Last Thursday, my coworkers and I went to watch “The 11th Hour,” Leonardo DiCaprio's latest documentary on global warming at Warner Brother's office in Taipei. Based on the-not-so-flattering review by theUnited Press Syndicate, I didn’t hold much hope that this film would be better than Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Plus, Leonardo, the actor, never meant much to me at the movies. “Titanic” was not a movie that I would pay to watch. I saw “Catch Me If You Can” on HBO while doing laundry, and to this date, I have not had the inkling to rent his last blockbuster hit, “The Blood Diamond.”
上星期四,我和同事一起到華納兄弟電影公司的試片室,去看李奧那多最新主演的暖化記錄片「第十一個小時」。根據之前一篇令人喪氣的影評,我對於此片並不抱有任何希望,甚至覺得應該會比高爾的《不願面對的真相》評價要差。此外,我對李奧那多也沒什麼好印象,像我就無法說服自己買票進電影院,看他所主演的《鐵達尼號》,而他其他演過賣座影片像是《神鬼交鋒》和《血鑽石》等,我也只是無聊時在轉電視頻道或逛影帶出租店時,才會偶而注意一下。
What I can I tell you? For starters, the United Press Syndicate got it all wrong - it is not boring. I find this film more powerful and inspiring than “An Inconvenient Truth.” Don’t get me wrong; I like Mr. Gore and his documentary very much. I think his movie delivers his arguments effectively by taking a very analytical, data heavy approach. The showing of then and now images, the statistics, and simulations graphics, all force me to accept that global warming is really happening, logically. On the other hand, “The 11th Hour,” takes on the grander view by exploring humanity’s past, present, and future relationship to earth: how we came to this point, why aren’t we doing anything about it, and what must we do to have a decent future. I feel that this gives me a context with my world. I can relate to it; therefore, I care, and I want to do something about it.
不過呢,在看完試片後我必須要說,United Press Syndicate 的影評大錯特錯。我甚至覺得這部片比《不願面對的真相》還要有力及發人深省。你可別誤會,我個人是很喜歡高爾和他的那部暖化記錄片,他利用了影像、數字、模擬圖等,有效地傳播了他的論點,並讓我在邏輯上接受了「暖化正在發生」這件事。然而,《第十一個小時》採取了更宏觀的觀點,它探索人類在過去、現在和未來與地球的關係,比如說為什麼我們明明知道暖化的威脅,我們卻選擇不作任何事?我們又該怎麼作才能有一個舒適的未來?我想這部電影給了我一些新的思考脈絡,讓我可以和電影有所牽連,我甚至開始學會關心暖化議題,並願意為對抗暖化去作一些事。
This film is a collection of imageries accompanied by commentaries from an impressive group of scientists, visionaries, and leaders in related fields. Because of my work, I am familiar with many of them. For people who are not steeped in the environmental culture, this panel of talking heads might not mean so much to you. But if you really listen to what they are saying; some of them might touch you and inspire you look at your world differently. There are many memorable quotes that really resonate with me. Without hampering your experience of this movie, I will give you an example and share with you one part of what David Suzuki said about where we are today that hit me hard. I have to paraphrase it - In the 4,000,000,000 years of earth’s history, 99.9999% (yes, 4 decimal points) of species ever existed have become extinct. So, it’s not unnatural for human beings as a species to become extinct. What’s unnatural and a shame is that we are taking more than 54,000 species a year to extinction with us! I’ve been in this field for a while, and I know that our environment has been deteriorating for a long time and that there are species going extinct everyday. But when I heard David Suzuki said it, I felt it; it made me feel awful. It’s one thing that we, as a collective choose our own destruction, but it’s plain wrong to kill off others when they have no say in the matter.
這部片是由一連串的訪談所構成,包括像是科學家、議題倡導者、或是環保相關領域的領導者。由於我自己是從事這方面的工作,所以這些人我其實都相當熟悉,但也許對於環保領域不熟的人而言,這些人的臉孔可能就跟陌生人沒兩樣。不過,只要你願意平心靜氣的聽他們說什麼,或許片裏有些話就能觸動到你的心弦,甚至啟發你以不同的角度去看待這個世界。
這部片裏有許多令人回味無窮的片段,並且真的讓我引起共鳴。為了不妨礙你對這部片的觀感,我這裏就只舉David Suzuki的例子。他在片中提到,在地球四十億年的歷史長河裏,曾經存在於地球的物種,有百分之九十九點九九九九都已經滅絕,所以如果人類不滅亡的話才是違反自然。但是,丟臉的是,我們人類竟造成了五萬四千種生物族群的滅絕,這才是真正的違反自然!
我已經在環保的領域工作一段時間,而我也知道我們的環境已經惡化很長一段時間,每天並有許多的生物因為我們而從地球上消失。但當我聽到David Suzuki再次提到此事時,卻讓我真正感覺可怕。人類造成了自身的滅絕是咎由自取,但若因人類的發展而使得其他物種滅種,這完全是一件錯的事。
The movie does offer hope that we have the ability to change this. Thom Hartmann said this: “ Some people suggest that in order to live sustainably we have to go out in the woods and put on animal skins and live on roots and berries. And the simple reality is that we do have technology. The question is, how can we use our understanding of science and our understanding of technology along with our understanding of culture, and how culture changes, to create a culture that will interact with science and with the world around us in a sustainable fashion?
這部電影給了我們一些改變的希望。記得Thom Hartmann曾說過,「有些人建議為了人類的永續生存,我們應該回去過著茹毛飲血的日子。但事實上,我們擁有或可改變一切的科技。所以實際上的問題是,我們要如何搭配我們在科技與文化兩方面的知識?我們又該如何讓文化逐步改變,並在永續發展的脈絡下,創造一個可以讓科學與環保共存的文化?」
I, myself, have never been a proponent of going back to the stone ages and live without all the creature comforts we have available today. But, I do believe that we should at least try our best and do something. So, go see the movie and get inspired. There are plenty of things you can do now.
我自己從未想過要回到石器時代去過生活,但我相信我們應該要試著去作一些改變。所以,建議你去看這部電影,並讓這些大師給你啟發。因為實在有太多的東西,我們現在就可以起身而行。
Additional Information 看片叮嚀
1. This film is not like “The Day After Tomorrow.”
(這部片不是像「明天過後」一般,有著精采特效的好萊塢娛樂片,進戲院前要有心理準備。)
2. If you are considering seeing this film only because you like Leonard DiCaprio, be warned that his role in this film is limited; you don’t see much of him, but he does a great job moderating, posing questions and wrapping up segments.
(如果你是為了李奧那多而進戲院的話,那你可能會失望,因為他戲份不多。不過呢,他卻在片中扮演著畫龍點睛的效果,提出了關鍵的問題並且包裝了主軸。)
3. Do some homework before or after the movie. Get to know the group in the movie. Here is a link to all their biographies: http://www.11thhouraction.com/ideasandexperts.
(最好在看電影前後作一些功課,或是先上「第十一個小時」電影網站,了解誰會出現在電影裏。)
4. Go see the movie and have a discussion.
(和你朋友進戲院看這部片,並與您的親朋好友討論。)
Janny’s Idols
· Paul Hawken – author of “Ecology of Commerce,” “Natural Capitalism,” and “Blessed Unrest”
· Ray Anderson – founder of Interface (carpet company) and author of “Mid-Course Correction”
· David Suzuki – scientist, environmental educator and chair of David Suzuki Foundation.
【延伸閱讀】
第十一個小時中文官網
第十一個小時英文官網
推薦電影:the 11th hour ( 20070829 西雅圖凹凸境部落格)
第十一個小時 (20070918 Divergence部落格)
熱愛地球 更顯巨星丰采 (20071005 Isyaju的樂活報報部落格)
(阿乾翻譯)
本文引用自低碳生活部落格-第11個小時,你會在哪裏
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