Starring: David Brower Script: Kelly Duane Running Time: 1:17 Country: USA Year: 2004 Official Site: Monumental

Monumental chronicles the uncompromising journey of David Brower, an environmentalist who for most of his life fought for the preservation of America's natural treasures.

A filmmaker and a publisher, Brower's force was to understand the power of advertising and public relation as prime weapons to fight for a good cause. With books and documentaries, he found a way to directly reach public opinion while transforming his hiking group—the Sierra Club—into a lobbyist force that would rise to oppose anti-environmental projects developed by the government and corporations (one of his greatest achievements was to save the Grand Canyon from being turned into a dam.)

Director Kelly Duane intertwines the biographical-like narrative with naturalistic sequences shot by Brower in the 50's & 60's as well as contemporary interviews of figures who were involved in his crusade. While the subject of this documentary might mostly appeal to the environmentalist crowd, Duane gave her film a surprising alternative look & feel, as the original sequences shot by Brower are supported by a great alt-country soundtrack mostly composed by bands from Subpop and other independent labels—the most recognizable name here might be Yo La Tango. Just like Bower, Duane, who is in her late 20's, knows the power of image and by opting for an indie soundtrack, not only might she satisfy her own musical tastes, but she finds a great way to appeal to the post-Generation X crowd while bringing them awareness of Brower's cause. With their grainy desaturated look, the marriage of these images with a haunting soundtrack creates moments of naturalistic beauty.

While Monumental might be at times to slow for its own good, less convincing are the sequences Duane actually shot—mostly interviews with awkward angles—but she was the first to admit it at the Q&A after the screening. Duane never placed herself at the center of her own work, preferring to let the story and the images speak for themselves and it's what allows Monumental to clearly deliver its message.

  Fred Thom

     Documentary Films