THE UNFORESEEN
Price: $195.00 Code: 2298 |
Directed by Laura Dunn
2007, 93 Minutes
Purchase: $195 Classroom Rental: $95
The politics behind the environmental movement is the subject of this acclaimed, award-winning documentary from director Laura Dunn and executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford.
In the 1980s, at the height of the Reagen era, developer Gary Bradley came to Austin, Texas to capitalize on the city's expansive population growth. His ambitious plan called for the transformation of four thousand acres of pristine hill country into one of the state's largest and fastest-selling subdivisions.
When residents discovered the development threatened Barton Springs, a much-beloved naturally spring-fed swimming hole and fragile limestone aquifer), the community decided to fight back, sparking one of the nation's earliest and most important environmental movements.
It was an extraordinary win - but one that would be short-lived.
This engrossing, beautifully crafted documentary intimately chronicles the ensuing political battle - a masterfully orchestrated campaign by Dick Brown, one of the state's most powerful lobbyists - that would lead to the defeat of Ann Richards and the election of newcomer George W. Bush.
Featuring interviews with Gary Bradley, Dick Brown, Robert Redford, Willie Nelson, Ann Richards, and economist William Grieder, among many others, The Unforeseen links one community's struggle to protect its natural resources to a larger examination of economic development, urban sprawl, environmental sustainability and the American dream.
* World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival, 2007
* Official Selection, South by Southwest Film Festival, 2007
* Official Selection, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, 2007
* Official Selection, Documentary Fortnight, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2008
* Official Selection, Planet in Focus Film Festival, 2008
“A stunningly grand and beautiful movie!” – Mark Nichol, San Francisco Chronicle
“The Unforeseen is something rare: a documentary as beautiful as it is provocative.” – John Powers, Vogue
“One of the most extraordinary accomplishments in recent American nonfiction filmmaking. A beautiful, soulful work about real estate development and sprawl... and if you think that’s impossible you haven't seen it.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com
“The Unforeseen unfolds like a tragic whodunit with the Earth itself being the victim of the crime…” – Kenneth Turan, LA Times
“Extraordinary! Evokes the rapturous transcendentalist quality that surfaces in Malick’s own films.” – Jim Ridley, Village Voice
“The Unforeseen achieves ambitions that most documentaries don’t even harbor.” – Nicolas Rapold, New York Sun
“Stunning! A classic Americana tale.” – Logan Hill, New York Magazine
“An ingeniously scaled, unusually resonant documentary.” - Nathan Lee, Village Voice
“I cannot recommend [The Unforeseen] too highly… has such a rich sense of place that it rips you up in ways that other, less-rooted documentaries don’t.” – David Edelstein, New York Magazine
“One of the great documentaries of our time.” – Chris Barsanti, Film Journal International
“The most winning environmental documentary in years.” – Max Goldberg, San Francisco Bay Guardian
“A superior documentary!” – Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
“A work of art. Open your eyes to this must-see doc.” – Geoff Berkshire, Metromix LA
“Informative, inspirational, and downright poetic.” – Jack Matthews, New York Daily News
“Invigorating viewing! The Unforeseen is for nature both a paean and an elegy, and for contemporary American nonfiction a challenge, in both scope and aesthetic.” – Michael Koresky, Indiewire
“A fine and important film. The surprisingly gripping narrative unfolds like a Capra-esque epic full of moral dilemmas and questionable characters…” – Ken Fox, TV Guide
“Essential viewing! The kind of transformative viewing experience that has made the current period a golden age for nonfiction film. As a cinematic contemplation of human activity on the planet it far surpasses An Inconvenient Truth.”– Robert Koehler, Variety
2007, 93 Minutes
Purchase: $195 Classroom Rental: $95
The politics behind the environmental movement is the subject of this acclaimed, award-winning documentary from director Laura Dunn and executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford.
In the 1980s, at the height of the Reagen era, developer Gary Bradley came to Austin, Texas to capitalize on the city's expansive population growth. His ambitious plan called for the transformation of four thousand acres of pristine hill country into one of the state's largest and fastest-selling subdivisions.
When residents discovered the development threatened Barton Springs, a much-beloved naturally spring-fed swimming hole and fragile limestone aquifer), the community decided to fight back, sparking one of the nation's earliest and most important environmental movements.
It was an extraordinary win - but one that would be short-lived.
This engrossing, beautifully crafted documentary intimately chronicles the ensuing political battle - a masterfully orchestrated campaign by Dick Brown, one of the state's most powerful lobbyists - that would lead to the defeat of Ann Richards and the election of newcomer George W. Bush.
Featuring interviews with Gary Bradley, Dick Brown, Robert Redford, Willie Nelson, Ann Richards, and economist William Grieder, among many others, The Unforeseen links one community's struggle to protect its natural resources to a larger examination of economic development, urban sprawl, environmental sustainability and the American dream.
Subjects & Collections
Environmental Studies Architecture American Studies Cinema Studies Economics Urban Studies Political Science 2008 Directed by Women
Festivals & Awards
* Winner, Truer Than Fiction award, Independent Spirit Awards, 2008* World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival, 2007
* Official Selection, South by Southwest Film Festival, 2007
* Official Selection, Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, 2007
* Official Selection, Documentary Fortnight, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2008
* Official Selection, Planet in Focus Film Festival, 2008
Reviews
“The movie An Inconvenient Truth wanted to be. Visually rich, narratively ambitious... transcendent.” - Mark Holcomb, Time Out New York“A stunningly grand and beautiful movie!” – Mark Nichol, San Francisco Chronicle
“The Unforeseen is something rare: a documentary as beautiful as it is provocative.” – John Powers, Vogue
“One of the most extraordinary accomplishments in recent American nonfiction filmmaking. A beautiful, soulful work about real estate development and sprawl... and if you think that’s impossible you haven't seen it.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com
“The Unforeseen unfolds like a tragic whodunit with the Earth itself being the victim of the crime…” – Kenneth Turan, LA Times
“Extraordinary! Evokes the rapturous transcendentalist quality that surfaces in Malick’s own films.” – Jim Ridley, Village Voice
“The Unforeseen achieves ambitions that most documentaries don’t even harbor.” – Nicolas Rapold, New York Sun
“Stunning! A classic Americana tale.” – Logan Hill, New York Magazine
“An ingeniously scaled, unusually resonant documentary.” - Nathan Lee, Village Voice
“I cannot recommend [The Unforeseen] too highly… has such a rich sense of place that it rips you up in ways that other, less-rooted documentaries don’t.” – David Edelstein, New York Magazine
“One of the great documentaries of our time.” – Chris Barsanti, Film Journal International
“The most winning environmental documentary in years.” – Max Goldberg, San Francisco Bay Guardian
“A superior documentary!” – Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
“A work of art. Open your eyes to this must-see doc.” – Geoff Berkshire, Metromix LA
“Informative, inspirational, and downright poetic.” – Jack Matthews, New York Daily News
“Invigorating viewing! The Unforeseen is for nature both a paean and an elegy, and for contemporary American nonfiction a challenge, in both scope and aesthetic.” – Michael Koresky, Indiewire
“A fine and important film. The surprisingly gripping narrative unfolds like a Capra-esque epic full of moral dilemmas and questionable characters…” – Ken Fox, TV Guide
“Essential viewing! The kind of transformative viewing experience that has made the current period a golden age for nonfiction film. As a cinematic contemplation of human activity on the planet it far surpasses An Inconvenient Truth.”– Robert Koehler, Variety
Further Reading
- Download the film’s press kit (includes director’s statement and background information)
- Visit the film’s official website
- Read an interview with Robert Redford from the LA Times
- Listen to a review of the film on NPR's Morning Edition
- Watch PBS's 'NOW with David Brancaccio' featuring The Unforeseen