Monumental: David Brower's fight for wild america

Once upon a time, the Sierra Club was merely a loose group of happy hikers who didn’t think much further than the next hill. But when David Brower took over in 1952, he brought a sense of urgency and environmental awareness to the organization, which went on to save national treasures like Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument and large stretches of the Grand Canyon from mining and destruction. This film pays tribute to Brower’s vision by restoring the archival footage he shot of America’s Western wilderness from the thirties through the sixties. The restoration techniques and an indie-rock soundtrack (Yo La Tengo, the Fruit Bats, Beachwood Sparks) give this film anotherworldly aura, which is fitting because so much of the footage is of another world’s lost world. Haunting scenes of Glen Canyon in its full, pre-flooded magnificence remind us that Brower’s fight was not always victorious, and there’s plenty of work left to do. 17th and University Ave. SE, Minneapolis; 612-331-3134; www.mnfilmarts.org