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When the Levees Broke

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    When the Levees Broke

    I don't know if we've ever had a dedicated thread, but we should.

    A magnificent documentary that is both moving and occasionally funny, and attempts to tell the whole story without flinching.

    Well done, Spike.

    (Act II struggles a bit, but III and IV are about perfect.)

    #2
    When the Levees Broke

    I love Phyllis Montana Leblanc. Once her life is back in order again, she should run for office; it'd be great to see someone with that kind of passion and humor.

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      #3
      When the Levees Broke

      I think I started one back when it first aired.

      Coffy--was she the woman who was mostly interviewed in the airport? If so, I agree with you.

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        #4
        When the Levees Broke

        So many great interviews. I'm still haunted by the kid wearing the Kangol who went to UNO, and how you can tell his mom was a beautiful floozie who probably conceived him in a one-nighter, raised him to not do the same things she did, and would be rotting in that ceiling for months. The emptiness in that kid's eyes was crushing.

        I also loved Bunk's interview when his voice got as quiet as a mouse as he talked, as if talking about the insurance agents was too painful and hopefully by just remembering it the people at home could read his mind and experience his experiences. Same goes for that older gentleman whose mother died at the Civic Center.

        I also loved that last lady who said "I lived here my whole life."

        The film really works as well as an invaluable historical document. Because when I was down there last month, it was nothing like what's seen in the documentary. Everything's been cleared out, the tourists are all back on Bourbon Street, the Convention Center is a ghosttown with nary a soul in sight, the Superdome is fixed.

        All said, I thought Nagin came off pretty well in it. He comes off as not perfect, but doing the best he can.

        The biggest eye-opener for me is the #1 thing that I was horrified about the storm; the fact that shooters were shooting at rescue boats and people raping each other in the Superdome...wasn't a fact. Then, add in the fact that it was the CHIEF OF POLICE who said it to get people down there faster? Talk about a backfire. Instead of getting people there faster, it made quite a few say "fuck em if they're shooting at people trying to rescue them." It made them look like the lowest animals on earth.

        My only problem was with the obligatory Spike Lee dopey-pretentious-statement scene with the jazz funeral. It was beautiful watching this band coming through an abandoned neighborhood, but pulling a coffin with "Katrina" on it ? Come on now. He always has to do one stupid fucking thing in all of his movies. It's like he says "no, this is too great. I'm going to have to bring it down a notch."

        All in all, a small masterpiece. Certainly the definitive statement of this rancid tragedy.

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          #5
          When the Levees Broke

          Important historical documentary, certainly, but as DVD viewing I found it slow going. Maybe it was all too recent, but it was like watching the news again, only a year or two later (though I didn't get beyond Act II). A 90-minute, power-punching, overtly political piece might have worked better.

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