the Verge
PROFILE
Elizabeth Lopatto
Guest
FROM Elizabeth Lopatto
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How 'natural' are nature documentaries? The signature scene in the Oscar-winning 1958 Disney documentary “White Wilderness” features a mass suicide of lemmings. That scene was disturbing for the faint of heart, but that’s not why the film is now infamous. It turned out the whole thing was staged and the lemmings did not voluntarily jump to their deaths – they were pushed to their deaths by the film crew. Filmmakers have gotten better about not engaging in outright animal cruelty these days, but nature documentaries still fake quite a lot, like adding sound effects in post-production. Are filmmakers being dishonest or is a certain amount of fakery to be expected?
Recommended
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Bookworm
Claudio Magris: Blameless In Claudio Magris' Blameless, a museum of the implements of war and destruction is created to inspire peace. But this conversation is not just about war and peace.
The Treatment
Lucia Micarelli: An Evening with Lucia Micarelli Violinist and actress Lucia Micarelli visits The Treatment to discuss her emotive performances as she prepares for PBS' An Evening with Lucia Micarelli.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?