ultimately claim her life in 1964. DVD extras include Ian Cheney's documentary short Lessons from Carson on her legacy, as well as bonus interviews. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)