Customer Reviews

What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire (Licensed for Individual Use Only)

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"What a Way to Go" is a 123-minute ode to life as it could be, as it should be, as it has been in a distant past, and in some way, as it is now, as rejective of reality as that may be. We, who should be stewards of the earth, have instead tragically become its dominators, bending the rest of life to our will. But there remains the hope that within us are the seeds of wiser people and a better world.

I have seen a number of films on Peak Oil, climate change and the other ills of our society and planet (yes, even Nobel Laureate Al Gore's Oscar-winning "An Inconvenient Truth"), but none has moved me so much as this one. While it does include some facts and figures, it primarily deals with the human psyche--the emotional and spiritual pain experienced by those living in, or victims of, industrially civilized countries. It builds a deep emotional and spiritual connection between the viewer and the planet on which we live, and the fellow creatures of all forms with whom we share life on this planet. It becomes clear that the suffering we experience as humans is shared by the entire biosphere. Because of the beliefs which have entrapped us, we are alienated not only from nature, but from each other and, indeed, from our true internal nature. What we have done to our planet we have also done to ourselves.

I have never seen a film quite like this before. The many brilliantly chosen film snippets--usually archival--are mesmerizing. Somehow using film clips from decades past creates a feeling of distance, connection and immediacy, all at the same time. I can't explain it, but I found their use extremely effective. Despite the often staccato use of the film clips, and the frequent interspersal of talking heads, the film flows smoothly, carrying us along in its grip as it goes. This is largely due to the narrator (writer/director Tim Bennett), whose words are interesting, compelling, and powerful, delivered with a soothing calmness and more than a touch of sad weariness, and because of the superb editing of the film, which according to the credits was done by Bennett and producer Sally Erickson. It is also a tribute to the film's very effective original music score.

"What a Way to Go" is a two-hour poem of great power and beauty. It is the story of a personal journey, yet a journey that is also deeply universal. A journey that encompasses ignorance, awareness, fear, depression, denial, grief and despair. But when denial can no longer be maintained, and grief and despair can no longer be endured, there remain two options. Once is self-destruction; the other action. The narrator chooses action.

The topic of this film is human life, and our survival. "What a Way to Go" addresses many of the major threats to our life as a society which are, as we all know, coming together to form a "perfect storm"--a nexus of catastrophe that could sweep many, if not all of us, into extinction. Peak Oil quickly becomes a simple hors d'oeuvre as the film moves on to climate change, mass extinction, population overshoot, famine, disease, toxins and other threats to civilization.

Interestingly, the film identifies agriculture as the point where trouble first began for the human race. Growing food instead of gathering food became humanity's first truly disruptive technology. The logical outcome of being able to--and needing to--stay in one place was cities, which by their very nature cannot be sustainable. They have no choice but to be dependent on resources from outside their area.

Agriculture appears to have been the point of division, the time when humans began to change their surroundings rather than simply live within them. It was the beginning of our separation from--or at least our perceived separation from--nature. More than 10,000 years later, it can best be expressed by the words of that wise observer of society and human nature, Woody Allen, who has said: "I am at two with nature."

I referred above to "talking heads". A better term would be "talking hearts" or even "talking souls". Although scientists are interviewed, the majority of the commentators in the film are writers, artists, academics and others who demonstrate clearly that our society should give equal time to the creative observers of our society. Some of the better known are Thomas Berry, Jerry Mander, Daniel Quinn, William Catton, Derrick Jensen, Chellis Glendinning, Richard Heinberg (in his role as a generalist and humanist as well as a Peak Oil expert), Richard Manning and Ran Prieur. They and many others offer insightful observations on our society, our plight and our possibilities. They speak with concern, caring and humaneness.

The film could easily be seen as a major bummer. The reality of our planetary situation is grim, and the movie pulls no punches. Depression and despair are expressed, discussed and absolutely not dismissed. Indeed the narrator cautions us toward the end of the film that there will be no happy closing chapter.

But the filmmakers are not without hope. Were they, there would have been no film. They leave us with the recognition that even if we are facing societal death, we can face that death with honor, knowing that we have tried everything we could to right the wrongs that we ourselves have created. If we lose, let that loss be noble. And maybe, just maybe, we might tap into that strength that comes from recognizing that all life on this earth is not just connected, but one. It would be a glorious finish, and even more glorious were we to come out successfully on the other side.

"Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid."
- Basil King [from the film]

Mick Winter is the host of DryDipstick.com and the author of Peak Oil Prep: Prepare for Peak Oil, Climate Change and Economic Collapse

Quite depressing. Like going to a funeral, it is unpleasant, and yet deeply touching, moving, and worthwhile. Elicits introspection. Rather than preachy or energizing, the mood is profound grief over humanity's impact on "our" planet. The viewer is assumed to already be familiar with over-population, peak oil, global climate change, pollution, species extinction, and resource depletion. This movie sears the guilt and grief of that into one's soul.

There is no happy chapter, no talk of solar energy and technological rescue, but instead just a call to be more awake, more questioning, and more active in cleaning up the debris, just in case there is any hope left for our survival. By de-emphasizing statistics and ratcheting up sorrowful emotions, this documentary stands apart in its genre. It's uniqueness thus warrants your effort to seek it out and view it.

If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.
--Martin Luther [from a deleted scene in the movie]

one of the most important movies of our time -
the information is concise and well documented.
buy it now and show it to everyone in your family!!

I saw this film twice in the space of 24 hours. The first time I was a bit overwhelmed with its length, intensity and level of detail. The second time I cried through most of it. The primary message it convays is apocalyptic. It doesn't back away from the very strong possibility the human species will be extinct by the end of the century. I would say the primary motivation of the film is to break through the immense denial of modern industrialized society. If we really want to save the human species, it's probably not enough to change our lightbulbs and insulate our homes. We probably to quit our jobs to lobby government at all levels to take the necessary steps to reduce carbon emissions by 80% - which is what it's going to take in the industrial north.

The film does quite a good job at explaining fossil fuel depletion and the science of global warming and extreme weather events. It also talks a lot about denial and why individuals, communities and countries find it so hard to make the massive changes they know must occur.

It's convinced me. As of 10 weeks ago, I have left my job to work full time in my community lobbying for government support - at the national and local level - for the major lifestyle changes we all must make.

Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall, author of THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY ACT: MEMOIR OF AN AMERICAN REFUGEE

PLEASE INGNORE THOSE REVIEWERS WHO GAVE THIS DVD LESS FIVE STARS

Let me say firstly, that I have gone through many periods of denial and rejection in the last half a year whilst viewing all manner of documentaries that portray the human situation and there collective impact on other systems of the Planet Earth. However, I cannot help but see with better clarity the further I go into this exploration and journey and every time I go deeper the levels of denial and rejection become more ludicrous until finally the truth that humans are destroying the planet becomes irrefutable and plainly self-evident. We are depleting the sea of life by fishing for sea-food, we are poisoning the rivers and watersheds, we have turned most of our arable land into either desert of have poisoned it, we have caused ecological and environmental disasters that have caused other species to die out and the planet to warm beyond what many species can tolerate, we have destroyed over 90 % of the trees on the planet, and we are not even happier for it, in fact we are less happier than ever. Hmm...I wonder why that could be?

The reviewers who have given this a 1 star rating really have not understood the planets situation fully. It's really very simple. For our current monetary system, and by extension our industrial and technolgical society to survive it needs to constantly expand. Why? Because all the money is created out of loans (be it perusal, bank of national loans) or debt, it has no physical backing like gold or silver. What does this mean? It means two important things. 1) that we can keep lending as much money into existence, as it is not held back by an immediate physical reserve like gold or silver (in fact most money today is digitised or just numbers in computers) and 2) that because money is loaned into existence we have to pay interest on that loan which necessitates the pursuit of profit in any economical endeavour. Thus we are force to continue to expand (i.e. gain a profit) by our society (economically, and therefore industrially and commercially) because of the way money is created and used within our society. This traps us in a model that is essentially based on the premise that we can have continued growth within our economy. However, its not just about money, in order to have continued growth we would need an infinite supply of environmental resources like fossil fuels, minerals, wood, plant and animal life, water and soil. But this is impossible on a finite spherical planet: it just cannot sustain our model of continued growth. From this understanding of the economy, one can clearly see the effects on other systems within the planet such a model would have and is having.

The truth and stark clarity of the content of this DVD shows, without any sugar coating, the utter tragedy which humans have brought upon there own home. This film portrays, through brilliant synthesis, the most important issues of our times: THAT WE MAY IN ALL LIKELYHOOD SEE A GREAT REDUCTION IN ALL LIFE ON PLANT EARTH. This makes this one of the most important documentaries ever produced. While this may sound pretty harsh, viewers would be advised to weigh all the information out there before coming to a firm decision as to the possibility that human can or are causing a mass extinction.

Viewers who gave this less than 5 stars or only 1, perhaps have only had a cursory glance at the information without going into its details and impactions. When we first hear about the possibility of our industrial, technologically advance society collapsing or being unable to continue on its current trajectory of indefinite growth we are apt to think it is ludicrous rubbish spouted from over enthused doomsayers. LET THIS BE CLEAR. Too actually think along such dismissive lines is the mark of people who have only just started to scratch the serface of our current global situation and who perhaps have found it too scary a prospect to continue their journey. Perhaps they just go back into unconsciousness by watching repeats of Family Guy?

Anyway, I would advise people who but this DVD to go to the authors website and by the bundle pack which includes over 10 hours of lightly edited footage of all the people they interviewed for this DVD. These people are among the foremost commentators on today's planetary situation. It is a complete gem of a compilation, comprising of 3 bonus DVDs and I found it to be the most helpful thing yet in helping comprehend the larger picture of our current planetary climate; socially, ecologically, economically and environmentally. Again ignore the people, who gave this less a 1 star rating, they simply have not comprehended its content sufficiently.

I agree wholeheartedly with Mick Winter's 2/22/2008 review of the "What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire" documentary.

Ever since childhood I have been keenly aware that something was not quite right in "River City." Since that time I have read much and viewed many documentaries that touch in singular depth upon the various elements that this documentary refers to.
But not until I viewed this documentary have I found anything that so succinctly combines and relates all of these elements within a single volume.

The first step in finding a solution to any problem is in recognizing that there is, in fact, a problem that needs solving.
In our too short (and ironically too long) lifespans we (especially those of us who have been fortunate enough to inhabit the wealthiest nations) may grow oblivious to the damage that our species imposes upon the world and the role that each of us plays as causative agents.

Although the documentary clips are most apropos to North American and Western societies, the message is universal and, in my opinion, This DVD should be REQUIRED VIEWING for EVERYONE upon the planet.

"What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire" should be universally translated (at least with subtitles) in all languages and made AVAILABLE AT COST to anyone who wishes to FREELY DISTRIBUTE ITS MESSAGE.
I believe that is in the spirit of its message, and if the message is to have its opportunity to really inform and change us it must be seen and heard by most, if not all of us.
The message is just too important to be limited by lcensing fees and financial gain.

Anything related to Daniel Quinn (author of Ishamel) will make you ponder. Following his offered perceptions is similar to a right-handed person deciding to write a thesis in pen, left-handed. It makes you stay in the present moment and t-h-i-n-k.

I've had to approach this DVD in small bite sized pieces...am still chewing.

The script is poetic, editing superb and the mood is tranquil in immense forbidding doom. This documentary is definitely aimed at the Oscar award crowd. Whereas Al Gore thinks we can save our world by buying energy saving light bulbs, the narrator of What a Way to Go relishes the coming apocalypse. The narrator's message is made crystal clear. We are all living in a pre-apocalyptic time bubble ready to pop! According to the experts on here, humanity is rationally walking into a very large gas oven, with eyes wide open. This herald of doom is what we are flayed with, for a painful two hours. The talking heads are undeniably very clever talking heads, with structured arguments that seem logical but extreme in a kinky kind of way. They all have books to promote and they are well published; it's like they really want it to happen. But hey, it may be my bubble existence that makes me blinkered. Now it's time for the bad part of my review.
Although the documentary is stamped with quality and blows away all the rubbish on the Discovery channel, I was distracted by the puny voice over. The guy talking the main narration bit sounds just like Brian from Family Guy (apologies to Family Guy fans). A nasal little boy voice emanating from a middle aged man; crying about his childhood, this voice ruined my enjoyment of an otherwise well produced film. Trying to watch this film with that horrid voice is analogous to viewing a renaissance masterpiece whilst being trapped for two hellish hours with a shy stuttering dribbling Claudius with a fetish for necrosis. This is a shame because what Brian says Brian says with a beautifully written script in front of him. Most documentaries are voiced in an Al Gore dead-pan drone. This writer attempts to write his voice script in beautiful poetry, however, no matter how well written the script may be, this doesn't make the writer a good orator.
It's funny the way a man's ego works. You would think that a guy who worries about the coming apocalypse, and makes a film about it; well you would expect him to be fairly selfless and empathic wouldn't you? He would want to produce his well packaged film to get his message out. The message would be the reward itself but the man has an ego to feed, so he sits in his basement and insists that he will do the voice over himself! It would be like Steven Spielberg elbowing Harrison Ford aside because he's the director and he's going to be Indiana Jones! God, the guy must be a walking beacon of insecurity, demanding to be heard on his masterpiece of a film! (I'm assuming that he wrote it because there is allot of "I", this and, "I" that, "when I was a child", "I worry" blah blah). We instinctively adopt a veneer of sneering defensive superiority; especially if we know Family Guy, I mean, its Brian's voice, but only depressed and sad and more nasal than Brian (I'm not knocking the voice acting on Family Guy; it's obviously superb. The actor who plays Brian talks fast and articulate and very comic; this guy's voice has none of these good points).
The guy should have hired a voice actor. You cannot be too proud when you're trying to save the planet. A woman's voice is handy in these suicide situations. Psychologists argue we can more easily identify with with a female voice. Well I can anyway.

Essentially; Family Guy learns Yoga and tries to become Michael Moore. If you have a partial brain and are not caught up in the mindless consumer culture, then there is nothing here for you. If you think a Bilderberger is to be eaten with a beer, think college is a waste and drive a giant truck, then you have come to the right place. This video is tard 101 and has been made for the despicable middle class that has allowed via denial and willful stupidity to let the politicians run amok while the brain dead "Good People" enjoy mountains of gadgetry and hours of mindless Escapetainment.

The admonition at the beginning of this DVD, "What a Way to Go: Life at the end of Empire," reads:

"This documentary is long and dense. Don't try to understand and integrate it all
the first time through. Just let it wash over you. And let yourself feel it."

Good advice! Critical thinking will only get in your way. If you think or question while watching this hyperbolic, mind-numbingly repetitive propaganda, you will immediately realize that it is nothing more than a one-sided, nihilistic, naive, simplistic, whining rant, offering no hope or solutions.