Louisiana Story (1948)

The idyllic life of a young Cajun boy and his pet raccoon is disrupted when the tranquility of the bayou is broken by an oil well drilling near his home.

Director:

Robert J. Flaherty (as Robert Flaherty)

Writers:

Frances H. Flaherty (original screenplay) (as Frances Flaherty), Robert J. Flaherty (original screenplay) (as Robert Flaherty)

Stars:

Joseph Boudreaux, Lionel Le Blanc, E. Bienvenu

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Joseph Boudreaux	...	The Boy
Lionel Le Blanc	...	His Father
E. Bienvenu	...	His Mother (as Mrs. E. Bienvenu)
Frank Hardy	...	The Driller
C.P. Guedry	...	The Boilerman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oscar J. Yarborough	...	Oil Company Lessor

Storyline

A young Cajun boy named Alexander Napolean Ulysses Latour spends his time on a Louisiana bayou. There he plays, fishes and hunts, worrying only about the alligators which infest its waters. The boy's innocent routine changes forever when his father signs a lease agreement with an oil company which brings a derrick into their corner of the bayou.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | bayou | raccoon | louisiana | cajun | 

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Taglines:

Being the Adventures of a "Cajun Huckleberry Finn" in the Bayous of Louiaiana...

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

28 October 1948 (France)

Also Known As:

Cajun

Filming Locations:

Petit Anse Bayou, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$258,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Flaherty Productions Inc.,Standard Oil

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was re-released by an exploitation company in the 1950s under the title "Cajun" on the bottom half of a double bill with Watusi (1959).

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Goofs

When the raccoon escapes from the boat and swims through the bayou, the edge of a pontoon or boat appears at the right side of the frame

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Connections

Referenced in Les échos du cinéma: Episode #1.23 (1961)

User Reviews

A movie made only interesting by its visuals.

Let's face it, there really isn't much to this movie. It's a movie directed by Robert J. Flaherty, who was best known for his documentaries and his most famous and first movie "Nanook of the North", which wasn't even a real documentary. This movie also ain't no documentary and its something that is somewhat between a full length movie and a fake-documentary, like "Nanook of the North".

In all honesty because of its style and approach, the whole movie and its story was far from an interesting one. It's not really a movie in which a lot is happening and there is no drama to the story in terms of having something awful or shocking happen in it. It just tells the story of a little Cajun boy who enjoys living in the swampy Louisiana area, when suddenly an oil company shows up and starts building an oil derrick. You think that after this point his whole life will change and he'll do anything to prevent the oil company from drilling and destroying the territory he loves to play and hunt in. This movie however got actually produced by an oil company, so there is no such happening in this movie at all. Instead he makes friends with the oil people and just go on about his life as if nothing has drastically changed. This is why "Louisiana Story" just isn't that interesting or strong as movie, story-wise.

It's however still a very well directed one. Every shot got set up nicely and Robert J. Flaherty obviously had an eye for the environments and for creating some beautiful set up shots. The movie is also supported by a really nice musical score by Virgil Thomson. The editing at times is however really off and at times ruins some of the movie its pacing.

Not really a that interesting movie to watch but still perfectly watchable because of how fine it's all made.

7/10

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