If You Love This Planetis a 1982 Canadiandocumentaryshort filmdirected byTerre Nash,produced byStudio D,the women's unit of theNational Film Board of Canada.
| If You Love This Planet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Terre Nash |
| Produced by | Edward Le Lorrain Kathleen Shannon(exec.) |
| Starring | Helen Caldicott |
| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Terre Nash Jackie Newell (sound) |
| Music by | Karl du Plessis |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | National Film Board of Canada |
Release date |
|
Running time | 26 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70,117 |
Plot
editThe film is a recording of a lecture given toSUNY Plattsburghstudents by Australian physician andanti-nuclearactivist Dr.Helen Caldicottabout the dangers posed bynuclear weapons.While Caldicott speaks about the dangers of nuclear war and what it could mean in terms of casualties, Nash cuts from the speech to black-and-white images of thebombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[1]
Production
editTerre Nashwas a student atMcGill Universitywhen she heard a lecture byHelen Caldicott.Nash decided to create her first film based on the lecture.[2]
The film was created byStudio Dwith a budget of $70,117 (equivalent to $200,644 in 2023). The NFB's Board of Governors stated that the film was the "hottest film sinceNot a Love Story".TheMinistry of External Affairsopposed includingRonald Reaganin the film.[3]Footage fromRecognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter,a 1943United States Department of Warfilm, featuring Reagan was used in the film. The NFB opposed including the footage of Reagan, but allowed it to stay in the film after six months of debate.[4][2]
Release
editThe film was meant to be shown at theUnited Nations'sConference on Disarmament.It debuted in theUnited Kingdomwhen it was screened by the London Socialist Film Co-op.[5]
TheCanadian Broadcasting Corporationdeclined to broadcast the film, "because it takes a strong position on nuclear arms and does not give a balanced and objective view of the subject", and that they could not counter the film as it would be difficult to assemble a discussion panel including supporters of nuclear war.[6]The film was later shown on the CBC newsmagazineThe Journal.[3]
Reception
editOn 13 January 1983,[7]the American distributors ofIf You Love This Planet,Acid Rain: Requiem or Recovery,andAcid from Heavenwere ordered to register as foreign agents by theUnited States Department of Justiceciting theForeign Agents Registration Act.The films were also ordered to be labeled as political propaganda.[1]Barry Keene,a member of theCalifornia State Senate,filed a lawsuit against the order. In 1983, an injunction against the DOJ was issued by U.S. District JudgeRaul Anthony Ramirez.In 1986, theSupreme Court of the United Statesagreed to hear the case; on 28 April 1987, inMeese v. Keene,it ruled five to three in favor of the DOJ.[8][9][7][2]
U.S. SenatorTed Kennedyhosted a screening of the film for members of theUnited States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.John Robertsstated that he expected a film to be banned in the Soviet Union, but not the United States. The Canadian government requested for the order to be rescinded.[2]
Accolades
editIf You Love This Planetwas the seventh film by the NFB to receive anAcademy Award.[10]Nash thanked Reagan in her Oscar acceptance speech for the added publicity.[11]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | April 11, 1983 | Best Documentary Short | If You Love This Planet | Won | [12] |
Legacy
editIn 1992, Caldicott published the book,If You Love This Planet: A Plan to Heal the Earthand, from July 2008 to November 2012, hosted a weekly radio program calledIf You Love This Planet.[13][14]
The film is available for streamingthrough the National Film Board of Canada.
See also
edit- Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott,a 1981 feature-length documentary film.
- Nuclear Addiction: Dr. Rosalie Burtell on the Cost of Deterrance(Nash, 1986).
- A Writer in the Nuclear Age,featuring authorMargaret Laurence(Nash, 1985).
References
edit- ^abEvans 1991,p. 283.
- ^abcdHays, Matthew (12 March 2023)."The Reagan administration labeled a film 'propaganda.' It won an Oscar".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on June 17, 2023.
- ^abEvans 1991,p. 283-284.
- ^Beard & White 2002,p. 23.
- ^Matthew Hays,"Montreal Oscar Stories: Two of the city's award-winners reminisce"Archived2002-08-23 at theWayback MachineMontreal Mirror,March 21, 1997. Accessed 2008.12.18.
- ^Nelson, Joyce (1983)."Film Reviews/Terri Nash's" If You Love This Planet "".Cinema Canada.ISSN1918-879X.
- ^ab"Meese v. Keene".FindLaw.Archivedfrom the original on 20 November 2022.
- ^Evans 1991,p. 284-285.
- ^"Justices Accept 'Propaganda' Case: Supreme Court To Hear 'Propaganda' Films Case".Los Angeles Times.22 April 1986.Archivedfrom the original on 20 November 2022.
- ^"'The Mask' Publicist In N.Y. "National Film Board.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2023.
- ^"If You Love This Planet".cfe.tiff.net.Canadian Film Encyclopedia.Retrieved8 March2023.
- ^Evans 1991,p. 284.
- ^"If you love this planet: A plan to heal the earth".Choice Reviews Online.30(2): 30–0879. 1992.doi:10.5860/choice.30-0879.S2CID128697913.
- ^"Program Information - IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET WITH DR. HELEN CALDICOTT IS NOW OFF THE AIR|A-Infos Radio Project".
Works cited
edit- Beard, William; White, Jerry, eds. (2002).North of Everything: English-Canadian Cinema Since 1980.The University of Alberta Press.ISBN0-88864-398-5.
- Evans, Gary (1991).In the National Interest: A Chronicle of the National Film Board of Canada from 1949 to 1989.University of Toronto Press.ISBN0802027849.