The Fossil Story (1953)
Documentary
Runtime: 19 minutes
Overview
In this film, Shell Oil situates its extractive process as an episode within geologic time, naturalizing its products even as it inspires wonder. It contrasts the impatience of the suburban husband wanting to drive his car against the expansive scale of fossil history. According to Shell, with the drilling of oil, “The cycle is complete. Nature’s plan is quite perfect” – the question of where we might fall within such a purported cycle, and what nature may have in store for us, remains an open one.