>>REVIEW
MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES
FEATURING Edward Burtynski
DIRECTED BY Jennifer Baichwal
Opens Friday, November 3
Uptown Screen
As a photographer, Edward Burtynski has carved himself quite a niche. With his focus on the environment and man’s impact on it, Burtynski’s large format stills are as breathtaking as they are thought-provoking. With a vivid colour palette, Burtynski has redefined landscape photography by travelling the world to find the most epic examples of man’s ability to disrupt the balance of nature. There is no question that his work is vital and important. But there is a question as to whether or not a documentary that explores his process can live up to Burtynski’s work.
Manufactured Landscapes begins with a nearly seven-minute dolly shot that tracks the length of an assembly line in a Chinese textile factory. As the seconds pass, another row of countless workers, madly spinning away at industrial sewing machines is revealed. Before the camera slows to a halt, director Jennifer Baichwal has given audiences more than enough time to ponder the working conditions overseas. Then, just when you think the shot will never end, the camera snaps to reveal the photo that Burtynski took of the same factory. In one split second, he has told the same story that took Baichwal seven minutes to commit to tape. Therein lies the biggest flaw in Manufactured Landscapes.
As the film continues, Baichwal follows Burtynski as he tours rural China, urban Shanghai and the monstrous Three Gorges Dam. Baichwal’s camera is thoughtful and methodical, the cinematography is utilitarian and lovely, but without much in the way of commentary from Burtynski, Manufactured Landscapes doesn’t have much of a voice. In most cases, that kind of objectivity in documentaries is to be admired. A director who respects an audience enough not to spell things out is a brave filmmaker, indeed. In this case, however, the episodic instalments never add up to a greater whole.
In the past, Baichwal examined the work of another photographer, Shelby Lee Adams. In that film, Adams’s portrayal of a small isolated community in the Appalachian Mountains was objectively called into question. Balancing Adams’ methodology with interviews with his subjects made for compelling storytelling. The difference with Manufactured Landscapes is that there is really no discussion of an issue. In this film, it’s obvious that man, indeed, has had an impact on the planet. Burtynski’s photography makes all the commentary, leaving the documentary gasping for breath. Without conflict or tension, the result is a series of lovely vignettes with not much substance. |
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