When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006– )

An examination of the U.S. government's role and its response to Hurricane Katrina.

Stars:

Darleen Asevedo, Jay Asevedo, Shelton 'Shakespeare' Alexander

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Darleen Asevedo	...	Herself

Storyline

In August 2005, the American city of New Orleans was struck by the powerful Hurricane Katrina. Although the storm was damaging by itself, that was not the true disaster. That happened when the city's flooding safeguards like levees failed and put most of the city, which is largely below sea level, underwater. This film covers that disastrous series of events that devastated the city and its people. Furthermore, the gross incompetence of the various governments and the powerful from the local to the federal level is examined to show how the poor and underprivileged of New Orleans were mistreated in this grand calamity and still ignored today.

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Plot Keywords:

hurricane katrina | government | hurricane | flooding | disaster | 

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Taglines:

An American Tragedy

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

HBO [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2006 (Finland)

Also Known As:

When the Levees Broke

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Documentary Films, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

255 min 255 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1993)

User Reviews

powerful, angering and a must see

Spike Lee's film When the Levees Broke: A Requim in Four acts is a haunting look at New Orleans during and after the devastation of Katrina. But this documentary is quick to point out that the disaster was not really from nature at all, it came directly from our own government, from the army core of engineers' poor construction of the Levees to the complete breakdown of the federal government and FEMA's lack buster response. This is not easy to watch as you see just how people's lives were devastated. It is angering, saddening, and also hopeful that New Orleans will be rebuilt and that there is progress made. I liked how it does not point blame in one direction. Everyone is at fault here though some more than others. Seeing the picture of Dick Chenney fly fishing days after the disaster and Condaliza Rice buying shoes in NYC were certainly angering but also watching the governor of Lousiana refuse help from our president are standouts. However the real star of this documentary are the people of New Orleans. They talk freely and angrily about the pain that they have gone through and show that the storm didn't end last August, its still going on there to this day. It is unbelievable to watch as these people wait 4 months and longer for FEMA trailers, and when they get them to find that there is no electricity. When asked what she could do to get electricity one woman suggests a blow-job. It just shows the complete lack of support our government gave to this state and to this city. This film will move you to tears many times and is hard to take but it is necessary to watch . It features a superb score by Terrance Blanchard whose own family was devastated by Katrina as shown on film. An excellent documentary.