Environment

Inspired in part by the Irwin Allen film The Story of Mankind (1957), Environment is a featurette that is a cross between a Pirandello play, a science fiction film by Edward D. Wood Jr., and a mundane scientific documentary. The premise is that five individuals from one community, Eagle Valley, are abducted by aliens who then put them on trail for environmental crimes as typical representatives of the human race. Environment was primarily shown in high schools to stimulate discussion on the balance of nature, pollution, and human consumption.

Directed by Bernard Wilets, Environment leans on a strong ensemble — Robert Cornthwaite, John A. Dean, William Brandt — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about science fiction titles of 1971.