The smell of cedars steeped in rain : a history of film and the national parks

Abstract

The national park system reflects a defining aspect of American identity: a fundamental connection to nature. In many ways the history of the national park system is a history of American attitudes toward wilderness and nature. Art and artists have played a crucial role in that history, particularly writers, photographers, and painters. However, the nonfiction films that portray the national parks are mostly educational in nature, and too often fall short of the joyful representations that celebrated painters, writers, and photographers have created for and in the parks. I propose a less interpretive, more immersive model for national park films.