Oil on Ice
| Oil on Ice | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
Bo Boudart Dale Djerassi |
| Produced by |
Bo Boudart Dale Djerassi |
| Written by | Stephen Most |
| Narrated by | Peter Coyote |
| Music by | William Susman |
| Cinematography | Bo Boudart |
| Edited by | Rhonda Collins |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 60 min[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Oil on Ice is a 2004 documentary film directed by Bo Boudart and Dale Djerassi. It explores the Arctic Refuge drilling controversy in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the impact of oil and gas development on the land, wildlife, and lives of the Gwich'in Athabascan Indians and Inupiat Eskimos.[2]
Cast
The film was narrated by Peter Coyote and features interviews with and footage of environmentalists Amory Lovins, Celia Hunter, Sarah James, Norma Kassi, former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles, former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, California Senator Barbara Boxer, former Sierra Club director Carl Pope, Ken Whitten, David Klein, former Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker, former North Slope Borough Mayor George N. Ahmaogak, and Inupiaq activist and former Nuiqsut mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak.
Production
Oil on Ice was sponsored by the small, primarily volunteer-run Northern Alaska Environmental Center (NAEC) and was filmed on location in Alaska, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.[3] To promote and market the film, Steve Michelson (Lobitos Creek Ranch) engaged fourteen non-profit organizations, including the Sierra Club, members of which hosted thousands of house parties to screen and distribute materials about the film, and to promote grassroots efforts to prevent ANWR drilling.[4]
Release
The film premiered at Mountainfilm in Telluride on May 31, 2004, and was released on DVD September 6, 2005.[3] The soundtrack CD Oil on Ice by William Susman, featuring cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, was released on October 16, 2007.[5]
Reception
Reviews of the film were mainly positive, while noting its strong point of view. FilmCritic.com reviewer Eric Meyerson described the film as "unabashed counter-propaganda to the pro-drilling forces" seeking access to wilderness land. He credits its professional production and its "powerful story, with astonishing wildlife photography and fascinating and tragic tales of the plights of local fishermen and native tribes." Meyerson found the interviews with Gwich'in Indian Adeline Peter Raboff "particularly affecting." He noted that the film is "as one-sided as the O'Reilly Factor" in that it "failed to address any positive economic impacts that the oil industry has had on Alaskans." But he termed the film "well-made counter-propaganda. If anything, Oil on Ice is worth seeing just to see exactly what ExxonMobil and CononoPhillips are getting ready to tear into."[1]
Reviewing the DVD release for DVDVerdict.com, Russell Engebretson wrote of its "beautiful Alaskan wildlife cinematography, including one truly stunning shot of a grazing Caribou herd that must have numbered in the thousands. For contrast, we get an aerial view of the massive, grotesque Prudhoe Bay drilling operation that abuts ANWR to the west." He noted that while the "wilderness scenery is delightful, there is ample interview material as well." Of the many interviewees, he found that two, Pope and Levin, "drag down the film", and that Levin "steers the film away from its central thesis — the exploitation of ANWR." Engebretson felt that the documentary erred in two ways: "by lionizing people who don't deserve such treatment", and "in presenting [John] Kerry as a foe of Big Oil". Summarizing, he found the film to be "a good, basic introduction (from an anti-drilling point-of-view) to the oil extraction debate."[3]
The soundtrack received praise from the All Music Guide with reviewer Stephen Eddins stating "...the score [Oil on Ice] reveals considerable sophistication in its composition. ...the sound quality is immaculate -- full and vivid." In addition to a performance by former Kronos Cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, the score features vocals by Gwich'in activist Adeline Peter Raboff who also appears in the film. The documentary's main title theme, sung by Adeiline Peter Raboff is a fusion of the folk song "Shik'eenoohtii," by Alaskan composer John Luther Adams with an orchestral background by the score's composer William Susman.[6]
Awards
Oil on Ice received several awards: the 2004 International Documentary Association Pare Lorentz Award for best representing the "democratic sensibility, activist spirit and lyrical vision" of Pare Lorentz,[2][7][8] the 2005 Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival Festival Prize,[9] the 2005 Moondance International Film Festival Calypso Award for feature documentary and Seahorse Award for best film score,[10] and the 2006 Park City Film Music Festival Gold Medal for Excellence in the category Documentary, Jury Choice: Best Impact of Music.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Meyerson, Eric (September 6, 2005). "Oil on Ice". FilmCritic.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 McNary, Dave (November 18, 2004). "'Fahrenheit,' 'Born' share top IDA kudos". Variety.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Engebretson, Russell (August 25th, 2005).Oil on Ice review. DVDVerdict.com
- ↑ Palmer, Chris (2010). Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom. Sierra Club Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-1578051489.
- ↑ Oil on Ice CD. Amazon.com.
- ↑ Review of Oil on Ice CD. Allmusic.com.
- ↑ Pare Lorentz Film Festival / Pare Lorentz Award Winning Films. International Documentary Association.
- ↑ "Oil on Ice wins prestigious documentary award". OilOnIce.org. Press Release.
- ↑ "2005 Award Winners". International Wildlife Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2005-04-11. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ↑ "Congratulations Moondance 2005 Winners". Moondance Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2006-03-26. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ↑ Past Festivals. Park City Film Music Festival.