Interesting that the two previous 'comments' for this film are from 'film fans' who have opinions about no other films! The complaints mentioned--that the film is based on 'biased' science, and that the spokesperson for the Vinyl Institute was extremely convincing--don't outweigh the considerable evidence on display here. To set the record straight: Judith Helfand DID interview two scientists associated with Greenpeace. She also interviewed a scientist, previously employed by the vinyl industry, who agreed with the contention that, yes, PVC is a potential toxin. There are also interviews with an Italian scientist, other American scientists, and a plethora of PVC victims who became seriously ill after exposure in the workplace to PVC. On a less contentious note, this is one of the most enjoyable 'doomsday' docs out there, and Ms. Helfand is a delightful and entertaining host, even as she points out the obvious: big money will always trump public health and environmental safety.
18 Reviews
Very good documentary
thomkay0712 February 2008
Although made on a lower budget than some of the more popular documentaries of late, "Blue Vinyl" is an excellent film. This investigative work of environmental journalism does a great job of telling the story in an informative, accessible way. It is difficult to appropriately incorporate humor into a documentary about toxic chemicals. It is equally difficult to make a documentary about plastic interesting to watch. But, Helfand and Gold achieve both of these feats. While the story is told from Judith Helfand's perspective, she is not the focus of the film. As a result, the viewer has a character to latch onto without distracting from the story. If you enjoy documentaries, or you're just curious about the topic, this is a great film to watch.
Partially one-sided, but an overall enjoyable account of an otherwise boring topic. ***Partial Spoilers***
404NotFound29 June 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Here be spoilers to some degree. In an informative piece such as this movie I don't think it matters too much, but you've been warned.
I know most of you out there don't have PVC on your big list of killers, and that's OK. It's a pretty obscure and boring subject.
When I was flipping around and saw this title on HBO the first thing I thought was "ohh... blue vinyl" and thought I might see some skin. Instead, after a few seconds, I realized this was a documentary. Me, being the glutton for boring subject matter, decided to watch it.
While it is a little one sided, it gives an overall impression of the positives of convenience and the negatives of PVC and gives both opposing arguments from the industry and activists- ranging from the "end user" (her parents) to the ultra-hippie to the corporate exec. While the narrator does give an impression of her own view, it isn't to the point that disallows the viewer to still disagree easily; and that's a nice thing to have.
I loved the shots of people concerned with this issue going out and testing the air themselves, I liked how all involved were calm and overall respectful, and I most liked the opposition between the narrator and her parents. It really brings it down to home- the cost issues and unavailability of other materials was slightly anti-climatic, but gave a good feeling of what really goes on.
Good documentary. 7/10- Maybe not ready for mainstream, but demonstrates excellent promise. A more famous "documentary" maker could learn a thing or two from this girl.
I know most of you out there don't have PVC on your big list of killers, and that's OK. It's a pretty obscure and boring subject.
When I was flipping around and saw this title on HBO the first thing I thought was "ohh... blue vinyl" and thought I might see some skin. Instead, after a few seconds, I realized this was a documentary. Me, being the glutton for boring subject matter, decided to watch it.
While it is a little one sided, it gives an overall impression of the positives of convenience and the negatives of PVC and gives both opposing arguments from the industry and activists- ranging from the "end user" (her parents) to the ultra-hippie to the corporate exec. While the narrator does give an impression of her own view, it isn't to the point that disallows the viewer to still disagree easily; and that's a nice thing to have.
I loved the shots of people concerned with this issue going out and testing the air themselves, I liked how all involved were calm and overall respectful, and I most liked the opposition between the narrator and her parents. It really brings it down to home- the cost issues and unavailability of other materials was slightly anti-climatic, but gave a good feeling of what really goes on.
Good documentary. 7/10- Maybe not ready for mainstream, but demonstrates excellent promise. A more famous "documentary" maker could learn a thing or two from this girl.
A woman on a mission to find a better alternative to her mother's choice of house covering, and get to the bottom of her suspicions of a common chemical.
midapay30 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I think one of the best things about this movie is her depiction of the people, and their variety. Also, I could seriously identify with her frustrations dealing with industry PR and I think she did an excellent job of portraying this in an entertaining and non-venomous way. The PR people, without actually lying, tried to convince her that vinyl was safe *because* it was about half chlorine..."you know...like sodium chloride". Judith was biased, which isn't always a bad thing, but she did show the other side of the story at least somewhat.
This documentary illustrates several controversies surrounding vinyl without going into exhaustive detail. The audience with whom I viewed this film remained involved through the entire things, and literally broke out cheering when...well, I guess that would be a spoiler :)
This documentary illustrates several controversies surrounding vinyl without going into exhaustive detail. The audience with whom I viewed this film remained involved through the entire things, and literally broke out cheering when...well, I guess that would be a spoiler :)
Food for thought...
sagentx200522 September 2007
This documentary is fairly well done. It tells an interesting story about a product many of us are relatively familiar with. The basic techniques were adequate and I had little qualms with the overall product.
I guess if there was a problem with the movie was the overall message. Don't get me wrong, I can totally buy that there may be some harmful materials in vinyl, I am just not sure I found a reasonable solution within the film. It seems to me that sometimes addressing a problem is only a first step and this movie did little other than to wag its finger for 90 minutes.
Finally, while I can understand that there may be some repercussions from vinyl use, I am not sure if I totally buy every lurid detail I was fed. Afterall, the movie started out with a woman looking for a problem... and found one
I guess if there was a problem with the movie was the overall message. Don't get me wrong, I can totally buy that there may be some harmful materials in vinyl, I am just not sure I found a reasonable solution within the film. It seems to me that sometimes addressing a problem is only a first step and this movie did little other than to wag its finger for 90 minutes.
Finally, while I can understand that there may be some repercussions from vinyl use, I am not sure if I totally buy every lurid detail I was fed. Afterall, the movie started out with a woman looking for a problem... and found one
Important, funny, beautifully shot...
kberg21 January 2002
Judith Helfand and Daniel Gold have created a wonderful documentary in Blue Vinyl. Judith's parents have put light blue vinyl siding on her house... but Judith suspects there are serious dangers from vinyl to humans... during its manufacture, if it burns, when its disposed of. Having lost her uterus from DES poisoning, she shares a bond with the cancer victims who work in and live in the shadow of the vinyl and PVC factories. Judith has this gravelly high voice, a quirky sense of humor, and a vulnerability in the face of corporate America that makes her irresistible. Blue Vinyl is also beautifully and imaginatively shot... I saw this at Sundance (2002) and Daniel Gold won the prize for documentary cinematography. There is also wonderful use of music and animation. Highly recommended.
Movie probes tip of iceberg
opusv525 July 2006
This film, already four years old, (successfully I think) explores the toxic potentiality of only one everyday item. There are scores of other contaminants out there, with the growing problem of e-waste something that will impact on everyone sooner or later. There is even a black market in e-waste disposal that sends discarded high-tech components to the developing world for crude deconstruction. One commentator referred to "Blue Vinyl" as "lefty." Actually, he or she should take note: the filmmaker notes that adult toys might contain carcinogens. This could be a big boost for the right, who generally don't approve of such items: scores of vibrators having to be discarded or recalled.
Revealing environmental documentary about PVC or vinyl siding!
tzaniello9 November 2010
Besides a great subtitle--"the world's first toxic comedy"--Dan Gold and Judith Helfand's documentary combines a family drama (persuading Helfand's parents not to use PVC or polyvinyl chloride siding on their home) with a scathing expose of an industry that has been incredibly successful in literally wrapping a toxic product around millions of people. Toting a sheet of blue vinyl siding from episode to episode, Helfand and Gold provide us with a deft touch of what a great documentary can do- -inform, entertain, and warn. Fans of Michael Moore's documentaries will find this film a welcome addition to the canon of documentaries by committed filmmakers who can tell an important story with verve and analytical skill.
Pretty Good... Easy to Watch
lindavgn16 October 2005
I enjoyed the style of this documentary. It wasn't slick like a lot of docs you tend to see out there. But I don't agree that it was just BS like a lot of the reviews I just read here. I think that it is pretty well known information that PVC is toxic to the people who live around the factories, & who make the stuff. When it is in your home it is fairly safe, but if it catches fire then it sends up a lot of toxic fumes.
Ever open a new PVC shower curtain and it stinks up your house for weeks after? That is called out-gassing. A lot of new chemical laden household products out-gas. Like cabinets, furniture, carpets, etc. Google it. Read up.
Ever open a new PVC shower curtain and it stinks up your house for weeks after? That is called out-gassing. A lot of new chemical laden household products out-gas. Like cabinets, furniture, carpets, etc. Google it. Read up.
Cunning, Heartfelt Propaganda, But Worth a Look
ktatlow26 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Blue Vinyl is lefty scare-mongering propaganda, but nevertheless worth a viewing. Helfand gives enough names and references to provide the viewer with opportunity for deeper research if desired. Chemical-phobic true believers will love the film, and skeptics will find plenty of examples of bad science and misleading presentation to debunk and debate.
JH's crusade against vinyl chloride is so intense that she seems unaware of her daily use of hundreds of other synthetics, such as the toxic-spawned semiconductors in her cameras, phones, and transportation. She inflicts this intensity upon her parents, who seem to bear fairly well a level of hectoring that would surely shorten my lifespan if I had to endure it like they did. (I would have had a stroke sometime during the days-long sales presentation by the California mud architect.)
She concludes that wood is a dandy safe building material, and recommends old planking recovered from demolished picturesque mills in New Hampshire, at premium cost. Since the supply of quaint old mills and barns is limited, sooner or later she's going to have to start cutting down forests, and that will probably upset some of her allies. It's not as if there are any work-related injuries or deaths in the lumber industry! (And if your house catches fire, be sure to breathe in that harmless innocent wood smoke; it's so much better for you than PVC combustion products.)
Let me mention just two specific problems with the film: 1) She depicts the Bucket Brigade, a grass-roots air-sampling project in a Louisiana community. But she fails to show whether any _control_ samples were taken, which would establish whether the samples were perhaps contaminated by the _plastic_ bags in which they were collected. 2) She interviews a spokesperson for the vinyl industry (a PhD organic chemist.) She goes out of her way to demonstrate her frustration that the interview is limited to 30 minutes. Well, guess what? She doesn't even show you the full 30 minute interview; she edits it down to about two minutes, most of which is taken up by her canned questions. The least she could have done was to include the full, unedited interview in the DVD extras, but I have a feeling that would have been too fair to her nemesis.
JH's crusade against vinyl chloride is so intense that she seems unaware of her daily use of hundreds of other synthetics, such as the toxic-spawned semiconductors in her cameras, phones, and transportation. She inflicts this intensity upon her parents, who seem to bear fairly well a level of hectoring that would surely shorten my lifespan if I had to endure it like they did. (I would have had a stroke sometime during the days-long sales presentation by the California mud architect.)
She concludes that wood is a dandy safe building material, and recommends old planking recovered from demolished picturesque mills in New Hampshire, at premium cost. Since the supply of quaint old mills and barns is limited, sooner or later she's going to have to start cutting down forests, and that will probably upset some of her allies. It's not as if there are any work-related injuries or deaths in the lumber industry! (And if your house catches fire, be sure to breathe in that harmless innocent wood smoke; it's so much better for you than PVC combustion products.)
Let me mention just two specific problems with the film: 1) She depicts the Bucket Brigade, a grass-roots air-sampling project in a Louisiana community. But she fails to show whether any _control_ samples were taken, which would establish whether the samples were perhaps contaminated by the _plastic_ bags in which they were collected. 2) She interviews a spokesperson for the vinyl industry (a PhD organic chemist.) She goes out of her way to demonstrate her frustration that the interview is limited to 30 minutes. Well, guess what? She doesn't even show you the full 30 minute interview; she edits it down to about two minutes, most of which is taken up by her canned questions. The least she could have done was to include the full, unedited interview in the DVD extras, but I have a feeling that would have been too fair to her nemesis.
Second thoughts what materials to put on the outside of your home.
cmyklefty6 April 2002
You think vinyl is safe? This film Blue Vinyl make you think about how polyvinyl chloride is made and the products we use everyday for living. The consequences of the manufacture, use and disposal of vinyl, how get rid of the material can be fatal for the workers in the industry plant and people around the plant. It digs deeper that this means to our health in general public. It is light and funny, but straight to the point. After the watching film at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, I saw the directors Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand and told them it a film that will open your eyes about the world around us. The directors were glad to hear about the comment of the film. A film not to be missed.
Enjoyable Movie, but tainted research.
doctor21st11 May 2002
Though I did enjoy this movie especially how Judith Helfand went all out to find out information that worried her. However, the only problem I have is that the majority of the people she used for her scientific information were Green Peace scientist.
Now, even though these are legitimate researchers, Green Peace has an agenda and they want complete protection of the environment. I feel that this actually hurts her attempt to prove her point. This just makes the movie extremely bias.
By talking to these scientist the only thing she does is raise her own anxiety while making her movie a Green Peace Platform thats message will most likely be ignored.
My tip, next time stay away from biased scientist all together. Other than that the movie was very good, very well thought out and shot.
Now, even though these are legitimate researchers, Green Peace has an agenda and they want complete protection of the environment. I feel that this actually hurts her attempt to prove her point. This just makes the movie extremely bias.
By talking to these scientist the only thing she does is raise her own anxiety while making her movie a Green Peace Platform thats message will most likely be ignored.
My tip, next time stay away from biased scientist all together. Other than that the movie was very good, very well thought out and shot.
To the Point, Fun, and Informative about Nazis... er... I mean... Vinyl Industries
EAM4154 May 2004
Being a very environmental and health-oriented individual, I found "Blue Vinyl" to be informative, occasionally moving, and very blunt. The director of this film did not mean to create a stirring, emotional, hammed up documentary full of woe and drama. She sought to make a point which is exactly what she did and she did it very well. The film didn't drag on as some documentaries do, and it was often very humourous and fun. I LOVE the fact that she dragged that piece of blue vinyl around with her everywhere that she went. That just... oh... it made me happy inside. In conclusion... this film made a group of obnoxious, annoying sixth graders sit still and listen, therefore you should watch it and be enlightened as to the ways of the Nazi Vinyl industries. And plant a tree. Trees are a good thing. However... Hitler was a bad thing. Hitler didn't like trees. It's well documented.
Totally Without Merit, A Documentary at it's Worst
morachi10 May 2002
This is one of those documentaries where folks have a knee jerk reaction and start thinking how horrible this is and we must save the environment and I'm so glad this was brought to my attention.
Problem is what exactly was brought to our attention. This "documentary" had a conclusion first and then set out to prove it. She asks folks what they think, they tell her and she then presents this as fact. When she interviews folks who have an opposite viewpoint she misrepresents what they say and then mocks it. There is a scene in this show where she goes to a convention for the makers of vinyl one of the folks mentions that two of the components in PVC are sodium and chloride which are the components that make table salt, she then says that chemical compounds such as PVC are made up of common elements. Right after this our narrator says that she was just told that PVC is safe as table salt which is absolutely not what she was told. Later on she wants to get an expert opinion on if PVC is dangerous or not, so she has two "scientists" from Greenpeace come. Gee...we know this will be a fair evaluation. Basically the rest of this show is the same way and I think you can get the idea.
Stay away from this program as it's more harmful than good.
Problem is what exactly was brought to our attention. This "documentary" had a conclusion first and then set out to prove it. She asks folks what they think, they tell her and she then presents this as fact. When she interviews folks who have an opposite viewpoint she misrepresents what they say and then mocks it. There is a scene in this show where she goes to a convention for the makers of vinyl one of the folks mentions that two of the components in PVC are sodium and chloride which are the components that make table salt, she then says that chemical compounds such as PVC are made up of common elements. Right after this our narrator says that she was just told that PVC is safe as table salt which is absolutely not what she was told. Later on she wants to get an expert opinion on if PVC is dangerous or not, so she has two "scientists" from Greenpeace come. Gee...we know this will be a fair evaluation. Basically the rest of this show is the same way and I think you can get the idea.
Stay away from this program as it's more harmful than good.
not impressed
dsa19715 February 2004
I understand this movie was trying to get the message out about the dangers of vinyl but they need to be more prepared and get all of their facts straight. They kept referring to studies done 30 years ago but not much recently. Also, when Judith interviewed the representative from the Vinyl Institute she was completely out of her league and unprepared. The representative was very convincing and was not the least bit shaken by any of her questions. The representative handled her "tough" questions very easily. I was not impressed with this movie.
Interesting, but overly dramatized
SBecause27 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Interesting and engaging as far as documentaries go, but maybe that's because I'm interested in the topic. Overall, I thought the message was overly dramatized. Trying to link vinyl chloride monomer, the stuff that's reacted to form PVC, and allegedly poor manufacturing processes from 30 yrs ago to DES, a pharmaceutical that was created specifically to interact with and was prescribed to people was a bit of a stretch. And to try and say that burning PVC is the most dangerous thing about a fire is completely ridiculous. This inability to rank risk is why we spend soooo much time and money focusing on small issues while completely ignoring the big picture. Don't get me wrong, the manufacturing industry, and the chemical industry in particular, had and has issues. But to continue to think that they operate with a 1970s mentality and technology is wrong. We need to recognize the progress that's been made and continue to partner with industry to drive further improvements in safety while acknowledging that the products of chemistry have had a vast influence on making our everyday lives better. And that includes PVC, a versatile, affordable product that's had a positive impact for a whole lot of people.
yellow journalism
glenp8274 February 2004
This is a perfect example of yellow journalism, sensationalizing a non- problem with their very biased,one sided, non-scientific approach to "disseminating information"
The only other comment I would make is that the producers forgot to use the camera technique shooting up the face of the opposition to make them look more demonic.
I'm glad others saw this tripe to be what it was.
The only other comment I would make is that the producers forgot to use the camera technique shooting up the face of the opposition to make them look more demonic.
I'm glad others saw this tripe to be what it was.
Why, God, Why?
wilsontennis13223 November 2012
This was potentially the worst documentary I have ever scene. Although the point of this video was to make people aware of the dangers of Vinyl, I feel as though I want to use Vinyl more just to spite the main character. Ha, Im surprised the Genre was labeled "Documentary", if you are interested in viewing a good comedy watch this movie! I will never retrieve that hour and a half in my life. She literally gets owned at every step of the way and eventually achieves a grand total of nothing. I was forced to watch this for my environmental science class and came out as a changed person (but not in a good way). Save your self some time, life, sanity, and go watch Casino Royale.
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