Ruminations on Nature and the Modern World

List creator: ladawna Created on: June 28, 2003 - 11:14 AM PDT Description: Excellent movies that tackle the connection - and disconnect - between the natural and the man-made

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	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Directed by Werner Herzog who actually DID move a boat over a mountain in the rainforest in order to film this movie about a man doing the same. Ice as a gift in the jungle, Opera on the Amazon, and Klaus Kinski as the man who tries to control nature.
	Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)			Not Rated
An earlier Werner Herzog film, this one about Spanish conquistadors looking for El Dorado. Fantastic visions of men wearing metal while rafting through the jungle. Shot in a documentary type style that pulls you in. Herzog's first work with Klaus Kinski.
	Walkabout (Criterion) (1971)
A masterpiece that juxtaposes the Aborigine and European cultures of Australia. On one hand an open-eyed love letter to the natural world - on the other an unsettling rumination on the tragic bounds of any environment or culture.
	Picnic at Hanging Rock (Criterion Collection) (1975)			Not Rated
A mysterious, haunting film that explores the effects of civilized repression when a group of girls wearing corsets go for a picnic in the Australian wilderness, and some of them never return.
	The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
A true independent filmmaker, John Sayles has created a film that feels like a wonderful, magical bedtime story. A young girl discovers that her family history, and perhaps their future, is VERY closely tied to the sea.
	Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Starring The Desert as a main character.
	Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control (1997)
A documentary about 4 different men: a robotics engineer, a lion tamer, a topiary gardener, and a biologist who studies naked mole rats. Fascinating, charming, insighful reminder that life is, indeed, a bit out of control.
	The Qatsi Trilogy (Criterion) (Disc 1 of 3): Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance (1982)			Not Rated
This one is for you to watch, not for me to talk about.