by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
A Rated G 45 min.
What started out as a documentary on saving the wetlands around New Orleans turned into a post-Katrina film that included the further destruction of the vital wetlands on the ecology of New Orleans. Oscar nominated MacGillivray Freeman shot the film before, during, and after Katrina, focusing on the aftermath on both the delicate ecosystem and the impact of the biggest flood in American history on the wildlife of the region.
Meryl Streep narrates the first half of the film dealing with the steady decline of the wetlands due to a myriad of factors, but mostly erosion and contamination by seawater. Of course, hurricanes have devastated the wetland region. The stunning IMAX vistas of the vast wetlands marshes are spectacular. In the past, this natural barrier had helped prevent New Orleans from flooding. Now, the region is so damaged, that it contributed to the terrible flooding when the levees gave way.
“We set out originally to tell the story of a future, hypothetical hurricane and how the rapid erosion of the wetlands left New Orleans more vulnerable to flooding, but when Katrina struck in the middle of shooting, we were no longer filming what ‘might happen’ and suddenly we were like news reporters filming what did happen. We had to completely rethink the film, which evolved into a much broader and more deeply emotional story than we ever imagined,” Greg MacGillivray said.
Fittingly, the second half of the film deals with Katrina–during and after–with renowned Cajun blues artist and wetlands activist Tab Benoit (pronounced “ben-wah”) narrating, and with 14-year-old fiddle prodigy Amanda Shaw. Also the man who discovered Amanda and helped produce her first album, noted zydeco accordion master Chubby Carrier is an important part of this film. Rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame inductee, Alen Toussaint, the world famous Cajun pianist, is seen jamming with Tab, Amanda, and Chubby.
Of course, Tab has many friends here in Jacksonville including me. I’ve interviewed him for his performances at Springing the Blues and the Freebird Live. One night, prior to Tab’s set, I sat at the Freebird bar drinking beer with him, listening to him spin tales of New Orleans and his sorry golf game with Sam Veal. Tab is a blood-line Cajun, a popular blues artist, pilot of his own twin engine plane, and he zips around the wetlands in his air-boat. Tab is seen touring the wetlands on his air boat and flying over the area in his plane, while narrating the film, educating the public on how important the wetlands are to New Orleans.
Tab owns a cabin on the marshland where he spends countless hours writing songs. After Katrina, he is seen touring the damage. The cabin was wiped out, leaving only a shell still standing. Tab and Amanda also went back to check on a female alligator who had given birth just before the storm. She had only one baby left, but that was an encouraging sign that the alligator population would prosper and stay stable. After all, they have survived since the time of the Dinosaurs.
Since MacGillivray shot his own footage of Katrina and its terrible aftermath, his documentary presents a completely different perspective than the news media footage. He makes it personal by shooting Amanda desperately trying to find out if her grandparents were okay after the storm. It turned out that they were stranded for three days on their roof without food and little water. But they were rescued.
As Tab points out, Louisiana’s coastal location contains an astonishing 48% of all the coastal wetlands in the continental United States. Justifiably, Tab says that New Orleans is the musical soul of America, but sadly, many musicians have left the area after Katrina. He is leading an initiative to encourage New Orleans’ musicians to return to their emotional roots. But it’s an up hill struggle, with the many problems facing the city, not the least of which the escalating murder rate.
The city of New Orleans rose up from the swamp land to become the Paris of the United States. Its history parallels the history of music in America. In his conclusion regarding the future of New Orleans, Tab says that they are making efforts to replant the wetlands with indigenous plants and trees to restore the ecological balance. It’s a monumental undertaking, however.
More significantly, Tab is committed to the rebirth of both New Orleans as a vital musical epicenter and restoring its wetlands’ ecology. Knowing Tab, and his commitment to Cajun roots music and blues, he thrives on positive thinking and that is just what New Orleans needs to restore its soul after Katrina. There will be a decade-long period of rebuilding and uncertainty, but eventually, The Big Easy will be restored to its pre-Katrina glory. That is the hopeful message of this film.
|
