The Little Film That Became a Hot Property: Millions Warmed to Gore's Environmental Message

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: The Little Film That Became a Hot Property
Millions Warmed to Gore's Environmental Message
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 13, 2007; Page C01


Al Gore's lecture on global warming became the basis for "An Inconvenient Truth," the fourth-highest-grossing documentary ever. (Eric Lee/Paramount Classics Via Associated Press)

As cinematic productions go, it wasn't much -- essentially just a man, a message and a scary slide show. Yet, "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's filmed lecture about global climate change, became a milestone, easily the most famous and memorable aspect of Gore's quarter-century of environmental activism.

The 2006 documentary alone certainly didn't win Gore the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday -- such prizes tend to be lifetime achievement awards, rarely dependent on the whims of reviews and box office receipts -- but it surely helped. The film remade Gore's image, transforming him from presidential loser into Saint Al, the earnest, impassioned, pointer-wielding Cassandra of the environmental movement. It also helped push global warming into something more than just a debate among climatologists; it made the issue a water-cooler phenomenon, sparking conversation throughout the Oprah-sphere.

The 100-minute film received glowing notices ("In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review . . .: You owe it to yourself to see this film," said Roger Ebert in his column). It was a modest commercial success by Hollywood's usual yardstick, but it was a smash hit by the poverty-stricken standards of documentary filmmaking. The movie generated nearly $50 million worldwide (roughly half of that in the United States), making it the fourth-highest-grossing documentary ever, according to Boxofficemojo.com, which tracks the industry. (The highest grossing is Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which made more than $220 million.)

The figure suggests that about 6 million people have seen "Truth," which was released in May last year.

Such numbers, though, grossly understate its impact. The film's release and subject matter were the pegs for thousands of print and broadcast news stories. "An Inconvenient Truth" became the rallying point for countless environmental groups -- and the flash point for opponents who attacked Gore's science and his conclusion that the burning of fossil fuels is pushing the Earth toward an environmental disaster. The debate got a second life in February, when the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101202295.html?hpid=topnews

[Grandrose]

1. Who knew the Washington Post....(K&R)

Would or could give a fair assessment? Good article.:thumbsup: :kick:

[malaise]

2. Not bad but even the WP

knows he was not a political loser. Gore won the 2000 election.