Last night in Los Angeles, the L.A. Film Festival presented a screening of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The outdoor event drew about 2,000 people by my decidedly lay estimate. As you might expect it was a sociable crowd of environmentally aware citizens.
But this was no ordinary film screening. The event began with Festival representatives welcoming the overflow crowd and then introducing the film's director, Davis Guggenheim. Guggenheim spoke about the film's inspiration, development, and subsequent impact (so far) before introducing the film's "star", Al Gore.
And that's not all...
Brought to you by...
Gore's speech was genuine and direct. After thanking everyone involved, he expressed his view that this was more than movie, it was a cause. He described it as a mission to change the minds of the American public. By opening their hearts and minds he hoped the film would serve as a call to action - to,
"help the nation rise up to our moral responsibility."
But before the screening could begin, Gore announced that there would be an appearance by a couple of special guests. He then introduced Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. The duo performed a passionate acoustic set that began with Living On A Prayer. Then they played their new song, Who Says You Can't Go Home, which surprised Jon by going to #1 on the country charts. Next was an outstanding cover of Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello's What's So Funny ('Bout Peace, Love and Understanding)?. They closed with their own mega-hit, Wanted, Dead or Alive.
While I was never a fan of Bon Jovi's pop rock, I knew they had it in them to impress because I was once fortunate enough to see them at an after-concert gig in a small club where they played nothing but Motown covers. That's when I saw what must have excited early fans when the band was playing bars back in Jersey. I wondered if the tens of thousands of people who saw them earlier that evening at the stadium show could have possibly known what they were missing.
After the Bon Jovi/Sambora set, there was a movie.
All in all, it was a great evening where.....Oh, maybe I should say something about the movie.
Not having seen it after several weeks in release, I had been exposed to hundreds of opinions, reviews, critiques, smears, and adulations. You might say that I had a predisposition to appreciate and agree with the film's content. But it went so far beyond my expectations. The case for prodding the world to take much more aggressive measures to forestall what is a profound crisis, was made with clarity, logic, and passion. If this movie succeeds as a contribution to saving our planet from environmental ruin, it should then be made required viewing in every film school as a lesson in effective documentary production. How they took what was essentially a slide show and turned it into a compelling and emotional drama, I'm still not sure, even after seeing it.
One thing is for certain: Everyone must see this movie! Those who are unfamiliar with the threat our planet faces must see it to gain the knowledge that will produce action. Those who are aware of the nightmare that awaits us must see it for inspiration and motivation. Those who have seen it must evangelize it to the world. If you have ever participated in a Get Out the Vote campaign, then you know what your job is now. And make no mistake, this campaign is as important as any election you've ever worked on.
On a personal note, I met a Festival volunteer who was helping with crowd management. His name was Jihad, though his name tag said, "Bob". He recently returned from 18 months in the Army where he served in Iraq and Guantanamo. I thanked him for his service and we talked for half an hour about his experiences.
The conversation was extraordinary because there are so many potential points of conflict between us. He described himself as a conservative, whereas I am an avowed left-winger. He is of Christian Palestinian descent, and I come from European Jews. But we were both born in L.A. and love it to death. He enlisted in the Army on September 12, 2001, and was visibly consumed with pride for what he viewed as helping the Iraqi people. He emanated an infectious sense of satisfaction and despite our differences, we agreed on the core principles of American values. It was an honor to have met him.
The single most overarching conclusion I came away from this event with, is that Al Gore must not run for president in 2008. Anything that distracts him from this crusade would be shameful. The presidency would be a step down, in terms of importance, from the mission that Gore has set himself upon with this film. It is, in fact, a mission he began long before this film.
The presidency is, of course, a powerful podium, but it is also a drain that saps energy by diverting it in so many directions. As president, Gore would have to deal the economy, the budget, healthcare, defense, immigration, trade, foreign affairs, and thousands of bits of minutiae that never end. Frankly, Feingold, Clark, Edwards, Warner, and Clinton are all capable of doing that. But none of them can do what Al Gore can do for the environment.
When I think of Gore arguing with members of the House over a highway bill, or meeting with a visiting prime minister from Sweden, I think what a monumental waste of time that would be (no offense Sweden). And there are thousands of such duties that would distract a President Gore from what I consider to be a far more important job. Gore said in the movie that many politicians prefer to ignore the environmental crisis because, if the were to acknowledge it, the moral imperative to do something about it would be inescapable.
I think Gore has his work cut out for him and I can't see anyone else that can fill those shoes. If Gore were to become president and advance all of the policy issues I listed above, but slow down the effort to reverse global warming, the world will be worse off for it. Gore is doing now what the world needs him to do and I will support him all the way.