MovieChat Forums > Manufactured Landscapes (2007) Discussion > Good but too shallow

Good but too shallow

posted 12 years ago by Zoomorph
3 replies | jump to latest

I commend the photographer's comment about letting the viewer form his own opinions rather than force feeding them his. However, to do that the viewer needs to be shown a great deal about the situation so he can understand how it fits in the world. Unfortunately the photography in this film is all basically the same thing shot in a few different locations. There is very little context or explanation of anything relating to the pictures. It leaves the viewer with lots more questions but no answers. I must say it was often beautiful, thought provoking, and captivating to watch, but this film ultimately fails to provide the substance it could have.

The one thing that really rustled my jimmies was the shots of nervous chinese workers performing menial labor. It's scary how disciplined they are. They are not like us in the west who are all spoiled, lazy, morally corrupt, and over-confident in our countries.

~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~

[–] blindfotwonine 12 years ago

The beginning shows a huge assembly line and the mannerisms you describe, then it cuts to the military style barracks of the workers...
The climax of that scene feeds directly into his photography exhibition...
Then we see another assembly line making irons, and in one of the most gorgeous transitions ever caught on film, we are taken to a chinese dump (or 'recycling facility') which leads into scenes of mountains of waste (and strip mines), and then the giant transport ships, which segue's into scenes of globalization, modernization and hyperconsumerism.
Combine this *well defined narrative* with all the shots of people and communities making their existence in these 'unlikely' places, and you have one of the *deepest* documentaries in existence...

If you seriously couldn't follow this film, it's because *you* failed to interpret it without being force-fed.
Exactly like the review that says it "makes for a mind numbing experience", some people lack, or have lost the ability for deep, unguided contemplation, and this movie may not be for them.

Which is unfortunate, because there is a lot to be had here.

[–] Zoomorph 12 years ago

The point is that this movie is not particularly useful for "deep, unguided contemplation" because it doesn't show nearly enough of the big picture of industrial china. Nobody has a problem transitioning from workers in a factory to some other nearly identical context. A mind numbing experience? Perhaps (there are much better ones though). Insightful, thought provoking, leads to deep thinking, provides some sort of intelligent commentary? Nope.

~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~

[–] blindfotwonine 12 years ago

What more about the "big picture of industrial china" do you need to see?

How many films show the scale of human endeavor as well as this?

And how many do it without tainting their gorgeous photographic/cinematographic artwork with narrow-minded opinions?

It is what it is. Some people are capable of pulling their own commentary out of such things, some want it sketched in crayon for them.