Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western

by Jeff Gersh and Chelsea Congdon, 1999. Bullfrog Films, Inc., P.O. Box 149, Oley, PA 19547, 800/543-3764,  www.bullfrogfilms.com. Video, 57 or 27 mins., $29.95+$5 S&H for home use; with public performance rights: $250 for long version, $195 for short version. Rentals available.

This high-quality, compelling video is both a passionate cry against suburbanization of the Mountain West and an introduction to some initiatives to stem sprawl. It effectively combines images of the West of today—both developed and undeveloped—with historical and fictional footage of the old Wild West. Using these images along with interviews,  Subdivide and Conquer explores some deeply held American myths and how they have contributed to the current situation—e.g., the myth of the endless frontier, which suggests that sprawl is not a problem because there will always be more land to expand into; and the myth of the solitary, self-sufficient cowboy who would rather die than cooperate with his neighbors.

The film begins and ends with the haunting image of a lone cowboy riding on horseback through a new cookie-cutter development, wondering what became of the land he once knew. This morose tone is countered with amusing songs and images, so it doesn’t feel too negative even as it enumerates the many problems—environmental and social—created by a car-dependent pattern of development. Along these lines, the film notes that some contributors to air pollution, such as offgassing of asphalt from roads and rubber from tires, will not change with the use of zero-emission vehicles.

We viewed the hour-long version of the film, which may move too slowly for some young audiences as it presents all the problems of both urban and rural sprawl. As for the solutions, it touches briefly on all the hot-button terms: New Urbanism, Smart Growth, Green Belts, Land Trusts. Appropriately,  Subdivide and Conquer leaves the audience with both a sense of hope and a sense of urgency about addressing sprawl.