Survival Of Spaceship Earth

Even a breezy 1991 introduction by Rue McClanahan can't compensate for the fact this "environmental" film (which is mostly about population control) is twenty years old. Nominated for 10 Emmys (winning two) and a winner of numerous international film festival awards, Survival of Spaceship Earth was originally commissioned for the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Narrated by Raymond Burr, and hosted by Hugh Downs, the program interviews notable social scientists including Barbara Ward, Rene Dubos, and the late Margaret Mead. While the focus of the film is on population growth and its concomitant problems for Third World countries--much of it general enough to still be of use--a twenty year old film will, by definition, have some dated details. For example, ancient mainframes are seen whirring away, while the narration breezily assures us that we are now on the verge of being able to predict weather by computer for weeks at a time with accuracy (chaos theory has thrown an effective wrench in that particular prediction). And an examination of the problems with car pollution predates the widespread use of emission control systems. For its time, Survival of Spaceship Earth was undoubtedly a powerful and challenging film--today, however, it looks and sounds like an old educational film. Not recommended. (Available from most distributors.)