Performance & Direction: The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes Review
Last updated: February 7, 2026
Quick Verdict: Hit or Flop?
Is The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes (1968) worth watching? According to our cinematic analysis, the film stands as a HIT with a verified audience rating of 7.3/10. Whether you're looking for the box office collection, ending explained, or parents guide, our review covers everything you need to know about this Documentary.
Cast Performances: A Masterclass
The success of any Documentary is often anchored by its ensemble, and The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes features a noteworthy lineup led by Blake James .
Performance Analysis: While the cast delivers competent and professional performances, they are occasionally hampered by a script that leans into familiar archetypes.
Final Verdict: Is it Worth Watching?
Story & Plot Summary: The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
Quick Plot Summary: The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes is a Documentary, Comedy film that presents a compelling narrative that engages viewers from start to finish. This summary provides a scannable look at the movie's central conflict and narrative structure.
Ending Explained: The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
Ending Breakdown: The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes resolves its central conflict while maintaining thematic consistency. The finale has been praised for its approach to documentary resolution.
The conclusion addresses the core thematic questions, offering viewers material for post-viewing discussion.
Ending Analysis:
- Narrative Resolution: The story concludes with clear resolution of its central conflicts, providing closure while maintaining some ambiguity.
- Character Arcs: Main characters complete meaningful transformations, reflecting the film's thematic priorities.
- Thematic Payoff: The ending reinforces the documentary themes established throughout the runtime.
The final moments of The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes reflect the filmmakers' creative choices, offering an ending that aligns with the film's tone and style.
Who Should Watch The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes?
Worth Watching If You:
- Enjoy Documentaries films and don't mind familiar tropes
- Are a fan of the cast or director
- Want solid genre entertainment
Top Cast: The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
All Cast & Crew →Where to Watch The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes Online?
Streaming HubThe Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes Parents Guide & Age Rating
1968 AdvisoryWondering about The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes age rating or if it's safe for kids? Here is our cinematic advisory:
⏱️ Runtime & Duration
The total runtime of The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes is 17 minutes (17m). Ensuring you have enough time for the full cinematic experience.
Verdict Summary
Analyzing the overall audience sentiment, verified rating of 7.3/10, and global performance metrics, The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes is classified as a HIT. It remains an essential part of the 1968 cinematic calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes worth watching?
The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes is definitely worth watching if you enjoy Documentary movies. It has a verified rating of 7.3/10 and stands as a HIT in our box office analysis.
Where can I find The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes parents guide and age rating?
The official parents guide for The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes identifies it as Not Rated. Our detailed advisory section above covers all content warnings for families.
What is the total runtime of The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes?
The total duration of The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes is 17 minutes, which is approximately 0h 17m long.
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Critic Reviews for The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes cover over 94,000 square miles between the USA and Canada, and for fifteen minutes Bill Mason provides the imagery and Bruce Mackay the lyrics of some daft songs and their efforts combine to provide us with an entertaining appraisal of just how the lakes were formed by glacial activities aeons ago. All the while we follow the intrepid travels of enthusiastic and agile canoeist Blake James who has his fair share of light-hearted escapades with his kayak as he avoids alligators and explores the huge variety of landscapes that survive as a direct result of these huge great volumes of fresh water. Then, of course, mankind arrives and brings his destructive engineering and construction skills with him. As ever with Mason, there's some considered and patient photography gone into this production and the cheerfully informative and sometimes quite sarcastic poetry contained with this accompanying songs makes a gentle point about our encroachment into this area of natural beauty subtly, but forcefully, and James plays the role of the comedy-canoeist with spirit, too.
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This review has been verified for accuracy and editorial quality by our senior cinematic analysts.
This analysis is compiled by our editorial experts using multi-source verification and audience sentiment data for maximum accuracy.
