{"id":302,"date":"2019-06-08T20:53:35","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T20:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/?p=302"},"modified":"2020-10-28T20:02:22","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T20:02:22","slug":"review-of-our-planet-netflix-narrated-by-david-attenborough-produced-by-alastair-fothergill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/review-of-our-planet-netflix-narrated-by-david-attenborough-produced-by-alastair-fothergill\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Our Planet, Netflix (Narrated by David Attenborough, Produced by Alastair Fothergill)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1]\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/review-the-end-of-ice-and-the-uninhabitable-earth\/\">In Stewart Herman\u2019s reviews of\u00a0<em>The End of Ice\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>The Uninhabitable Earth<\/em><\/a>\u00a0he writes of our \u201cspirits yearn[ing] to grasp the totality of what climate change means for us.\u201d \u00a0In truth, it is probably \u2018<em>un<\/em>graspable.\u2019\u00a0 But we do yearn and we must try.\u00a0 Our survival depends on it. As we work to study, analyze, theologize, and comprehend this complex planet, our intellects may reach into overdrive. \u00a0Feeling overwhelmed, perhaps leaning toward despair, we want to shut down and simply take a walk.\u00a0 Or (dare I say it?) watch TV.\u00a0\u00a0 Paradoxically, today I will recommend TV.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[2]<em>\u00a0Our Planet<\/em>, the Netflix series from David Attenborough offers an immersion into the wonders of our planet as well as the perils destroying it.\u00a0 While stimulating our brains, the documentary\u2019s real brilliance shines forth in its capacity to meld solid science with visual and aural sensory absorption that opens our hearts. We are enveloped in the sights and sounds of a stunning and fragile world that, to-date, still sustains us.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[3] The eight episodes of\u00a0<em>Our Planet<\/em>\u00a0highlight specific environments such as deserts, forests, and seas.\u00a0 These journeys take us from vast and jaw-droppingly gorgeous terrain to the heartbreaking intimacy of a tiny bird\u2019s fight to survive.\u00a0 With Attenborough\u2019s soothing voice, the series quietly and compelling conveys the unrelenting truth that these realities, the vast and the intimate, are connected. They depend on each other to survive and each is eroding.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[4]\u00a0The series uses narrative form, stunning visuals and startling facts to tell the story of how the Earth operates.\u00a0 The effect is hard-hitting, but the approach is not aggressive.\u00a0 In addition to breathtaking beauty, there is much joy and even hilarity (e.g. the dancing birds in episode One).\u00a0 We also experience nail-biting suspense as we get to know the animals struggling to reach receding waters and we find ourselves praying that they will make it.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Our Planet<\/em>\u00a0is evocative both intellectually and emotionally as we increasingly understand and deeply feel our connection to these creatures and this earth.\u00a0 And we also feel and know our complicity in their fate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[5]\u00a0This tension between beauty and the discomfort of complicity pushes toward the question of how we should live in a world that sustains us while we are destroying it.\u00a0 What will it take to keep it alive? This documentary moves beyond Attenborough\u2019s previous work in that it puts climate change at the fore. \u00a0The facts and visuals leave no doubt about the devastation and its implications for the earth and every living thing, including humans.\u00a0 The series is a stunning and poignant plea to save the planet.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[6]\u00a0Attenborough is practical.\u00a0 He urges viewers to consider their own roles and take important action.\u00a0\u00a0 The documentary directs viewers to a website for guidance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[7]<em>\u00a0Our Planet<\/em>\u00a0is ideal for discussion groups or personal use.\u00a0 Viewers at any academic level will find it simultaneously rewarding and challenging. This is an unsparing work that immerses us in visual splendor and staggering loss. We may need all of our senses to begin to grasp the \u2018ungraspable.\u2019 Attenborough\u2019s multi-sensory work adds an important dimension to the ethical task we face.\u00a0 TV is usually no substitute for taking a walk, but this may be the exception.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Stewart Herman\u2019s reviews of The End of Ice and The Uninhabitable Earth he writes of our \u201cspirits yearn[ing] to grasp the totality of what climate change means for us.\u201d  In truth, it is probably \u2018ungraspable.\u2019  But we do yearn and we must try.  Our survival depends on it. As we work to study, analyze, theologize, and comprehend this complex planet, our intellects may reach into overdrive.  Feeling overwhelmed, perhaps leaning toward despair, we want to shut down and simply take a walk.  Or (dare I say it?) watch TV.  Paradoxically, today I will recommend TV.  Our Planet, the Netflix series from David Attenborough offers an immersion into the wonders of our planet as well as the perils destroying it.  While stimulating our brains, the documentary\u2019s real brilliance shines forth in its capacity to meld solid science with visual and aural sensory absorption that opens our hearts. We are enveloped in the sights and sounds of a stunning and fragile world that, to-date, still sustains us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review: Our Planet, Netflix (Narrated by David Attenborough, Produced by Alastair Fothergill) - Journal of Lutheran Ethics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/review-of-our-planet-netflix-narrated-by-david-attenborough-produced-by-alastair-fothergill\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Our Planet, Netflix (Narrated by David Attenborough, Produced by Alastair Fothergill) - Journal of Lutheran Ethics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Stewart Herman\u2019s reviews of The End of Ice and The Uninhabitable Earth he writes of our \u201cspirits yearn[ing] to grasp the totality of what climate change means for us.\u201d In truth, it is probably \u2018ungraspable.\u2019 But we do yearn and we must try. Our survival depends on it. As we work to study, analyze, theologize, and comprehend this complex planet, our intellects may reach into overdrive. Feeling overwhelmed, perhaps leaning toward despair, we want to shut down and simply take a walk. Or (dare I say it?) watch TV. Paradoxically, today I will recommend TV. Our Planet, the Netflix series from David Attenborough offers an immersion into the wonders of our planet as well as the perils destroying it. While stimulating our brains, the documentary\u2019s real brilliance shines forth in its capacity to meld solid science with visual and aural sensory absorption that opens our hearts. 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