For this sprawling sequel, Spike Lee returns to the scene of his Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. He begins with images of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina before fast-for... more »warding to the 2010 Super Bowl in which the Saints emerged triumphant. But one football game can't change everything, and serious problems remain. Aside from residents, scientists, pastors, and politicians, he speaks with famous figures, like reporter Anderson Cooper; musician Terence Blanchard, who provides the stately score; and actors Wendell Pierce, star of Treme, and Brad Pitt, who launched a foundation to help rebuild the Ninth Ward. (Some subjects also appeared in the first film.) As writer Doug Brinkley (The Great Deluge) puts it, "Katrina is just part of a continuum." Though one woman's insurance company helped her to buy a new home in Louisiana, she moved to Texas due to the lack of resources for her autistic son. Other issues include a scarcity of low-income housing, a troubled school system, police misconduct, the BP oil spill, and a dearth of mental health facilities (one speaker cites a suicide rate over "twice the national average"). Lee adds footage from meetings, marches, and rallies. Though former mayor Ray Nagin comes in for a drubbing, the director gives him ample opportunity to speak for himself; Lee's approach may be critical, but it's also fair. If he doesn't appear on screen, his questions are audible when necessary (mention of regional cuisine adds a moment of levity). He also shoots a few speakers in profile, which serves no real purpose, but that's a minor complaint, since this survey of life in a disaster zone is more exhaustive--and empathetic--than not. And be sure to stay through the closing credits in which all the subjects introduce themselves. --Kathleen C. Fennessy« less
Director:Spike Lee Genres:Television Sub-Genres:Television Studio:Hbo Home Video Format:DVD - Color DVD Release Date: 04/19/2011 Release Year: 2011 Run Time: 4hr 0min Screens: Color Number of Discs: 2 SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 3 MPAA Rating: Unrated Languages:English