This isn't a balanced exploration of environmental issues; instead, it presents a strong viewpoint about humanity’s connection with animals and doesn’t hesitate to depict the harshness involved. Rod McKuen’s narration carries a sense of urgency, consistently emphasizing that time is running out, and the harm being done is undeniable thanks to the powerful visuals. The well-known sequence depicting a polar bear shot on the ice, while its cubs watch, is particularly disturbing; even if those young bears managed to avoid the bullets, starvation would have been their inevitable fate. From beginning to end, it’s a brutal film that effectively demonstrates how easily people take lives, prevent births, and change landscapes, often from positions of safety like boats, planes, or cars, without needing to rely on physical force. Slow-motion sequences are frequently employed to highlight the mistreatment of seals and prairie dog pups. Some of these “hunts” resulted in immediate death for the animals involved, while others were left injured, facing a slow and agonizing demise, or surviving with injuries that made them vulnerable to other predators. The storytelling occasionally feels excessive, and this enthusiasm, along with some overly dramatic statements, lessens the impact of the writing; however, the imagery is undeniably potent and would have been profoundly shocking for audiences in 1971 who were accustomed to sanitized portrayals of animals.

Source on TMDB