Change Your Image
julianmiller-1
Reviews
With All Deliberate Speed (2004)
I disagree
The film did a wonderful job of showing the people involved in the group of cases that comprised "Brown" - It was not meant to be a comprehensive view of the aftermath of Brown - That will take many, many films. Check out the PBS documentary "Setting the Woods on Fire" about the life of George Wallace to get an idea of the racism of the Deep South. That is in counterpoint and shows the monumental forces that these individuals faced - Wallace represented the views of most racist Southerners. The first reviewer wanted to see another film - one on the Macro level. I thoroughly enjoyed this film for its focus on the individuals who joined to change the fabric of America. There are many documentaries on civil rights and there are many that still need to be made. One that needs to be made that should focus on the lack of teaching in schools of how close in time de jure segregation existed - we are still living in a de facto segregated society.
Bright Leaves (2003)
Much too focused on the director's family, indulgent
I was expecting a documentary that focused on the tobacco industry in North Carolina. Instead I watched a man who rues the fact that his great grandfather lost his tobacco empire to the Duke family. And this went on and on. If Mr. McElwee's family had prevailed over the Dukes I doubt that Mr. McElwee would have any problems with the death toll caused by tobacco-related diseases. I grew up near the area where Mr. McElwee's family began it tobacco business ; I expected more than McEwee's continual focus on his family. I learned very little about the history of tobacco in the NC economy and the ramifications to the state's economy by tighter regulation of tobacco. The countless references to the movie "Bright Leaves" are out of place - So what if Gary Cooper played Mr. McElwee's great grandfather? Does the viewer gain any understanding of the role of tobacco in the North Carolina economy by the showing of old film clips of a fictionalized film? I didn't.