Cast: James Balog, Svavar Jonatansson, Adam LeWinter
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Country: USA
Genre: Documentary | Biography
Official Website: Here
Editor’s Notes: Chasing Ice is out on Blu-ray and DVD today.
Chasing Ice is in its most basic form an environmental documentary, a man with a plan ready to educate the general public about the speed and immediacy of global warming in a medium everybody understands – photography. Sounds self-righteous and preachy? Well it isn’t.
Chasing Ice cleverly treads the line between the condescending and the unapproachable, there’s science in there everyone can understand (with the help of some nifty graphics) and coupled with brilliant photography it makes for a genuinely moving and emotive documentary.
Chasing Ice cleverly treads the line between the condescending and the unapproachable, there’s science in there everyone can understand (with the help of some nifty graphics)…
James Balog, National Geographic photographer and all round nice guy, is on a mission to show the world the astonishing effects that climate change is having on the world’s glaciers. Through some amazing time-lapse photographs, taken over years in some of the world’s most stark and unforgiving landscapes, Balog collects some unbelievably footage. One particular glacier that had receded more in the last 5 years than in the previous hundred stands out.
Through his program, the Extreme Ice Survey, Balog has had the opportunity to make his mark on the way we view climate change. A previous global warming denier Balog has seen first hand the extreme effects our production of CO2 has had on the natural world. The flipside of this argument is perhaps treated with some disdain, mainly being represented by TV presenters shouting out uninformed and small minded statements; however the overwhelming amount of positive evidence gained, and shown in stark images, makes for a convincing and worrying argument.
This documentary definitely does its job, the constant stream of images showing water pouring off glaciers into an ever rising ocean does create a certain uneasiness that persists even after you’ve turned of your CO2 producing TV, DVD player, lights, heating and frankly anything else that may contribute to this destructive phenomenon. But it is not a difficult watch, the images shot by Balog are beautiful; the haunting images of ice are mesmerising – it’s almost difficult to believe such structures are out there occurring in the natural world.
This documentary definitely does its job, the constant stream of images showing water pouring off glaciers into an ever rising ocean does create a certain uneasiness that persists even after you’ve turned of your CO2 producing TV, DVD player, lights, heating and frankly anything else that may contribute to this destructive phenomenon.
The human story behind the EIS is equally as interesting as the natural one. Balog’s family appear, telling of their husband or father’s need to pursue his “adventures” and the destructive toll it is taking on his body. Not a young man, James Balog has already had 3 knee surgeries, and plans to have more just to keep his dream mission alive. The deterioration of Balog’s own health during the filming of Chasing Ice almost parallels the glaciers slow disintegration, leaving his team to carry on his work under his distant guidance.
So an environmental message coupled with beautiful imagery and emotive human story, Chasing Ice really hits all the buttons for a successful documentary and most importantly it stays on message and continues to engage and inform for all of its 75 minutes.
Extras
- *‘Before My Time’ – Academy Award Nominated Song
- * Film Festival Q&As
- * Glacier Watching
- * Making Chasing Ice
- * Making the Time-Lapses
- * Sundance Experience
- * Testimonials: ‘Audience members and students reflect on their viewing experience’
- * Time Now: From James Balog’s Lecture Tour
- * Updated Science ‘Dr. Tad Pfeffer – Glaciologist at the University of Colorado On the Latest Updates in Glaciolog
[notification type=”star”]85/100 ~ GREAT.So an environmental message coupled with beautiful imagery and emotive human story, Chasing Ice really hits all the buttons for a successful documentary and most importantly it stays on message and continues to engage and inform for all of its 75 minutes.[/notification]
