The Dust Bowl

Once again, Ken Burns has crafted an excellent, informative documentary. This one is about the Dust Bowl. Interviews, photographs, diary entries and footage are used to paint a picture of the time and place, a time when monstrous behemoths of dust could literally blot out the sun.

Most effective are the interviews. Men and women who were children when dust storms swept the plains tell stories of their experiences. Some of these are very emotional. For example, two brothers choke up at the memory of their sister who died of 'dust pneumonia' when still a young girl. The anguish in their voices is simply heartbreaking. Another man recalls how he became separated from his parents when a dust storm hit and for a while they had no idea if he was dead or alive. All of these stories give one a full appreciation of the devastation wreaked by the event and make it painfully personal and human.

"The Dust Bowl" is a powerful story of human suffering and human endurance. Watching it, I was moved by the plight of people who struggled on against hope in an effort to retain their dignity or survive. It was very educational. I highly recommend seeing it.

(Oh, and to the previous reviewer: Much of this documentary is told through the words of people who actually lived through the Dust Bowl. Quite a bit of the film simply allows these people to speak for themselves without any quick cutting, signs of manipulation, or propagandistic techniques. I saw no signs of any 'agenda' on the part of Burns here.)

Oh, yes! - Man and his machines - And would you just look at what thou hast done in the name of progress and agriculture!..... Yes. Thou hast created a state-wide "dust bowl" like never imagined possible.

It sure would've been nice and convenient if man could've guiltlessly shifted the blame for this devastating disaster onto the shoulders of good, old Mother Nature (saying that she was clearly having a very bad hair day that particular decade).... But, no way, Jose. In this case, man couldn't worm his way out of this mess-of-historical-proportions that easy.

Anyways - Even though "The Dust Bowl" was definitely somewhat over-long with its 240-minute running time, it was still quite an interesting documentary that I'm sure many viewers are going to find quite intriguing to watch.

Through vintage, newsreel footage, 100s of stills, and interviews with, not only historians, but with the very people who were actually present to witness this incredible phenomenon, the viewer soon learns just how this man-made disaster of endless dust storms affected the lives of thousands of American citizens during the Depression Years of the 1930s.

Directed by Ken Burns (for PBS), and narrated by Peter Coyote, The Dust Bowl is a fascinating step back in time to an awesome occurrence that we can only hope will never have a chance, ever again, to repeat itself.

This "docu-drama" contained more political statements than a French feminist melodrama. OK, I admit I exaggerate but if you want to make a documentary you have to consider all possible angles and not be a servant to your own point of view. This is not a documentary. It is Ken Burns world view about the dust bowl. Don't look for reasonable explanations about the causes and circumstances in which the event occurred. It like one of those zombie movies, you know the ones which starts like, "its the year 2137, there has been a deadly virus attack and only few humans survive and the rest have turned to zombies". You know this is not a real story yet they put enough real circumstances in it for you to be engaged. This is the zombie movie of documentaries.

As an immigrant I was not familiar with this episode in American history besides a few facts connected to Great Depression and migration of thousands to California so well described by John Steinbeck. This movie however showed me that it may not be only about economic woes of that era but other factors played significant role such as greed, cheating of poor farmers by unscrupulous developers in a sort of Alaskan scheme,disregard for needs of a land (notice that historians point to the fact of that area used incorrectly for wheat instead just for grazing), over extensive farming resulting in erosion and general lack of paying attention to climate. All this unfortunately reminds me of our times which makes this movie especially troubling. What saved us completely from total gloom after watching are people: beautiful farmers undefeated in the face of such calamity. I just wish that those types of Americans would be shown more often to the rest of the world and maybe they will be more liked by others. Instead what the world see are shallow celebrities, rich and arrogant businessmen. Show the world more that woman in the beaten truck with her hungry children in that famous photograph made on the way to California and she should be real American lady not Modonna or similar types. Now, on another note: what struck me about the movie is how well our heroes looked despite poverty, lack of food, dust and proper medical care. I even cracked a joke to my family that they all looked as they had just left Gap store. Compare them with contemporary society and see difference. Obesity, bulky faces, sloppy clothes, lack of grace, a hint of stupidity on our faces coming from constant looking at commercial surroundings and see how those old farmers looked dignified compared to us. They ate less but purer food, were surrounded by nature and beauty (with the exception of those 10 years of dust bowl), had deep connection to others, walked constantly... - perhaps these things made them prettier. So if there are messages coming from this movie there are following: treat nature with respect, plan for the future, save water; and in other realm: dress better, walk more and with poise and clean your house. If they could do it despite all the odds, so can we.

I've only viewed part 1 (last night) and I'm anxiously awaiting part 2, which is tonight. So far, it has been very good and informative. A significant piece of American history. One we should all be knowledgeable on. We had a large part in creating this natural catastrophe, and we are doomed to do similar things if we continue to do as we are presently doing. It reminds me of the recent flooding in New York, New Jersey and Japan. Much of that damage and loss can be contributed to poor planning on mankind. Nature is cyclical. We just choose to ignore the past history.

Very good and informative. I highly recommend it.

Russ