The Solar Film (1980)

Admirable film.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This short mixes animation with live action to campaign for moving toward solar energy use as a source of power for business and residential customers. There are mild spoilers ahead: This short briefly, through the use of animation, covers energy sources through human history, covering the benefits and problems of oil, et cetera, before beginning a very mild sermon on the benefits and advantages of solar energy. The producer and directors were a trifle optimistic in thinking that things would take off within five years, but solar power is now one of the power sources which can be seriously considered a good alternative, particularly in areas where there's lots of sunlight most of the year.Here in Arizona, solar is a viable option and a fair number of businesses and residential properties have gone solar and installed panels, to the point where local utilities have in some instances gotten on the bandwagon.This short is very well done and is worth searching out. Recommended.

Combining his known animation elements with real images and using of a lovable good humor, Saul and Elaine Bass tells us about the importance of sun in our lives as one of the primal energies to ever exist, and advocates the use of solar energy in houses and places, because it's good, it minimizes the use of all wasting energy sources and it's natural. As evidenced in the closing credits they (along with Robert Redford who is co-producer of this film) wanted to raise awareness on the theme and hope that by 1985 people would adapt or make more use of this system. Not sure if it changed things back then, and it's still a challenge to companies invest in those but we came a long way in changing our habits towards the environment. It was cool, informative and greatly produced. The animated segment was the most fascinating with a timeline going from the sun's power as the basic energy on Earth and jumping to mankind wasting all possible resources, a chaotic evolution presented in fun drawings and small dialogs, just like Bass did in the Oscar winning "Why Man Creates". Real fun stuff and a great idea easily sold. 10/10