Revisiting Katrina: A Flood of DVDs

-- Library Journal, 04/10/2009

The death and destruction Hurricane Katrina wreaked in 2005 continues to resonate in American life. These recent films take another look at the devastation and the resilience of its human and animal survivors.

America Betrayed. color. 94+ min. Leslie Cardé, dist. by First Run Features, 800-229-8575; www.firstrunfeatures.com. 2008. DVD UPC 7-20229-91372-0. $24.95; public performance $295. SOC SCI
This is a scathing indictment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its policies and practices that led to the failure of New Orleans’s levees and infrastructure and Hurricane Katrina’s subsequent catastrophic destruction. It chronicles a long history of poor planning, Congressional interference, and cozy relationships between the corps and profiteering private contractors. While focusing on New Orleans, it also points out the dangers to public infrastructure resulting from bad planning and corruption throughout the United States. It includes interviews with engineers, scientists, public officials, and whistleblowers. Of particular note is coverage of the ill-conceived Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, known as Mr. Go, which funneled Katrina’s surges deeply inland, almost completely destroying St. Bernard Parish. Narrated by actor Richard Dreyfuss, this is an essential purchase for any Katrina-related collection; highly recommended for all viewers. [Bonus extras include an interview with the director, a resource guide, and deleted scenes.]—Tom Budlong, Atlanta

The Axe in the Attic. color. 110+ min. Ed Pincus & Lucia Small, dist. by Indiepix Films, 212-684-2333; orders@indiepix.net. 2009. DVD UPC 8-45637-00042-5. $24.95; public performance. Cinema Guild, 212-685-6242; www.cinemaguild.com. 2008. $99.95; acad. libs. $395. SOC SCI
The Axe in the Attic invites us on a spiritual and emotional roller-coaster ride in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as New Englanders Pincus and Small take a 60-day road trip to New Orleans. They talk along the way with evacuees in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Alabama, and the Gulf Coast before arriving in Louisiana. There are plenty of scenes here of the devastation, but what is fascinating is how the documentarians’ detachment and objectivity are affected by what they see and experience through the interviews. This moving, inspirational, and painful film is an important contribution to Katrina-related material. Highly recommended for all viewers. [Extras include 30 minutes of deleted scenes, filmmaker commentary, two shorts, and an interactive journey map, all unseen by this reviewer.]—Tom Budlong, Atlanta

Hell & High Water. color. 73 min. James Wills, dist. by National Film Network, 877-888-4395; www.nationalfilmnetwork.com. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-0-9785353-1-5. $31.95; public performance. ISBN 978-0-8026-0986-1. $249. SOC SCI
This approachable film consists of seven straightforward interviews with Hurricane Katrina survivors interspersed with footage of storm damage. A historian, a roofer and preacher, a French Quarter native, a general contractor and musician, a medical researcher, a lieutenant with the National Guard, and a Cajun chef discuss what happened to them during the deluge, how they are dealing with the loss of everything they owned, and what the future holds for them. One of the remarkable things about this film is its capture of interviewees’ capacity for humor in the face of such a disaster, particularly in the comments from the historian, who places events within the context of New Orleans’s past.—Tom Budlong, Atlanta

No Place Like Home. b/w. 50 min. Courtney Fathom Sell, Slumlord Prods., dist. by Emphasis Entertainment Group, 630-355-5762; www.emphasisentertainment.com. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-1-893967-36-6. $14.98. SOC SCI
Filmmaker Sell documented friend Jac Currie’s life for about a month in 2005. Jac, a graphic designer living in New York City during most of the film, is a cofounder of Defend New Orleans, an organization established several years before Katrina that endeavors to preserve and protect the cultural life and heritage of the city. Jac’s family home in Pass Christian, MS, was destroyed during the storm, and here he discusses his family’s losses while visiting the ruins on the Gulf Coast and also talks about the losses to the cultural fabric of New Orleans. An interesting and affordable film that adds one more dimension to the Katrina story. [Watch the trailer at www.emphasisentertainment.com/noplace.htm.]—Tom Budlong, Atlanta

Left Behind Without a Choice: Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescue Documentary. color. 80 min. Kim Walsh-Borgan, dist. by Emphasis Entertainment Group, 630-355-5762; www.emphasisentertainment.com; www.leftbehindkatrinamovie.com. 2008. DVD ISBN 978-1-893967-42-7. $19.99.
New Orleans Animal Rescue. color. 84 min. Luke Heppner & Heather & Ronald Silver, dist. by Passion River Films, 732-321-0711; info@passionriver.com. 2009. DVD UPC 8-44667-01558-4. $24.95. PETS
While much attention has been focused on the plight of the residents of New Orleans and the adjoining coastal communities, the tragic situation of the “four-legged victims of Katrina” still commands our concern and sympathy. These two videos nicely complement each other. New Orleans Animal Rescue (www.neworleansanimalrescue.com), narrated by Kevin Bacon, provides an overview of the hurricane’s impact on both people and animals, focusing primarily on the latter. Left Behind mostly features the volunteers at an animal shelter in Tylertown, MS. The rescue workers interviewed in both programs are extraordinary. When asked how he could drop everything and go to these devastated sites, for example, one Nebraska volunteer unhesitatingly declared, “It’s about (the animals), not us.” Unfortunately, there are quibbles: both films include some cloying music; only the first names of several volunteers in Left Behind appear onscreen; and both films are a bit long. Still, these inspiring and poignant documentaries will attract interest from animal lovers of all ages as well as general viewers.—Donald Altschiller, BostonUniv. Libs.