"Raise Hell" New Documentary On Columnist MOLLY IVINS' Amazing Life
'Laughter is the great unifier'- behind the incredible life of Molly Ivins. Raise Hell, a new documentary about the great Texas columnist, sends an urgent message from the Bush years to a nation under Trump with sharp humour. Martin Pengelly, The Guardian, March 18, 2019. *"Raise Hell" film to be released later this year..
Ivins died of cancer in 2007, at the age of 62. Now, she is the subject of a documentary, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, which is making its way around the festival circuit after showing at Sundance and SXSW. The film describes a remarkable life: born into Houston oil money, educated at Smith in Massachusetts, a hard-charging reporter too hard-charging for the New York Times, a champion of the people in Texas, a guardian of human rights with the American Civil Liberties Union, a syndicated columnist and bestselling author, a troubled soul, a brilliant wit who coined a withering nickname for President George W Bush: Shrub.
Director Janice Engel does not mention Bushs successor-but-one. But she does include shots of liberal dissent of today: the Womens March, March for our Lives. This, she says, is because she did not want he who shall not be named
anywhere near my film. But I wanted specifically to show Mollys amazing prescience. The things she wrote, 15, 20, 30 years ago are happening right now. Molly was a student of history. These things dont go away and people dont pay attention, but she certainly did. "Its amazing. I sometimes think shes more relevant now than when she was delivering her message. Right now, across the world, democracy is in crisis.
From her home in Austin, Ivins kept note of the Republicans hard-right turn, of the consequent Texification of US politics, on the machinations of those with power and the effects on those without it, on the beginnings of the great polarisation which has reached such depths today. It all culminated with Bushs assault on civil liberties in the name of dubious security, in the years after 9/11. Ivins final book, Bill of Wrongs, written like others with Lou DuBose, was a clarion call against suppression of protest and abuse of power that now might even seem quaint...
Ivins greatest hits are many. Of one Texas lawmaker: If his IQ were any lower, theyd have to water him twice a day. Of Vice-President Dan Quayle: If you put that mans brain in a bumblebee, it would fly backwards. Of Bill Clinton, the withering assessment that he was weaker than bus station chilli. As Molly said, I dont care about whos screwing whom, its about whos getting screwed and whos doing the screwing. Its really about the destruction of the middle class over these last 30 years or however long, and, as Robert Reich has said, if you destroy the middle class you destroy the democracy.
Again, Molly said it: Its not a left-against-right issue, its a top-versus-bottom issue. It always has been. Its about the haves and have-nots... https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/mar/18/molly-ivins-raise-hell-documentary
Obit (2007), https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/feb/02/guardianobituaries.pressandpublishing
Film Promo, "Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins" (2019). V-O-T-E
Nitram
(22,800 posts)Insightful, incisive, and very funny. I have "Who Let the Dogs In" on my shelf and will read it soon.
Paladin
(28,257 posts)Talk about a documentary that's called for, in these miserable times.
appalachiablue
(41,131 posts)Mac29
(1 post)Molly has been on my mind for at least a year now. Lived in Dallas 95-99 and she was nothing less than salvation in a lost sea of Tea-X-ass insanity.
Miss her greatly.
So after a few 'I ought to reply to that' but skipped it, here I am. A new "member".
Molly has some books, and they'd bear re-reading in these times. But this film will be perfect for this next year as REAL truth returns to DC and we get on with 2020. I can't express anything near how Molly's insight, and WIT are desperately needed today. Just her being on the scene would be comfort. You cannot imagine what it was like to read her columns in TX while W. was being groomed for a top spot. The OJ trial, etc. A LOT of people in TX are just walking lobotomies.
I could give numerous examples of the sheer corruption under W. that Molly examined. But one will do. Down near Austin a huge meat plant had the fed inspectors show up (they usually let companies know when they're going to arrive) and they found one out of 5? ground meat machines (as big as a bus) that needed a cleaning. Full of lysteria, I believe. Well, one call to the guv got some judge out of bed in the middle of the night and a writ was promptly produced and voila: the good ol boys got to keep pumping out product b/c to shut down and actually clean the thing would cost too much money.
So that's another example of a) how things work in TX, and a lot of places in this country b) who they sent to Washington. So anyone who believes W. was a nice man, "not that bad", etc. etc. does not know how the world works.
But anyway, I'm thrilled that the rest of the country - at least some people - will be exposed to this and discover Molly. She was a great gal, and a hell of a journalist. We need more like her. Me? I've lost faith in about every institution that exists, so I'm sorta glad I didn't end up a journalist, in diplomacy, or a few other lines of work.
Unfortunately there's a buttload of folks that will never unplug from crapola like Faux, and believe the dems are Evil, etc. Like the guy with the glasses said in Cool Hand Luke "Some people (men), you just can't reach."
Well, had to make this a bit longer than just Hey, great, hope you see the film".
Sure miss Molly.
appalachiablue
(41,131 posts)Gumboot
(531 posts)Been a fan for years, and oh how we need her razor-sharp wit & insight right now.
She always got right to the point and made me howl with laughter along the way!
dalton99a
(81,485 posts)appalachiablue
(41,131 posts)> Despite her frequent cynicism, Ivins believed in the people, provided they act on their values, saying in her final column, We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action.