Crude Impact 2006
Distributed by The Video Project, PO Box 411376, San Francisco, CA 94141-1376; 800-475-2638
Produced by Jennifer Jandak Wood and Joanne Shen
Directed by James Jandak Wood
DVD, color, 3 hrs. 33 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Economics, Environmental Studies, Ethics, History, International Relations, Transportation, Technology
Date Entered: 07/31/2009
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication, University of California, Santa BarbaraThese two films focus on the impact of oil on the economics, environment, and technology of the 20th and now the 21st century. Crude Impact has won numerous awards, and examines the entire history of oil throughout history and in world cultures and economies. It asks questions concerning our current and future dependence on oil, and contains an additional hour of interviews on 9/11, alternative fuels, globalization, and many other topics. Shifting Gears is a short, light-hearted look at our dependence on oil, and what would we do if we couldn't get it or ran out of it. It also provides a very short history of oil, though only from the invention of the diesel engine. These two films, with their two different foci and audiences, have broad-ranging audiences and impacts despite both their similarities and their differences. Viewing both is an interesting educational and enlightening experience.