About Us

www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from Flickr tagged with ojaipost. Make your own badge here.


© 2006-2008 The Ojai Post
all rights reserved

The views expressed herein are the personal views of each individual author or commenter and are not intended to reflect the views of The Ojai Post or its Authors, Tribal Core or Tyler Suchman as managing editor.

Back to The Ojai Post home

EARTHLINGS

A Yoga in the Ojai Valley DVD Review

Small51zVUpvjBaL._SS500_.jpg

EARTHLINGS
Nature Animals Humankind MAKE THE CONNECTION

Written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.
Narrated by Academy Award Nominee Joaquin Phoenix.
Music by critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby.

This is the single most powerful and informative movie about society's treatment of animals! A must-see film for anyone who cares enough to know.
-- Woody Harrelson

The Humane Society calls EARTHLINGS "The definitive documentary film of all times that Americans don't want to see. "

If I had to name one movie that I want everyone to see, including my family, friends and yoga students, it would be EARTHLINGS . Then they would understand why I am so adamant that human beings must speak out on behalf of animals.

I saw EARTHLINGS with a friend. We are both animal advocates and have seen footage of slaughterhouses, fur farms, and other atrocities in other documentaries. We thought we were mentally prepared to see this film. We were not. We both wept and had to take periodic breaks. Several weeks have passed and even now, when I lie down on my yoga bolster and close my eyes, I cannot get the images I saw on EARTHLINGS out of my mind.

Narrated by Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix, EARTHLINGS is a feature length documentary about humankind's absolute economic dependence on animals raised as pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research. Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, EARTHLINGS chronicles the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit. It includes segments on pet stores, puppy mills and animals shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and experiments by the medical and scientific profession.

EARTHLINGS is the most comprehensive documentary ever produced on the correlation between nature, animals, and human economic interests. It is by far the most powerful and informative movie about society's treatment of animals that I have ever seen. And, although much of the movie is difficult to watch, there are many uplifting parts, especially at the beginning and end.

EARTHLINGS is a masterpiece. If enlightenment begins with disillusionment, I guarantee you will be well on your way after you see EARTHLINGS!

For features, clips and a transcript of the film, visit www.IsawEarthlings.com.

Philosophically, EARTHLINGS reflects the writings of naturalist and author Henry Beston,

We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.

Note:
A transcript of the film appears on the website.This quote is originally from Henry Beston's book, The Outermost House

Comments (11)

Suza - You are obviously not the person that needs to see this movie. It's unfortunate that the people that do need to see it, usually don't!

EARTHLINGS should be mandatory viewing by all of humankind.

More and more every day I become aware of areas where animals are exploited (usually cruelly). In fact, it appears that animals are viewed largely as existing simply for our benefit. I so wish that all animals could just enjoy their lives. More than that, I wish that all people could know just how much exploitation of another species of living beings is going on in the world today. This film could help.

Anyone who has the audacity to say things like, "But we need factory farms", "I don't want to know", "I just love animals too much" or "The Bible says we have dominion...", should then have the cajones to watch this film. It's time to pull the wool from your eyes and know the truth. Only then can you truly form an opinion. Otherwise, your opinion is based on ignorance and is worth nothing.

But we need factory farms !

Great review! Now we need to get "Earthlings" played in the theater in downtown Ojai.

Suza,

Thank you so much for this thoughtful post. I don't think the transcript of Earthlings can possibly do it justice because it is the visual reality that carries the impact. Also, the little film clips available on the website do not really accurately reflect what the film is actually about.

So there is just no substitute for actually seeing the DVD. But is it widely available? Can it be rented locally in video stores?

David, if you would be willing to call the local video stores and find out if they have EARTHLINGS, that would be great. If they don't have it, please ask if they can order it.

Also, ask the library. If they don't have it I will donate a copy so people can check it out for free.

Ingrid Boulting (yoga teacher) would like to show EARTHLINGS at Sacred Space Studio. I will announce the date here.

There is a free 7-minute clip on the website that is worth watching.

Great!
Let's have an Earthling party/benefit at Sacred Space.
Free admission if you come as a critter.
and free yoga classes to best costume.
(I'll come as "downward facing dog" ("adho mukha shvanasana"))
Can it wait till early April when I return from "Spring Breaqe"?

Great idea El.A!

Yes, the timing will be closer to Earth Day (April 22)or in May.

I have a loan copy if anyone wants to watch it or show to a group.


I found a free download of EARTHLINGS. The beginning of this spiritual film is quite moving and beautiful. Please let us know if you watch it. I wish all churches would show this film for Easter. Then Christians might have mercy on the animal kingdom.

http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=119

Back to The Ojai Post home

Post a comment

Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. You also agree not to impersonate any regular authors or commenters with the intent to participate in deceptive dialogue. Violators may be banned.

Please treat fellow commenters with civility and respect, as if you were engaging in person. Despite differing opinions, we would all like to see Ojai's character and quality of life preserved and improved for generations to come. We're in this together.