When the Levees Broke - A Requiem In Four Acts (Documentary)
starring: Spike Lee, Sam Pollard
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Movie DVD
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Director Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke is the definitive document of the unmitigated disaster that was, and is, Hurricane Katrina. It's also a contemporary manifestation of an ancient tradition: an oral history, told by the people who lived it, with no narration and only the occasional use of archival cable and broadcast news footage in addition to Lee's own film. And a grim tale it is, an "American tragedy" subtitled "a Requiem in Four Acts," each of them about an hour long ("Act V," appearing on the third of the set's three discs, is a lengthy epilogue with new material not included in the original HBO broadcast) and focusing almost exclusively on New Orleans, as opposed to the Gulf Coast region in general.
Act I sets the scene; as the hurricane nears the Crescent City, some residents leave town, while others stay behind, figuring they'll just ride the storm out (Mayor Ray Nagin's "mandatory evacuation" order rings fairly hollow, as there's no public transportation provided for the many who don't own vehicles and thus couldn't get out even if they wanted to). The real problems begin after Katrina makes landfall on August 29, 2005. Displaced New Orleaneans crowd into the Superdome, soon to become a living hell for those stuck there; the incredibly poorly engineered levees break, flooding some 80 percent of the city; and people start dying by the hundreds, victims of drowning, lack of food, water, and medicine, and other causes. And so it goes. Act II finds the survivors struggling to keep it together while the federal, state, and local assistance they've been promised fails to show up; Act III traces the dispersal of these so-called "refugees" (as one man puts it, "Refugees? You mean they took away our citizenship, too?") all over the country, not knowing where their families, friends, and neighbors are, or even if they're still alive; and Act IV deals with the slow rebuilding of the city while insurance companies refuse to pay claims and money keeps going toward the Iraq war effort instead.
Several themes predominate here. One, of course, is the appalling performance of authorities on nearly every level, who ignored specific warnings about the levees and then professed ignorance after the fact; Lee doesn't have to go out of his way to make George W. Bush, FEMA chief Michael Brown, and other members of the Bush administration (not to mention his own mother) look bad, as they do an excellent job of that themselves. Another is the shameful ineptitude of the response; it's hard not to be disgusted when it's pointed out more than once that while we were able to provide supplies and assistance to Indonesians within two days of the 2004 tsunami, American citizens were virtually ignored for five days or more. Most of all, When the Levees Broke (which includes optional commentary by Lee for all four acts) leaves us feeling the sheer rage of the poor and dispossessed of New Orleans, where the population is 70 percent African-American. Confronted with the ignorance, arrogance, and callousness of the people whose job it was to protect them, they can point to just one cause: racism. --Sam Graham
Movie DVD
Amazon.com:
Director Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke is the definitive document of the unmitigated disaster that was, and is, Hurricane Katrina. It's also a contemporary manifestation of an ancient tradition: an oral history, told by the people who lived it, with no narration and only the occasional use of archival cable and broadcast news footage in addition to Lee's own film. And a grim tale it is, an "American tragedy" subtitled "a Requiem in Four Acts," each of them about an hour long ("Act V," appearing on the third of the set's three discs, is a lengthy epilogue with new material not included in the original HBO broadcast) and focusing almost exclusively on New Orleans, as opposed to the Gulf Coast region in general.
Act I sets the scene; as the hurricane nears the Crescent City, some residents leave town, while others stay behind, figuring they'll just ride the storm out (Mayor Ray Nagin's "mandatory evacuation" order rings fairly hollow, as there's no public transportation provided for the many who don't own vehicles and thus couldn't get out even if they wanted to). The real problems begin after Katrina makes landfall on August 29, 2005. Displaced New Orleaneans crowd into the Superdome, soon to become a living hell for those stuck there; the incredibly poorly engineered levees break, flooding some 80 percent of the city; and people start dying by the hundreds, victims of drowning, lack of food, water, and medicine, and other causes. And so it goes. Act II finds the survivors struggling to keep it together while the federal, state, and local assistance they've been promised fails to show up; Act III traces the dispersal of these so-called "refugees" (as one man puts it, "Refugees? You mean they took away our citizenship, too?") all over the country, not knowing where their families, friends, and neighbors are, or even if they're still alive; and Act IV deals with the slow rebuilding of the city while insurance companies refuse to pay claims and money keeps going toward the Iraq war effort instead.
Several themes predominate here. One, of course, is the appalling performance of authorities on nearly every level, who ignored specific warnings about the levees and then professed ignorance after the fact; Lee doesn't have to go out of his way to make George W. Bush, FEMA chief Michael Brown, and other members of the Bush administration (not to mention his own mother) look bad, as they do an excellent job of that themselves. Another is the shameful ineptitude of the response; it's hard not to be disgusted when it's pointed out more than once that while we were able to provide supplies and assistance to Indonesians within two days of the 2004 tsunami, American citizens were virtually ignored for five days or more. Most of all, When the Levees Broke (which includes optional commentary by Lee for all four acts) leaves us feeling the sheer rage of the poor and dispossessed of New Orleans, where the population is 70 percent African-American. Confronted with the ignorance, arrogance, and callousness of the people whose job it was to protect them, they can point to just one cause: racism. --Sam Graham
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Lest We Forget
Political cronyism can be deadly. Just ask the residents of New Orleans who survived Katrina only to watch their relatives die on the streets waiting for a cavalry which didn't show up.Bush buddy and former Arabian horse expert Michael Brown was the incompetent in charge of FEMA at the time of Katrina. He came to symbolize the worst and most dangerous aspects of putting friends and contributors into government jobs that require actual experience and expertise.But there's plenty more blame to ... Read More
Rating: - A Piece of History
In this day in age I think its important to use any technological resource to capture history.Hurricane Katrina is a piece of history and I purchased When the Levees Broke so that I can show my children.My DVD was stolen when my place was burgularized.I came straight to Amazon because I knew that I could replace this particular DVD swiftly.
Rating: - The Night New Orleans Died
As a former resident of New Orleans, it broke my heart to see what happened to my city. Spike Lee did a masterful job of capturing the devastation and the despair of the residents of the city.
Rating: - Looking in the National Mirror
So many things stand out in this effort and so much can be said.
First, I agree completely with a short moment in the film that talks about mirrors, how we might not like the feeling looking into one. Be jarred by the reality we then might have to face. I know that feeling in my life, it's utterly difficult. Then it goes on to compare this event in Katrina to that, and the subsequent news images, reports to the public dealing with that kind of look in a mirror. But this was also stating it's ... Read More
Rating: - Engineering Perspective
All seniors in the engineering departments at Oregon State University watched part of this film tonight.This was followed by a presentation from professors and experts about the failings of the government and the Army Corps of Engineers.It was driven home that, as the next generation of engineers, it is our duty to do our jobs with public safety and ethics in mind.There will have to be compromises due to budgets, politics, etc, but in the end, we have to decide how much we are willing to compromise. ... Read More
- Lest We ForgetPolitical cronyism can be deadly. Just ask the residents of New Orleans who survived Katrina only to watch their relatives die on the streets waiting for a cavalry which didn't show up.Bush buddy and former Arabian horse expert Michael Brown was the incompetent in charge of FEMA at the time of Katrina. He came to symbolize the worst and most dangerous aspects of putting friends and contributors into government jobs that require actual experience and expertise.But there's plenty more blame to ... Read More
- A Piece of HistoryIn this day in age I think its important to use any technological resource to capture history.Hurricane Katrina is a piece of history and I purchased When the Levees Broke so that I can show my children.My DVD was stolen when my place was burgularized.I came straight to Amazon because I knew that I could replace this particular DVD swiftly.
- The Night New Orleans DiedAs a former resident of New Orleans, it broke my heart to see what happened to my city. Spike Lee did a masterful job of capturing the devastation and the despair of the residents of the city.
- Looking in the National MirrorSo many things stand out in this effort and so much can be said.
First, I agree completely with a short moment in the film that talks about mirrors, how we might not like the feeling looking into one. Be jarred by the reality we then might have to face. I know that feeling in my life, it's utterly difficult. Then it goes on to compare this event in Katrina to that, and the subsequent news images, reports to the public dealing with that kind of look in a mirror. But this was also stating it's ... Read More
- Engineering PerspectiveAll seniors in the engineering departments at Oregon State University watched part of this film tonight.This was followed by a presentation from professors and experts about the failings of the government and the Army Corps of Engineers.It was driven home that, as the next generation of engineers, it is our duty to do our jobs with public safety and ethics in mind.There will have to be compromises due to budgets, politics, etc, but in the end, we have to decide how much we are willing to compromise. ... Read More
