Cancer – Film Series:

A Chinese proverb says that a picture is worth a thousand words. Taking that metaphor a step further, I would like to suggest, a film is worth a thousand pictures, and a series, well, you decide how many. In other words, while reading books and papers, and watching lectures can take your understanding of cancer far, you can go much farther by watching high quality documentaries on the science and human experience of cancer as well as the societal influences that shape our body of knowledge and our practice of cancer medicine and prevention.


 1. Ken Burns – Emperor of All Maladies, Part I, II, and III

PBS Documentary - Home Page

Available on Amazon Prime: Emperor of All Maladies

Available via the MSU Library:

Episode 1: Magic bullets

Episode 2: The blind men and the elephant

Episode 3: Finding the Achilles heel

 
 

3. Pink Ribbons, Inc.

http://firstrunfeatures.com/pinkribbonsinc/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QPZfcYTUaA

Available on Amazon Prime: Pink Ribbons, Inc.

Available via MSU Library: Pink Ribbons, Inc.


4. The History of Asbestos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yz4H_7JFQo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCLlqLztLeo

 

5. Rachel Carson: She set out to save a species… us.

American Experience, PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/rachel-carson/

Chapter 1

Available on Amazon Prime: Rachel Carson - American Experience

Available via MSU Library: Rachel Carson - American Experience

6. A Sense of Wonder – On the work and life of Rachel Carson

http://www.pbs.org/asenseofwonder/

7. Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment

http://www.livingdownstream.com

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2UsmBqYpwo

Available via MSU Library: Living Downstream

 

8. A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle For A Living Planet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pUREoZWILg

Available on Amazon Prime: A Fierce Green Fire (full film)

Available via MSU Library: A Fierce Green Fire

 


 
 

9. Company Town (2016)

The story of an intense election campaign to determine the fate of San Francisco, the city at the epicenter of the digital revolution.

https://www.companytownfilm.com/

Trailer: https://www.companytownfilm.com/trailer

Available via MSU Library: Company Town


 

10. Jim Allison: Breakthrough

PBS Independent Lens

In 2018, Jim Allison won the Nobel Prize for discovering the immune system’s role in defeating cancer, but his lengthy journey to get there was filled with barriers and criticism. 

Full film (PBS subscription required): Jim Allison: Breakthrough

Trailer


 

11. Merchants of Doubt (2014)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ii9zGFDtc

Full film on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpAehajGu30

Available via MSU Library: Merchants of Doubt

 

12. Capital in the 21st Century

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reyy9ASpMSc

Available on Amazon Prime: Capital in the 21st century

Selected additional suggestions:



1. HOME - 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

 

2. Food, Inc.: How industrial food is making us sicker, fatter and poorer : and what you can do about

http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/

https://watchdocumentaries.com/food-inc/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJiNC_7wuw

Full movie » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oq24hITFTY

Companion book (eBook via MSU Library)

 

3. Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnrBQEAM3rE

 

4. George Lakoff: "The Brain and its Politics"

Talk at University of Oregon

Talk at the Commonwealth Club, San Francisco, June 2008

More info » https://georgelakoff.com/

 

5. Chief Oren Lyons:

"We Are All Part Of The Earth"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSwmqZ272As

 

6. Chief Oren Lyons et al.: "We Are All One"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EWIp1IPmM

 

7. Greed - A Fatal Desire

Deutsche Welle TV Documentary: Greed

 

 

9. Four Horsemen (Janson Media, 2014)

Rather than level blame for the global financial crisis of 2008 and the growing disparity in wealth on individual leaders, organizations, or incidents, Four horsemen raises questions about the validity of the modern economic system as a whole and presents solutions to its problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU

 

10. Inequality for All: Robert Reich

"We make the rules of the economy - and we have the power to change those rules." - Robert Reich

A passionate argument on behalf of the middle class, INEQUALITY FOR ALL features Robert Reich - UC Berkeley professor, best - selling author, and Clinton cabinet member - as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. The film is an intimate portrait of a man whose lifelong goal remains protecting those who are unable to protect themselves.

https://www.inequalityforall.com

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9REdcxfie3M

Full film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LkMWP2Q2A

Available via MSU Library: Inequality for All

More info » http://robertreich.org/