The Plow That Broke the Plains & The River / Gil-Ordonez, Post-Classical Ensemble

Amazon.com Art and propaganda meet to powerful effect in these two documentaries from the 1930s. Written and directed by Pare Lorentz, both The Plow That Broke the Plains and The River were made (in black & white) by the U.S government and clearly intended to promote President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, a series of initiatives designed to help the country recover from the Great Depression. Yet that fact detracts not at all from their artistry, as the combination of Lorentz's visuals and words and composer Virgil Thomson's music (the voice-over narration and the scores for both films were "re-created" in 2005 for this release) is often quite genuinely transcendent. Released in 1936 and sponsored by the U.S. Resettlement Administration, The Plow focuses on the Great Plains, those millions of grassy acres sprawled between Texas and Canada--"a high, treeless continent," the narration tells us, "without rivers or streams, a country of high winds and sun, and of little rain"--and how, after settlers wiped out the Indians and buffalo who once inhabited the area, the great prosperity and progress that followed eventually left the land over-grazed and over-farmed, turning it into a parched, cracked Dust Bowl, its people impoverished and desperately in need of food, care, jobs, and another chance. The River, from the following year, details the remarkable growth of trade and travel along the Mississippi River, where the booming farming, lumber, iron, coal, and steel industries stripped the surrounding land of its soil and roots, leading to the weakening of the river's levees and disastrous flooding (shades of New Orleans 2005), with government agencies like the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Farm Security Administration offering the best chance to escape this ruinous cycle. The films are filled with striking images and poetry, but in the end, it's Thomson's music that makes the greatest impression; truly cinematic in scope, it draws on well known tunes ("There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"), hymns ("The Doxology") and the composer's own brilliance to create a thoroughly American sound whose moods perfectly match and enhance what we see on the screen. An hour or so of bonus features includes discussion of all the films' elements (Thomson himself weighs in during an old audio interview), as well as the original beginning and ending of The Plow. --Sam Graham Product Description Pare Lorentz's "The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936)," and "The River (1937)" are landmark American documentary films. Aesthetically, they break new ground in seamlessly marrying pictoral imagery, symphonic music, and poetic free verse. Ideologically, they encapsulate the strivings of FDR's "New Deal." Virgil Thompson's scores for both films are among the most famous ever composed for the movies. These classic films make their DVD debut with newly recreated & recorded scores. Review "His Lorentz were fresh when newly minted, and remain so today, as do the films". -- Bay Area Reporter, Michael McDonagh, April 19, 2007 "Introduce yourself to Thomson and always remember the good value that Naxos has to offer. Highly recommended" -- www.goldenscores.com "So, is The Plow that Broke the Plains and The River art? Yes, it is part of culture and accomplishes all of the goals of art in addition to stimulating deeper and more meaningful discussion of the issues addressed." -- Blogcritics.org, C. Michael Bailey "The performances are lively and stylish. Extra features include interviews that shed light on the improbable geneses of these films" -- New York Times, February 25, 2007 These films are widely credited with changing the nature of documentary filmmaking and Thomson's scores are the standard concert fare. -- Classical Corner, David Lewis
ASIN: B000L42J5E
VSKU: DBV.B000L42J5E.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Virgil Thomson|Post-Classical Ensemble|Angel Gil-Ordonez
Binding: Dvd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!