Educational Media Reviews Online

I wish I could be more optimistic about the fate of the Amazon rain forests. I really don’t see much of an effort to eliminate the root causes of their destruction - overpopulation, poverty, short-term thinking, but most of all greed. This well-meaning film gives me some hope that women can be educated to preserve the rain forests as part of their own self interest. This eco-feminist message is both timely and encouraging. .

Daughters of the Canopy was partially funded by the Ford Foundation. Brazilian farmers from the Quinandeau region invited Dr. Patricia Shanley, an American ethno-botanist, to show how local forests are valuable for other things besides wood. Using pictographic books for instruction, she showed how fruits and herbs can be harvested for food and medicines—important for the mainly subsistence Amazonian farmers. It’s important to emphasize the long-term benefits of the rain forest over the short term gains of quick money for local lumber.

Unfortunately, the problem withDaughters of the Canopy is not its message, but the video itself. It is not particularly well structured or interesting. Basically, the film lacks focus—cutting back and forth between political “consciousness raising” meetings to interviews with villagers about deforestation. Moreover, Daughters of the Canopy’s length could easily be cut - much of its content is repetitive. The critical conflict between the Amazonian farmers, and ranchers is not sufficiently explored. In addition, the anticlimactic political protest against the local government, near the end of the film, looks too contrived and unconvincing. I found myself frequently becoming bored by the video. Finally, even the summary on the back of the video’s box was crudely cropped leaving out part of the description.

A variety of editing techniques were used in making this film. These included pans, fades, and cutting. Background shots of the Amazon or Jungle were used for variety. Sound was good and subtitles were clear and easy to read. Music was unobtrusive and frequently provided by local amateurs. However, the quality of some of this local music left something to be desired.

I’m sorry I can’t recommend this video. It covers an important issue, the survival of the Amazonian rain forest, but it is just not interesting enough or well structured enough to include in a college or university non print collection.