The Natural History of the Chicken
An offbeat look at chickens and the people who love chickens way too much.
-- KK
The Natural History of the Chicken
2000, 60 min
By Mark Lewis
$23
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February 2003 ArchiveThe Sorrow and the PityOn paper The Sorrow and the Pity sounds torturous: more than four hours of talking-head interviews in several languages, blended with wartime documentary footage and zipped up with the music of Maurice Chevalier. But don't run just yet. This epic account of France under the occupation of the Nazi regime during World War II is a humanist masterpiece, thanks an artful assortment of film technique and pacing. Ophuls interviewed the residents of the French town of Clermont-Ferrand who remembered the Occupation, as well as various French, German, and British officials, local artists and farmers, as well as German army veterans. The result is a transcendent portrait of how real people conduct themselves under the most extreme circumstances. Ophuls constantly invites us to put ourselves in the position of each one of these people and ask: what would I have done in the same circumstances? -- Jim Daley
The Sorrow and the Pity Posted on February 06, 2003 at 01:10 PMThe Panama DeceptionA provocative look at the December 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, including the events leading up to it, the destruction it heaped upon local citizens and the terrible aftermath. It's wonderfully researched, and shows how the U.S. government duped both the American public and the mainstream media about this foreign policy disaster. Although a decade old, The Panama Deception details how the U.S. government coddles up to tyrants, repeatedly lies to a gullible American public and then creates absurd foreign policy charades to further hidden policies. Sound familiar? -- Jim Daley
The Panama Deception Posted on February 04, 2003 at 12:15 PMThe Times Of Harvey MilkIn 1978, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco city council, becoming the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. One year later, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot and killed by Milk's fellow council member Dan White. The Times of Harvey Milk captures the full sweep of Milk's grass-roots political life, as well as the terrible murders, and White's bizarre trial (he claimed to be zoned out from eating too much junk food). Finally, we see the gay community's reaction to the events, from eloquent candle-light memorials to virulent car-burning mobs. It's a sad and moving saga that reveals, truly, that one man can make a difference. The Times of Harvey Milk remains a favorite because it shows how people react when faced with extreme joy and horror. -- Jim Daley
Posted on February 02, 2003 at 02:17 PM |
