Blood in the Face (1991)

Directors:

Anne Bohlen
Kevin Rafferty

Writer:

James Ridgeway (book)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Welcome to the Ku Klux Klan, American Nazi Party and David Duke

Plot:

An expose of the beliefs, history, and personalities of American White Supremacist groups, including neo-Nazis...

Plot Keywords:

Holocaust | White Supremacist | Neo Nazi | Ku Klux Klan | Fascist

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

George Lincoln Rockwell	...	Himself (American Nazi Party) (archive footage)
Don Black	...	Himself (former Imperial Wizard, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan)
Thom Robb	...	Himself (National Director, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan)
Jack Moher	...	Himself ('Christian Identity' Minister)
Allen Poe	...	Himself (Christian Identity Minister)
John Ross Taylor	...	Himself (Canadian Fascist Leader, Western Guard)
Bruce Carroll Pierce	...	Himself (Leader of The Order) (archive footage)
Alan Berg	...	Himself (talk radio host) (archive footage)
Glen Miller	...	Himself (Head of the White Patriots Party)
David Duke	...	Himself (archive footage)
Anne Bohlen	...	Interviewer
Kevin Rafferty	...	Interviewer
James Ridgeway	...	Interviewer
Michael Moore	...	Interviewer

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Michigan, USA

Company:

Right Thinking

Movie Connections:

References Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Come face to face with evil.

The worst evil, my English teacher told me shortly after September 11, comes into play when the evildoer believes it to be good. So it is in this bone-chilling documentary on the racist opinion. Michael Moore appears in this, but this is very different from documentaries like 'Bowling for Columbine,' or 'The Corporation.' This film makes no effort to distract with narration from the horror of seeing the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, the Neo Nazis, the Aryan Resistance fighters, and hearing them speak, uninterrupted by the interviewers. There is no relieving support for the lovers of all races from the liberals behind the cameras. We are left to gather our own thoughts, and what remains of our opinion, the filmmakers leave to us as well, almost as a test to the strength of our principles, and ultimately, our minds. That is what makes this film drive its point so effectively. You will not be able to blink when you see this film. The people who speak will make your flesh crawl. We stare these people in the face and hear them speak their piece, in an almost spell-binding way, and their words almost seem hypnotic. The most horrific part is when some of their words start to make a bizarre sense, which makes this film all the more frightening. It is only when we think of all they HAVE done, as opposed to what they say, that we see these people for what they truly are. One elderly racist here puts it perfectly, ironically, that our actions define us. Even more ironically, he could hardly remember the quote correctly. With that kept in mind, only with that, are we able to hold on, and not be sucked in. At the beginning, we see people just like anyone we'd meet in our neighborhood, happy families with adorable children. Then, we hear them speak, we hear the hate that festers under the politics, the religion, the ethical issues these people bring up to try and hide it. And when the film delves deeper into the radicalism of their theories, these people begin to look more and more sinister. In the end, for me, it was not the speakers I felt sympathy for, for as they say, they will die before they see their ideals take effect. But seeing ordinary children deprived of the rich and wonderful experience of interacting with people of all kinds is one of the most tragic things I have seen. I see the innocence that begins in all humans, and the comparison of racist ideals to Johnny Appleseed's seeds seems almost tragic, as well as fearful. It is terrifying to remember just how many of them there are, and how they will multiply as they say. But, you must think, will they? In a society where it is impossible to 'shield' a child from interracial contact, it seems unlikely it will last in future generations. What is more, even without narration, the film is still able to expose the hypocrisy and outright bigotry that lies at the root of it all. The film's greatest brilliance comes from the fact that narration is not necessary to expose that, provided you keep the truth in mind. To this end, the footage of the Holocaust, used briefly, is almost relieving, seeing Jewish children herded into boxcars, and remembering the tyranny and ruthlessness of Hitler, and the men these people worship. So keep that truth close to you throughout this film as if it were your mother embracing you, and you will see the truth without the filmmaker's help. It is difficult to know the true extent of these people's hatred, but the film still establishes the truth of who they are. They come from past generations. They are old, dying out. One thing you must also keep close is the truth of what democracy stands for: Freedom for all races, colors, creeds, and types. Freedom to succeed where you want if you try. And above all, freedom to learn the truth. These people will never learn that blacks can be intelligent, can be as good as them, because they refuse to try. They insist on seeing the world, pardon the expression, in terms of black and white. The thing that comes to my mind, in seeing this movie, at the end, is a quote from Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's brilliant musical, Assassins. 'There are those who love regretting, there are those who like extremes, there are those who thrive on chaos and despair. There are those who keep forgetting how the country's built on dreams. But they forgot about the country, so it's now forgotten them.'