WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS. (2006)
Directed by Spike Lee
Spike Lee is a fascinating filmmaker, regarded as a great (rightly in my opinion) despite a particularly inconsistent level of quality to his output. This is one of his very best films, and the clear standout in a decade that saw him make only two other films of any stature (25TH HOUR and INSIDE MAN). WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS is a significant, terrific piece of work from a filmmaker whose best work is usually possessed of a desire to question society, or an anger aimed at it.
A documentary about Hurricane Katrina, and the aftermath of it, this is a serious, engaged (and engaging) piece of work, in which Lee allows his anger full rein through the voices of New Orleans residents, both the famous (Ray Nagin – the mayor of New Orleans at the time, Harry Belafonte, Clarke Peters (Bunk in THE WIRE)) and regular citizens who saw their lives destroyed, or at least, irreparably damaged by the hurricane.
Lee isn’t concerned solely with the human impact, though, he’s angered, and by extension, so are we, by the inadequate provisions to protect the Gulf coast city from extreme weather conditions such as the hurricane, and by the grossly negligent response to it by Bush’s government. It’s the most effective cinematic political statement against Bush’s presidency to date, and a fine representation of the people he evidently cared so little about.
No comments:
Post a Comment