As a gamer who lived through the 80s and 90s, I was taken aback by “The White House Effect.” It’s like watching a game of chess where one side keeps promising to protect the environment, only to reveal they were just setting up a checkmate for Mother Nature.
In my perspective, “The White House Effect,” crafted by Bonni Cohen, Pedro Kos, and Jon Shenk, doesn’t keep its audience on the edge of their seats for long before delivering its most jaw-dropping scene.
At a modest press gathering held in August 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush publicly committed to combating global warming.
“It can be done and we must do it and these issues know no ideology,” Bush says.
He points out that skeptics who question the possibility of making real change regarding the greenhouse effect may have overlooked something crucial – what he terms the “White House Impact.” Essentially, this refers to the power held by the government in making significant policy adjustments for the greater public welfare.
Currently, if you hadn’t experienced that era yourself, you might find it hard to comprehend his statement, as Bush declared himself, that he was the “candidate for the presidency with an environmental focus.”
Spoiler alert: He was not.
Spoiler alert: Those issues did not, in fact, turn out to know no ideology.
Caution: The so-called ‘White House Effect’, humorously portrayed as beneficial by Bush, was actually detrimental. In several aspects, the Bush administration marked a turning point that we haven’t recovered from since then.
From Bush’s 1988 declaration – a time when street interviews (some of which you see here) suggested a widespread national agreement on “saving the planet” – to the 2024 election campaign, where discussions about climate change have scarcely surfaced, it’s puzzling how we arrived at this point.
The White House Effect sets the initial stage for this exploration. In 96 minutes, you’ll feel both shocked and disheartened. You may also find yourself craving further insights on many of the loosely drawn aspects, as this work is a comprehensive overview rather than a detailed academic treatise. Despite its limitations, it effectively makes its point.
The movie is made up solely of old recordings, which falls under the category of documentaries often linked to Brett Morgen’s work such as his “30 for 30” series entry titled “June 17, 1994”. This type of presentation excludes any fresh interviews with the participants, expert opinions from outside sources, or a perspective from a different time.
The format tends to maintain us in an ongoing present tense, though it often strays from this norm. In “The White House Effect,” the timeline is manipulated in a way that’s somewhat unconventional, starting in 1988 before moving back to Jimmy Carter’s 1977 speech on the energy crisis, and then advancing through the Bush administration. I found the frequent jumps between time periods to be less enjoyable. However, when it concentrates on a specific topic or event, like on June 17, 1994, “The White House Effect” excels. It performs exceptionally well when it stays focused.
At the heart of “The White House Effect” lies the conflict between William Reilly, Bush’s chosen environmentalist for the EPA, and John Sununu, Bush’s chief of staff who fiercely opposed Reilly’s ideals. It explores how two individuals in non-elected roles were able to exert such a profound influence on Earth’s future. This is the intriguing story told by the documentary.
Many significant discussions and disagreements that ultimately shaped events occurred in private settings, away from the watchful eye of cameras. Unfortunately, there’s no video evidence showing Reilly and Sununu arguing heatedly with Bush looking on approvingly. What we are left with are indirect signs: changes in Bush’s public statements, media reports about the international environmental conferences the U.S. hesitated to attend, fragments from confidential documents. The filmmakers have taken on a daunting challenge and have done an admirable job, navigating the complexities of their task.
The “White House Effect” presents us with characters such as environmental scientist Stephen Schneider, a passionate advocate, and Al Gore, who fought valiantly; however, we also encounter antagonists like Sununu, seizing one of the most significant powers in historical terms. Reilly, positioned between these extremes, was a man who aspired to bring about change from within, yet it appears his efforts ultimately resulted in dismal failure. The task of documentarians and historians becomes complex as they must scrutinize his non-verbal cues during press conferences and carefully edited interviews to piece together his story.
The filmmakers subtly manipulate our feelings at times, especially when the on-screen events are somewhat unclear, according to Ariel Marx’s score. I can accept this creative choice. However, my criticism lies in the inclusion of recent retrospective interviews with significant figures. To me, such interviews conducted in 2019 with Reilly or late-life interviews with Schneider, seem to border on using talking heads and narration, which I feel undermines a more authentic portrayal for some viewers. Some might appreciate the reflection, though.
I was also left with questions about a few details that the film evades. This was the same period during which the hole in the ozone was another major priority in the environmental debate. How and why were policy solutions able to produce tangible results on one front of this battle — nobody talks much about acid rain anymore — while the objectives outlined in the documentary mobilized the likes of Rush Limbaugh and turned environmentalism into another piece of the culture wars? I guess I understand why a 90-minute movie would avoid the complication, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing for the 10-part series that embraced it.
Exploring “The White House Effect” provides an enlightening starting point for understanding how things have developed, while keeping the curiosity alive about a topic that seems under-appreciated in current discussions.
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2024-08-31 19:55