Science & Outdoors
courtesy of http://www.moviesonline.com
Produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio “The 11th Hour” is the last moment when change is possible.
UWSP approaches “The 11th Hour”
The Pointer
mbiem244@uwsp.edu
Q: What does Leonardo DiCaprio have to do with saving the environment?
A: More than the casual “Titanic” fan might realize. The Oscar and Golden Globe nominated actor produced and narrated several of his own environmental documentaries. One such film, “The 11th Hour,” will be shown on campus on Nov. 11.
The term “11th hour” relates to a dwindling time period which requires immediate action. In the film, DiCaprio refers to this as “the convergence of environmental crises.”
“What the movie is trying to do is sort of two things,” said environmental ethics professor Chris Diehm. “One is to give people a sense of urgency about environmental problems, but also to give people a sense of urgency that doesn’t lead to apathy. If you paint the picture as too problematic, people get the feeling that it’s a lost cause. It’s a critical moment, but it’s not too late.”
Diehm will lead a discussion immediately following the showing of the film. He said this is a good way for people to talk about what they saw and to reinforce the message more than just the showing of a movie.
In “The 11th Hour,” DiCaprio and others speak about how personal life changes as well as political actions are needed to bring about a sustainable way of life. People can consume far less resources and create more efficient technologies. In addition, government leaders need to be more cooperative with each other and keep the planet’s health in mind more than large corporations, the film says.
Diehm said this call to political action in addition to personal efforts makes “The 11th Hour” stand apart from other environmental documentaries.
“One of the big messages of the movie is that it is important to do personal changes, but it’s also really important to make sure that you try to change the political system too, and you try to get the corporations out of government… For example, lots of people want to get away from using fossil fuels and having an oil-based economy, but there are lots of companies and politicians that won’t let that happen,” said Diehm.
Campaign finance reform for politicians was something Diehm said he found especially important to change in terms of government.
“You have to get it set up so that the politicians don’t have some sort of ‘back door obligation’ to these corporations,” said Diehm.
Overall, Diehm said the movie does a good job of appealing to the audience to carry the message across.
“It has a lot of people who are experts in their field but who are explaining a lot of these things in terms that are accessible to people. I also think that we live in a culture where celebrities carry a lot of status and to see a major celebrity like Leonardo DiCaprio be so invested in an issue like this… That itself carries a big message.”
Other big names in the film include Mikhail Gorbachev, David Suzuki and Stephen Hawking.
While the message of the movie may not necessarily be surprising, Diehm said the attitude of the film is what is most striking.
“A real positive thing about the movie is that it makes points that people have probably heard before, but in a way that people might listen to them differently… I will absolutely recommend this documentary to my classes and my colleagues. It’s just a really, really good movie,” Diehm said.
More information about “The 11th Hour” and The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s activities can be found online at www.leonardodicaprio.org.
