since it opened last Friday but evidently not. Go see it, ASAP! It's entertaining, timely, well researched and tells an important story about the power of the auto companies, other entrenched interests, and associated politicians to take down enterprises that threaten them. From the
NYT review:
A murder mystery, a call to arms and an effective inducement to rage, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" is the latest and one of the more successful additions to the growing ranks of issue-oriented documentaries. Like Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" and the better nonfiction inquiries into the war in Iraq, this information-packed history about the effort to introduce -- and keep -- electric vehicles on the road wasn't made to soothe your brow. For the film's director, Chris Paine, the evidence is too appalling and our air too dirty for palliatives. . . .
Continued below the fold.
As Mr. Paine forcefully makes clear, the story of the electric car is greater than one zippy ride and the people who loved it. From the polar ice caps to Los Angeles, where many cars truly are to die for, it is a story as big as life, and just as urgent.
The film opens in more cities this weekend. Just like with Al Gore's film, it's important to go on opening weekend to help give the film "legs." The theater release schedule is here.
The film takes a murder-mystery approach to investigating the development - in response to the 1990 Zero Emissions Mandate in California - of an appealing all-electric vehicle, its enthusiastic acceptance by a small but vociferous user base, and demise. Suspects considered are the auto companies, consumers, the oil industry, California regulators, the Bush administration, battery technology, and hydrogen fuel cells. In addition to telling this story, the film takes up the impact of the gasoline engine on air pollution and global warming. It also looks at the development of the hybrid by Toyota and Honda - surprisingly (to me), as a result of research sponsored by the Cllinton administration and killed by the Bush administration - and the future of the plug-in hybrid. The film's one shortcoming is that it mentions only in passing that all-electric vehicles are appearing on the commercial market. Ranging from the $80,000 Tesla Roadster to the $9,000 Xebra, a "city car" developed by Zap, several varieties are featured in USA Today's Electric cars lighting up again.
The film, which was highlighted at the Sundance and other film festivals, also features numerous interviews including Ralph Nader, Tom Hanks, actress-turned-EV-activist Alexandra Paul, ex-CIA head James Woolsey, electric vehicle technology experts, and auto company apologists.
What triggered this diary was an email from Chris Paine, who wrote and directed the film, which someone forwarded to me. He says,
Thanks for helping us roll out Who Killed the Electric Car?! We've got traction. So far we've opened in about 50 theaters and we have another 50 to go.
Tomorrow we tape "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart in New York City. Nerves and self-esteem issues aside, it will be great exposure.
We've gotten dozens of great reviews from publications ranging from "The Economist" ("Go and see Who Killed the Electric Car") to "Ain't it Cool News". Ebert and Roeper gave us their two thumbs up and we are scoring "89%" from Rotten Tomatoes which keeps track of all reviews good and bad. You can read many of them here.
GM purchased full page ads in the trades as well as all Google searches related to "Who Killed the Electric Car" and its film's participants. The claims they make fall short and dodge our big question about why Detroit is so hooked on gas powered vehicles. Alexandra, Paul, Wally, Bob, Peter, Ed and many of us have met some amazing audiences in cities from Portland to Atlanta to Miami to Boston to Seattle to LA.
Thank you for your emails to your friends and going to theaters when the film arrives in your town. The film usually plays for a couple of weeks per theater but in many cases, it has been extended thanks to your support. Individuals calling local theaters has also booked a few more cities and festivals for us. In short, everything you are doing is making a difference in helping this story reach more people.
The future is electric ...
CHRIS PAINE