Dirt! The Movie

2009
7.1| 1h26m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 07 August 2009 Released
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Budget: 0
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Official Website: http://www.dirtthemovie.org/
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A look at man's relationship with Dirt. Dirt has given us food, shelter, fuel, medicine, ceramics, flowers, cosmetics and color --everything needed for our survival. For most of the last ten thousand years we humans understood our intimate bond with dirt and the rest of nature. We took care of the soils that took care of us. But, over time, we lost that connection. We turned dirt into something "dirty." In doing so, we transform the skin of the earth into a hellish and dangerous landscape for all life on earth. A millennial shift in consciousness about the environment offers a beacon of hope - and practical solutions.

Genre

Documentary

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Director

Bill Benenson, Gene Rosow, Eleonore Dailly

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Dirt! The Movie Videos and Images

Dirt! The Movie Audience Reviews

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.
David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. "Dirt might be more alive than we are." It could be a tag line for the newest horror flick, but instead it's one of the key elements to this well presented and informative documentary that's been around, and discussed, for a few years.Inspired by William Bryant Logan's book "Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth", the three filmmakers roll out interviews from what must be a some kind of world record in professional diversity: farmers (of course), Mycologist (had to look it up), Professors, Physicist, a Pastor, Entomologist, Anthropologist, Ecologist, Horticulturalist, a Native American spokesperson, a prison worker, photographer, a wine expert (who eats dirt) and even a Nobel Laureate. This group would make up quite the dinner party! Doing much more showing than telling, the film avoids the doom and gloom of so many "destroying the earth" documentaries and instead uses splashes of animation to lighten the mood, while still making serious and important points. Still, the negative light is directed at monoculture farming (single crop over large land areas), strip-mining, logging, fertilizers and pesticides.On the bright side, hope is provided through many isolated efforts of those trying to save the dirt! These aren't extremists picketing corporate farms, but rather groups of people doing what they can. Rooftop gardening and schoolyard gardens (by ripping out asphalt) are two of the most interesting. A fascinating point is made that if Ethiopia were properly farmed, it could feed all of Africa.The story of Clyde's pickup is pretty interesting as well - though I wondered why it never got towed. We get a history lesson on the use of dirt as a building material, and how man's greed created the Dust Bowl, but somehow the one thing that is stuck in my head is Dino Pee ... the point that all of Earth's water is continually recycled, and every glass of water we drink goes back millions of years and could contain traces of ... well you get the idea.
Billy Frederickson it's awful because it is about dirt and it was boring, but if it was made into a musical, I'd dig it! Dirt is a dry movie. There is no heart and soil in it as it describes in the tag line. I was super excited for this movie only for it to be one I wish I could bury in my backyard. It lacked substance. I was really looking forward to using this movie for my class on environmental biology for the dirt chapter, but it would put my students to sleep. Yes, all those puns were intended, as that's the type of person I am. Haha. Don't watch this movie. I found nothing positive to add to this review because it was just a waste of my time. For your own sanity, please do not watch the movie Dirt!, unless it is recreated in a more entertaining manner.
rquern Dirt! The Movie systematically and cyclically lays out the relationship between dirt and humankind. The film makes a strong case for taking care of the environment and sustaining the soil. Everything we do from agriculture to mining impact the soil. The recurring theme is that dirt is a living organism, and without it, human life will not continue as we know it.Overall this film gives a fair account of the environmental impact of dirt, and the importance of sustainable practices to keep our dirt, and ourselves, alive and healthy. There are a couple accounts of religious connections with dirt, and potential environmental impacts that some would view as over the top. If this film is viewed with an open mind it can provide knowledge and insight to a topic that is more important than many realize, and the dirt animations give a fun perspective to the dirt's side of the story!
meow9 Dirt! did a good job of touching on important issues facing soil today - monoculture, artificial fertilizer, soil erosion, desertification, slash and burn, etc - as well as some solutions for better soil care and conservation - compost, polyculture. What it did a poor job of was presenting how all the issues are interrelated through physical and biological processes (e.g. nitrogen cycle, life and death). The formation and roles of soil were sadly under-explained. The viewer is left with a scattershot impression of trouble but the big picture is woefully incomplete.My sense is that the documentarian wanted to emphasize the spiritual and emotional rather than the scientific or even economic aspects. This bias makes it a good film for the uninitiated - those who need to be impressed with the value of the 'skin of the Earth' - but those who keep abreast of ecological disasters-in-the-making would probably prefer a film with a more compelling, cohesive, substantive narrative.Too bad, because soil is an extremely important resource, and everyone should know its value and the consequences of mismanagement. Dirt! delivers the right message, but if only it would deliver it more persuasively...