The Hurricane Of ’38 (American
Experience/WGBH)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Main Program: B
Isn’t it
strange how when disaster hits, it more often affects the defenseless as those
in power made “mistakes” and were not able to “warm” those in danger. You can debate 9/11, but the recent (and
highly obscene) Hurricane Katrina devastation (act of God my…) and even The
Great Depression are always suspect.
Apologists will turn to “acts of God” (especially by those who think
they own God like a copyright) or explain how it was unavoidable when they are
not marginalizing honest thinking on it by going to the “conspiracy nut”
label. However, documentation and facts
are where the true history lies; something The
Hurricane Of ’38 reminds us.
This fine
hour-long installment of WGBH’s exceptional American Experience series tells how because an East Coast
hurricane was going to only affect the poor and working class, glaring warning
signs were ignored, a group think mentality against struggling people and a
general sense of carelessness (a particular kind that has a very thin line
between it and conspiracy) causing what amounts to even a kind of genocide in
some cases.
This
program interviews children survivors a half-century later and bears witness to
how ugly and horrible it was. Though the
storm covered much of the West Coast, killing 600 people, 6,000 boats, 8,000
homes, endless land stability and $300 Million unadjusted in costs. Lives and property could have been protected
and saved, but the worst happened and it is yet again a very important piece of
history that is being strangely ignored.
Like Katrina, it is the same old story again and when we hear about
being protected from “terror” attacks, it seems the same brand of carelessness
is in the cards. That is why it is so
timely that this episode arrives on DVD.
The 1.33
X 1 originated on analog professional NTSC video and this looks like a digital
backup copy. Detail can be a problem,
there are aliasing problems and the image has its share of harsh shots, but it
looks better overall despite this. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is monophonic for the most part, but plays just
fine. The only extra yet again is
DVD-ROM education materials you can print via computer.
- Nicholas Sheffo
