In class, we watched the beginnings of The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till and Harlan County, USA. Based on these brief introductions, which film would you want to see more of?Please post a thoughtful response explaining your choice. Include in your post if/how considerations of subject and technique, etc. factor in. Feel free to compare and contrast the two films, thematically and aesthetically. Think about the ways in which they are similar and different.
10 comments:
Harlan County, USA. A dirty, extreme, and unsung job like coal mining deserves a hats off from everyone else who doesn't have to do this. It takes a certain kind of person to handle the claustrophobic conditions and darkness, but these people don't view themselves as heroes, but plain hard working Kentucky citizens.
This documentary is important in that it exposes the value a company holds on its workers (less than a mule), child labor, worker's compensation, and everything else we take for granted.
This compelling subject matter along a dynamic, probing camera exposing the inside of the mines, various strikers, the town, etc. drive the pace mounts intrigue into the resolution.
I would like to see "Harlan County, USA" in class next week. I thought this story of workers standing up to corporations, and demanding a fair wage is interesting to me. What sparked this, and who takes charge? Is it mutual for "change," or is there a specific leader representing action?
(In a way, it reminds me of "October Sky")
While, "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" is interesting, I didn't care much for the documentary style. It was more like pictures, and "interviews" with only 2 or 3 people. There wasn't any video, any action.
I would like to finish "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" as it caught my attention more than "Harlan County, USA." The doc really built me up and I'm curious to figure out the outcome of Emmett Till
Both topics caught my interest, but I was already familiar with the story of Emmett Till and wasn't captivated much by the aesthetics of the documentary. I felt the interviews were significant (obviously they were telling the story drawing from their own recollections), but there were extensive periods of time when all that was on the screen were talking heads or various stock footage I had seen times before. The look of the interviews was simplistic and kind of boring, and not very professional. I would choose to watch Harlan County, USA because it seemed more worthy of a visual documentary. Not at all saying that the story of Emmett Till wasn't heartbreaking or significant, just that by the look of the documentary I could just as well have read an article or a story on the subject and felt the same emotion. Harlan County, USA had a stronger aesthetic and more structure, there were characters playing music and picketing, interacting with each other... it had more substance to make it a worthy visual documentary, where as I'm not sure I would have been interested in reading an article on this topic.
I would like to see the rest of "Harlan County USA". I have pervoiusly seen "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" and felt that it was something that was definatly worth seeing, not as much as an incredible film but that the story should not go "untold" as the title implies. "Harlan County USA" looked like it had the potiental to be very interesting and either way I would like to watch it the full way through. Knowing a small ammount about the coal mining industry it seems if the film was done right it could be very engaging.
I feel that the Emmett Till story kept my attention long than Harlan County. I have heard some of the details of Emmett Till but not the whole story and I want to know more about the situation. The Emmett Till story made me want to learn more about what really happened and the effects after. Harlan County I can really care less.
Harlan County USA for me most definitely. I know that world. Where I am from not one single persons life is not effected by the coal mining industry. The people in this film are so beautiful there is so much authenticity in their faces and voices. Narrative films just can't carry that kind of power that real people bring to the table. As far as why Harlan County USA instead of the other, for me I prefer to have the story unfold in front of me. With the Emmett Till story I felt like I was being fed the situation. The sit down interview and photos as filler technique tends to be less interesting for me. I prefer seeing someone going through life instead of talking about what happened.
The movie that i would like to see the rest of was Harlan County, USA. I felt that Harlan County USA was aesthetically superior than The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, as it had a greater variety of shots. In particular, I found the in-tunnel shots of miners traveling on conveyer belts amazing. The purely interview style bust shot format of The Untold Story was, considering the subject quite boring.
I felt that there was a heavy presence of the director in The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. As it was mostly interview style i found it a bit constricted. Harlan USA, on the other hand felt like it had a more open or free flow. Harlan did seem to take the side of the Miners Union, however i feel it was presented in a much more interesting format.
Although the theme of The Untold Story has a bit more of an impact on me, forcing me to the edge of my seat. Despite already knowing the tale of The Untold Story, I was still riveted the introduction to the story.
In terms of production value/holding up with age, I'd have to choose the Emmett Till Story. It had a much cleaner look than the Harlan County USA film.
Story wise, I'd also have to go with Emmett Till. Yes, I realize that 98% of it was talking head interview, but the story was hauntingly interesting, and the interviewees had a lot of passion on the subject.
Harlan County, USA was shot with stunning cinematography. While watching it, I felt like I was on a photographic expedition and whether or not I am interested in coal miners became irrelevant as the moving images were so beautiful and intriguing. I was captivated by the presentation of this film, and as a result became captivated by the subject matter. For me, however, it was all in the delivery.
The Untold Story of Emmett Till seemed interesting, but certainly didn't demand my curiosity in the same way. It was traditional and seemed far more staged or prepared then Harlan County, USA. Harlan County had a really raw representation, which I appreciate and think is trickier to manage than a staged or prepared presentation.
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