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davidross2243
Reviews
The River (1938)
A moving film with terrific music
I first saw this as a 16 mm film projection in 1961, and have been looking for a copy off and on since then. Finally found one on eBay as a DVD labeled The History of the Mississippi River. While ultimately plugging the achievements of the TVA and FDR's New Deal, the film movingly portrays both the muscle of American industry and agriculture, and its folly and wastefulness and the effects on both the land and its people.
Probably the best part of the film, and certainly crucial to its message, is the music of Virgil Thomson, who interwove melodies from popular and gospel hymns with his own original creation to enhance and define the mood of this documentary. The music, along with his music for the companion film The Plow that Broke the Plains, is available on CD.
With a running time of 30 minutes, this is a gem of a documentary, and one that has had a life-long effect on me personally, in terms of my career, politics, and environmental sensibility.