If A TREE FALLS: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

A Marshall Curry Production

Oscar nominated Documentary

Sundance Film Festival 2011 Winner

This year all 5 Oscar Documentary nominees were exceptional. The Documentary, Foreign Language, and Short Films are the categories I love most about the Oscars. It was a great delight to find that Air Canada was showing “If A TREE FALLS: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” on the flight back from LA to Toronto. ‘J.Edgar’, anotherOscar nominee was also being shown. ‘J. Edgar’ is a biopic about one of the US’s most powerful men at the head of what he built to be one of the most powerful law enforcement organization in the United States – the FBI. It chronicles the rise of J. Edgar Hoover and the ruthless and illegal methods he used and coerced others into using and approving to achieve his goals. It is fully reviewed on myETVmedia.

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) had been operating for years but between 1995 and 2001 monkey wrenching in the form of arson became a method of choice for the group.  They eluded law enforcement and carried out tactical monkey wrenching activities against corporations and organizations they perceived as being instrumental in creating catastrophic environmental damage with impunity.

If A TREE FALLS: is a true story about an organization that was put on the FBI’S MOST WANTED LIST as the “number one domestic terrorist threat” in the United States (before 9/11 when true domestic terrorism was fully delineated). The documentary chronicles the activities of the Earth Liberation Front. The focus of the documentary is on Daniel McGowan who was arrested along with 13 others across the country on Dec. 7^th, 2005 in a nationwide sweep by the FBI of radical environmentalists. It traces Daniel’s life, and provides fascinating details of events that lead to his involvement in the group. Footage and interviews of events both before and after the arrests are remarkable and create indelible images of the issues.

This documentary was thoroughly enlightening as to the crimes of the ELF members and the crimes they accused corporations, law enforcement, government and the social system of having supported and/or committed. Law enforcement agencies, government organizations, corporations and institutions did take a brutal, vicious, ‘might is right’ approach to citizens exercising their freedom of speech and trying to ameliorate preventable environmental destruction. It sparked the change in approach by certain activists who became the ELF. Writing letters, holding peaceful protests and signing petitions seemed foolish in their eyes in light of full out attacks with pepper spray, rubber bullets, batons, assaults and arrest. Not to mention double crossing and evasion by elected bodies and officials. The Occupy Movements of today have much in common with this story. This documentary has a sobering and important message for everyone.

http://www.ifatreefallsfilm.com/film.html

J Edgar Review:
https://myetvmedia.com/film-review/j-edgar-demythologizing-hoover/

Moira Romano