Theresa Corvino - Planet Earth

Planet Earth
Dir: Alastair Fothergill
2006

Planet Earth is a epic undertaking for any filmmaker, especially of a documentary nature. The film takes a segment to devote to each area of the world and dives far into it to display the beauty and wonder of the world as it is meant to be seen.

Planet Earth, although it does not have a human subject matter, does attempt to portray a message about its subject matter and how the creators think we should view them. They see the world as beautiful apart from what man has created and they see it as something that should not be touched or destroyed by men. And though the message is popular and widely believed, it could be considered a propaganda film because it does not look into any other position except their own. They spend the entire time showing the positives and do not consider the negatives.

They also employ a voice of authority by use of a narrator that is famous in their own right. The BBC version is narrated by David Attenborough and the American is Sigourney Weaver. This gives the film a god-like narrator that speaks with authority as though it is fact and ultimate truth.

One of the greatest positives about how Planet Earth was filmed was the fact that it was filmed in a direct cinema style. The cameramen spent months in their environment, carefully watching in a way as not to disturb their subjects. It is clear in watching the documentary that the subjects did not have any idea of the presence of a human among them.