Stewart Udall: The Politics of Beauty
Bullfrog Films
•
1h 18m
Directed by John de Graaf • Documentary • 2022 • 78 minutes
Stewart Lee Udall was the most prominent and effective Secretary of the Interior in American history.
Stewart Udall: The Politics of Beauty is a feature documentary that examines the trajectory of Udall’s life from his childhood through his Mormon mission, his World War II service, his student years at the University of Arizona, his time in Congress, and then, most significantly, his years as Secretary of the Interior and beyond.
The film introduces us to the birth pangs of modern environmental politics, to figures like Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, David Brower, and John Saylor. We see how Udall’s ideas evolved, best illustrated in his conversion from a pro-power dam Arizona representative to the Interior Secretary who dealt the death blow to proposed Grand Canyon dams. We examine his long fight to win compensation for Navajo Indians and “downwinders” who got cancer from their exposure to radiation during the Cold War without being warned of the dangers. And we see the relevance of his concerns—he was the first public official to speak out about global warming, for example—to our current day crises.
Up Next in Bullfrog Films
-
Reflection: A Walk With Water
Directed by Emmett Brennan • Documentary • 2021 • 79 minutes
The conditions that make life possible are rapidly changing. Reckoning with this reality on the cusp of another dry season that may very well ravage his community, 30-year old filmmaker Emmett Brennan embarks on a remarkable journey to...
-
Not A Still Life
Directed by Roberta Cantow • Documentary • 2014 • 59 minutes
Not a Still Life is a portrait of Steve Stone, an older gay, Jewish man who shares the naked truth of the struggles, joys and sorrows of his unconventional life a life full of captivating tales. With both humor and raw honesty, Steve t...
-
Accordions Rising
Directed by Roberta Cantow • Documentary • With Guy Klucevsek, William Schimmel, Pauline Oliveros • 2016 • 74 minutes
What if everything we thought we knew about the accordion were wrong? This film shatters the mistaken notions and tells the real story. Accordions have returned, not only with am...
