An American Opera (2007)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Tom McPhee

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

When EVERYONE believes they are doing RIGHT, how can so much go WRONG?

Plot:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, America suffered the worst domestic animal crisis in its history...

Plot Keywords:

Pet | Animal | New Orleans | Opera | Katrina

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Tom McPhee	...	Himself
Jane Garrison	...	Herself - Animal Rescuer
Lamonte Chenevert	...	Himself - Resident
Susan Benezeck	...	Herself - Resident
Wayne Pacelle	...	Himself - CEO of HSUS
Dr. Maxwell A. Lea Jr.	...	Himself - State Veterinarian
Mark Steinway	...	Himself - Humane Investigator
Laura Maloney	...	Herself - LASPCA Director
Chris Acosta	...	Himself - Resident
Crystal Acosta	...	Herself - Resident
David Leeson	...	Himself - Reporter
Mimi Hunley	...	Herself - Louisiana Assistant Attorney General
Marie Belew Wheatly	...	Herself - CEO of American Humane Association

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Gonzales, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Cave Studio

Soundtrack:

Hold Me

Unfulfilled promise (spoilers)

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

What is the point of this documentary? From a film perspective this was not worthwhile. The film & editing was bad. It seems that much of the film was a forum for someone's favorite iTunes list. Many images are frankly irrelevant to the film. Little continuity. I think the filmmaker is stuck with footage that cannot be redone and somehow threw it all together. I'm amazed that anyone is rallying behind this as a film.

I understand that in a crisis situation such as this, some footage will be choppy, shaky, etc which adds to the experience of the crisis. However, even in the controlled environments - interviews after the fact - the camera shakes, moves in & out unnecessarily, and gives ridiculous close-ups. There was precious little information about any pet rescue. A few statistics thrown in.

Jane Garrison's story is compelling and this should be more about her alone. Sub-lines would be the inter-agency conflicts, the animal murders by law enforcement, and REUNIONS with pets. A fuller investigation of these on film would make it worthwhile.

I think there are many promising story lines that are just dropped. What is in the film does not gel at all to make a documentary. The film ends with some random images from the Barkus pet parade. What connection did this have to anything about the animal rescue, just because it was New Orleans? I'm getting even more angry as I type, thinking how much of a waste this was.