Product Description

It took hundreds of millions of years for petroleum to form on Earth. It took just 150 years for human beings to bleed the planet of roughly half of this oil.

Arresting in its honesty and erudition, CRUDE IMPACT examines the catastrophic prospect of ''world peak oil'' - or the point in time when the quantity of petroleum extracted from the earth begins to irreversibly decline. The film illuminates a vicious cycle of escalating dependency and need, as well as the behaviors and patterns fueling this cycle, such as consumer fetishism and the myth of endless supply, the tremendous rise in population, and the demands of many more quickly-industrializing nations. It also surveys the devastating and far-reaching effects of the rampant pursuit of oil, including increasingly aggressive political turmoil, irreparable ecological damage, economic turbulence, and gross human rights violations.

Elegantly weaving together an alarmingly accelerating pattern of consumption and depletion, the award-winning CRUDE IMPACT reveals a frighteningly dark future that can only be averted by becoming informed, spreading awareness, and revolutionizing the way we think and live.

DVD Features: Over an hour of additional interviews on globalization, 9/11, alternative fuels and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27119 in DVD
• Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP
• Released on: 2009-04-14
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Features

• It took hundreds of millions of years for petroleum to form on Earth. It took just 150 years for human beings to bleed the planet of roughly half of this oil. Arresting in its honesty and erudition, CRUDE IMPACT examines the catastrophic prospect of "world peak oil" or the point in time when the quantity of petroleum extracted from the earth begins to irreversibly decline. The film illumin

Amazon.com
Packed with abundant evidence and persuasive speakers, Crude Impact sounds the alarm over world peak oil. Once extraction of this non-renewable resource passes the tipping point, the biosphere and global economy could collapse (author Thom Hartmann claims it's already happened). James Jandak Wood offers a thorough take on the crisis, incorporating factors such as the transition from agrarian to industrial societies, the switch from coal to oil, rapid population growth, and human rights abuses. Though his interview subjects, mostly authors and attorneys, concentrate on the U.S., several cite China's rising consumption rates as a serious concern. States author Michael Economides, "China has gone berserk in its energy demand." Wood also shines a light on Ecuador and Nigeria, oil-producing nations where poverty, pollution, and disease run rampant, leading to the execution of protesters like Ken Saro-Wiwa, who spoke out against the actions of Shell Oil in Africa. As in the documentary King Corn, the director concludes that our oil addiction is hastening our demise (just as our over-reliance on corn-filled products has reached critical mass). Though Crude Impact covers some of the same ground as Who Killed the Electric Car? and A Crude Awakening, all released within the same year, his point bears repeating since the problem persists. The repetitive score serves as a mild soporific, but time-lapse photography, eye-catching graphics, and clips from vintage ads, cartoons, and comedies liven up the grim scenario. Well organized bonus interviews, along with a few funny outtakes, add further value. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

Profound Impact
This is a gripping documentary on the subject of peak oil--a sobering account of our dependence on ancient sunlight to power industrial civilization and the consequences we face as we top over the global oil production peak and enter the irreversible depletion phase. While there are other documentaries that treat the subject, I find Crude Impact notable, among other reasons, for its focus from the outset on the relationship between the size of the human population and the increasingly intensive extraction of resources.

I teach a semester-long high school seminar devoted entirely to peak oil and this is the documentary, among other excellent documentaries on this subject, which I have chosen for viewing by my students. Crude Impact is simply the clearest exposition of peak oil and its far-reaching consequences. The impact has been profound.

Interviews with leading experts in a variety of related fields forward the narrative, which is accompanied by arresting images, a judicious use of graphics, and haunting musical score. Indeed the concept of peak oil itself is not fully expanded until later in the documentary after an array economic, political, social, and economic threads are systematically explored--and the full impact of peak oil then becomes frighteningly clear.

If you are new to the notion of peak oil, this is a must view which should be shared with relatives and friends. In fact, it should be shared with everyone, even those already "peak oil aware," which I fear is all too few. Crude Impact is an impressive, if deeply disturbing, documentary.

one of the few films that stick with you
I was at the screening when the film premiered on IDFA 2 years ago. The entire audience came out after the screening, to continue discussing the matter with the director in the hallway for another hour. I've never seen people so moved by an environmental film, and motivated to spread it's message. Truely a must see

Get educated while being entertained
I know it's not politically correct to make entertainment even a factor when discussing a movie about a serious subject like this - but this movie is proof that you can tell people what they need to know while keeping them glued to the picture. In fact nothing is quite so fascinating as the truth when it is told with honesty and by people who are passionate about the subject. If you want to learn what the problem is, why the problem is, and even how we might go about solving the problem you need to watch this.

This is one of those movies that can actually get you to change your behavior. It made me more aware of my impact.