Director Spike Lee probes the U.S. government's response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, in this thought-provoking documentary. Read more
| Starring | Shelton Shakespeare Alexander, Harry Belafonte, Terrence Blanchard, Wiljelmina Blanchard |
|---|---|
| Director | Spike Lee |
| Genres | Documentary |
loading...
Director Spike Lee probes the U.S. government's response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, in this thought-provoking documentary.
| Starring | Shelton Shakespeare Alexander, Harry Belafonte, Terrence Blanchard, Wiljelmina Blanchard, Kathleen Blanco, George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Mike Myers, Sean Penn, Kanye West |
|---|---|
| Director | Spike Lee |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 5 hrs 48 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Documentary |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Aug 2007 Production year: 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
Or you can rent each disc individually:
The most magnificent and large-souled record of a great American tragedy ever put on film
definitely worth a watch.Enlightening and informative.
The whole thing was too long and too biased however it was powerful, sobering film making.
With just talking heads and some media footage Spike Lee builds a picture of the literal hell suffered by residents using eye witness accounts of New Orleans before, during and after hurricane Katrina swept a deadly path over the city.
I didn't pay close attention to the incident a the time and knew no details of what occured in the Big Easy over that period so the overall picture that emerged from this documentary was eye opening and many details were quite distressing. First hand stories of family and friends dying, and the sight of dead and bloated bodies left for days in the streets was emotional.
A criticism I have is that it was too heavily edited and biased. I don't mind some biase in documentaries as there is always a point the film maker is trying to get across but this seemed too much. After dignified and eloquent performances from such as Harry Belafonte, Rev Al Sharpton and Mayor Ray Nalgan and 'ordinary' citizens the tone would turn sour especially with one particularly militant female. I must admit I didnt finish disc 2 but there was no chance of a rebuttal from government sources or a chance to explain why some decisions were made ( or indeed, not made). The film did clear up some wild alegations that were made about crime in the Dome but that again was cloaked in a swipe at an authority figure, the chief of police defacto representative of the President.
However, overall I would recommend this for everyone to watch as a moving portrayal of struggling in the face of over whelming tragedy and also as a lesson in how not to do it. It, in this case, being a national reaction to disaster.
Britain has hardly had a summer this year and it looks to be over already - but have no fear as there's a host of new DVDs perfect for a cosy night in. If comedy is your thing, try It's A Boy Girl Thing or Wild Hogs. The former stars Samaire Armstrong of The OC in a body-swap farce and the latter is about a bunch of middle-aged men on a road trip. One of this year's most dazzling sci-fi adventures is Sunshine, another new release on DVD. Directed by Danny Boyle, it tells the action-packed and... Read more