Spike Lee's New Orleans Film

[Fire Walk With Me]

Is out on DVD shortly.

I haven't seen it, but found commentary on the net (taken with the appropriate grain of salt) that he claims that BushCo blew up the levees. Is this in the film?

I made some angered, disjointed posts during Katrina that seemed to have been taken that way- that I had claimed that BushCo MIHOP'd it. I was trying to say that they LIHOP'd it, and that there must be some advantage to them in so doing. Racism aside. Still shivering at Pickle's snide face at the speakers of Martin Luther King Jr's wife's funeral...

Rant aside, is the film worth seeing? I still have books on the subject that I haven't finished.

[KamaAina]

1. Haven't seen it, but I don't think Lee himself made the claim

I believe it is someone interviewed by Lee in the film who made the claim about the levees, which, by the way, is balderdash: the Lower Ninth Ward is, if not "protected", at least surrounded by a different set of levees than is the rest of the city.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Thanks. I'd hoped as much.

There are indeed as many opinions as there are persons, and the internet is where you may find them all.

[CatWoman]

9. it was Louis Farrakhan who made that charge

which, being that it was done in the early 1900's, isn't too far fetched.

[Catherine Vincent]

2. He doesn't claim it.

The whole DVD is video of NOLA, Mississippians and Alabamians speaking about Hurricane Katrina. A few NOLA residents from the 9th ward mentioned that the levees were blown up. That is all.

[NoPasaran]

4. Spike Lee doesn't make that claim

The film uses the comments of survivors of the flood, some of whom make the claim, others whom, while acknowledging the claim has been made, make it clear they don't agree with it.

It's well worth seeing.

[walldude]

5. Kama is right it wasn't Spike who made that claim

it was someone interviewed in the movie. Regardless of what the government did, I can safely say they did not protect N.O. from the start. The levees were crap to begin with. They do show some "real" levees in the movie I believe they are in Holland, and man it's embarassing to see what crap we have compared to them.

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. Thanks for the replies. A keyword reveals a very different result.

"spike lee levee" versus "spike lee katrina".

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=spike+lee+levee&btnG=Search

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=spike+lee+katrina&btnG=Search

[Swamp Rat]

7. I can't watch it.

:(

:kick:

[tnlefty]

10. Hugs Swamp Rat.

Just a big :hug:

[CatWoman]

11. aw, Swampy

:hug:

[KamaAina]

13. Then I guess we'll have to do something else when I'm in town

you did see the big announcement in the La. forum, right? 1/4-13.

[tnlefty]

8. Definitely worth seeing, although it took me 4 nights to get through

it. I was surprised that all of the anger, disgust and tears that I'd experienced during Katrina and the days that followed came back as quickly as they did. I had to take breaks in viewing.

I don't remember Spike Lee making that claim (about the levees), but he did mention when it was suspected of happening before and that some of the residents thought that it might have happened again.

I bought my copy from www.buzzflash.com and I think it's still available as one of their premiums. :hi:

[helderheid]

14. It was the same for me.

[hlthe2b]

12. picked it up at Blockbusters just before the Denver Blizzard

closed everything down... I plan to watch tonight...