An American Opera (2007)

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, America suffered the worst domestic animal crisis in its history. Tens of thousands of house pets were left to perish in neighborhoods all across the ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom McPhee

Stars:

Tom McPhee, Jane Garrison, Lamonte Chenevert

3 wins.

Cast

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

Storyline

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, America suffered the worst domestic animal crisis in its history. Tens of thousands of house pets were left to perish in neighborhoods all across the gulf when the owners were forced to evacuate without their pets. Tom McPhee went to Gonzales, Louisiana not knowing how he would help, just knowing he needed to help somehow. He volunteered at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center and by chance found himself spending the next four days taking picture after picture of thousands of house pets rescued from flooded New Orleans. For the next 16 months Tom would document this historic event as it unfolded, trying to understand where it all went wrong. An American Opera is an unflinching, operatic vision of what happened to the people of New Orleans who were forced to evacuate without their beloved pets. Follow the story of the Pets, Vets, Owners, Officials, Rescuers and Adopters of animals as they all work through the chaos to do what is right only to discover not ...

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Plot Keywords:

pet | animal | hurricane katrina | opera | hurricane | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Sevilla
By Arthur Yoria

User Reviews

Very moving movie...

Katrina was devastation, pure and simple. The break down in the fabric of New Orleans society was not something that was portrayed through the media. As usual, we see what we are supposed to see...no more, no less. Tom's portrayal of the plight of animals after Katrina was bare-boned and showed us the painful reality of how things really were. We saw only a small piece of the aftermath, I can only imagine what it would be like to see the whole picture. Unless a person has experienced this kind of trauma, they cannot know what toll it takes on the mind and how it changes our perception of things and in that, changes the decisions we make. Tom did a wonderful job producing this film. It was moving and elicited many emotional responses in a very short period of time. People need to see this.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Gonzales, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cave Studio, Man Smiling Moving Pictures

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1