Yosemite: The Fate Of Heaven

A Blue Ribbon winner at the 1989 American Film & Video Festival, this excellently priced documentary, produced by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute, and narrated by Redford, is a picturesque tribute to one of our greatest natural treasures: Yosemite Park. Adapted from the journal "The Discovery of Yosemite in 1851" by Captain Lafayette Bunnell, the narration evokes the clean, unspoiled grandeur of Yosemite as it appeared to explorers over 100 years ago. Today, the park has over 1200 employees, 2300 camp sites, 60 sewer systems, 40 water systems, and produces between 20-25,000 lbs. of garbage per day. In other words, the universal lure of Yosemite--with all its beauty--ultimately portends its despoliation as the landscape simply cannot withstand the steady influx of visitors--over three million each year. Still, this is not a doom and gloom program. Park attendants talk about their efforts to educate visitors and the day-to-day struggle they constantly maintain to preserve the park. Backpackers, who enjoy and respect nature, pay homage to the privilege of being able to camp out away from the hubbub. And the camera consistently reveals that there is still much natural beauty available for the respectful eye in Yosemite. Highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)