Monumental: David Brower's Fight for Wild America

"The story of how a 1930s rock climber became the greatest conservationist of the 20th Century"

2004 1h 28m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 2

Documentary

Synopsis

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From the moment David Brower first laid eyes on the beauty of the Yosemite Valley, he wanted to the fight to preserve the American wilderness for future generations. The story of a true American legend, Monumental documents the life of this outdoorsman, filmmaker and environmental crusader, whose fiery dedication and activism not only saved the Grand Canyon (among other accomplishments) but also transformed the Sierra Club into a powerful national political force, giving birth to the modern environmental movement. Seen through Brower's own eyes - he was an accomplished filmmaker, and his stunning footage is included here-- a 1956 raft trip down Glen Canyon, before its damming, evokes the awful sadness of losing public land we've failed to protect. And in period footage of Brower's early rock-climbs (done in sneakers, with hemp ropes) and of his training in the 10th Mountain Division (who defeated the Nazis in the high Alps).

“The story of how a 1930s rock climber became the greatest conservationist of the 20th Century”

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Cast

David Brower
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kelly Duane de la Vega
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega, shot by Sophie E. Constantinou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tony Saxe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story of how a 1930s rock climber became the greatest conservationist of the 20th Century".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0427557 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kelly Duane de la Vega directs. Sophie E. Constantinou behind the camera. Tony Saxe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 22 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega, shot by Sophie E. Constantinou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Tony Saxe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Marketing tagline: "The story of how a 1930s rock climber became the greatest conservationist of the 20th Century".
7IMDB entry: tt0427557 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.