Order Of Myths (2007/New Yorker Video/Cinema Guild DVD)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Feature: C+
After how ugly things have been in New Orleans, you would
think the situation was as simple as powerful white Republicans let massive storm wipe out major
city with primarily Black, liberal, Democrat, poor and too far to the
left. We’ll skip the fire &
brimstone sin garbage, but the city is far more complex than that and Margaret
Brown’s Order Of Myths (2007) shows us much more is going on, even as
the city is rebuilding.
Turns out
that there is a serious, disturbing racial divide there, especially when Mardi
Gras (which has been going on since 1703, long before the U.S. was even formed)
and it is too often a “rich White/poor Black” dichotomy that too often reflects
the inequity of the U.S. in general and one that might finally be resolved in
new ways with a president Obama, but the ugliness is fresh and post-Katrina
events only reinforce all that awful, disturbing and sadly predictable hatred/division
that we have too often seen before.
What the
documentary does do well is show us is how great and diverse the culture is
down there and what was being wrecked when the storm hit, though the program is
not about that. It is worth a look just
to see what a treasure New Orleans is, even with its centuries-old
troubles. We even learn about voodoo and
that New Orleans is like no other city in the world in the best way, but the
inequity is a very ugly problem in the Big Easy. This is definitely worth a look.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image has good color, but is softer throughout
with more motion blur than expected and is typical of such documentary, but the
makers did their best. The Dolby Digital
5.1 sound is more often stereo than mono, but they try to spread it around as
best they can. It is just on the weak
side. Extras include the original
theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, cast/crew Q&A session and feature
length audio commentary by Brown and cinematographer Michael Simmons.
- Nicholas Sheffo
