Monday, August 21, 2006

When The Levees Broke



So tonight I watched Spike Lee's special When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts on HBO. I've always had an appreciation for the vast majority of Spike Lee's work... just as I have had for Kevin Smith's. To be honest I really did not know what to expect from this considering it's title. For those who may not know what Requiem actually means, well basically it has to do with honoring the dead.

I was relatively surprised at how enthralling it was. The fact is that there was no sign of the angry Spike Lee at all... rather a very sorrowful one. I found the stories and how they were told to have been done masterfully as opposed to radically. I found his portrayal of the governmental decisions (at least for Part I & II) to have been a very necessary tale, but not one that overwhelemed the story.

What I really have not been happy about is the title. A Requiem is meant to honor the dead, but the people I see are the survivors. The city itself, while struggling under the burden of rebuilding, is still alive. I think to a large extent Spike may have written of New Orleans way too early. Other than that one little nagging detail, well I do have some other thoughts on it but I'd like to see the rest of it before writing about them.

I highly suggest watching it if you have the opportunity.
Posted by New York City's Watchdog :: 8/21/2006 11:56:00 PM :: Permalink :: 2 Bones Added to the Pile

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