Rev. C. L. Bryant's fabulous documentary, Runaway Slave, is now out on DVD. If you haven't seen this film I urge you to order it and watch.
I went to the theater five times last summer and watched it. I loved it. My review is here.
The title refers to Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad in the 19th century; Rev. Bryant contends that we need a "new Underground Railroad" to help lead blacks from the tyranny of enslavement by the United States government which is bent on keeping so many dependent on the government dole.
The documentary is a masterpiece of photography and symbolism as well as strong in its powerful message. Yet even with the seriousness of the subject, in the end I was left optimistic and hopeful.
The trailer:
I've ordered my copy already because even though I almost know it by heart by now, I still want to watch it over and over again.
Holy smokes. Via Red State, "the most incredible movie trailer I've ever seen":
I'm dumbfounded at the sheer blind idolatry of it!
Instead, how about a film about freedom? How about a film that makes you feel good about your country without being preachy? How about a film that lifts your spirits and fills you with optimism?
When C.L. Bryant's Runaway Slave hits nationwide, it is ALL anybody is going to be talking about. I just watched it a second time and it was more powerful the second time. Of course, after I saw the film this weekend I have read Star Parker's book and started Deneen Borelli's book, so I brought more background to the table this time.
This time around I was really watching the imagery and technical aspects of the movie. It not only holds up on message, but it holds up as a technical work, too. When I reviewed the movie I wrote that it has a "gritty, urban feel" to it. Imagery of chains, bars, and locks are flashed across the screen. Urban graffiti.
Most prevalent was the image of the railroad; one of the themes of the film is that it's time for "a new underground railroad" to escape poverty and the tyranny of big government oppression.
We see C.L. walking down railroad tracks, running on the tracks, and standing in thought on the tracks. In the beginning he picks up a rusty railroad spike and you see that spike from time to time through the film. At the end, as he shouts "Run! Run away from socialism! Run away from progressivism! Run!" This is when you get chills up and down your arms. He throws that spike off a railroad trestle into the river - freedom.
The image is there verbally, too, as AlfonZo Rachel says, "I must be on the right track!"
The most beautiful image to me was CL's visit to the Jefferson Memorial. He stands, staring up at the statue of Jefferson, a man who once owned slaves, and the sun breaks through the columns. The message? It's a new day; look forward. Don't look to the past. Look forward and where we can go, together.
It's simply a beautiful film in both message and content.
Go see it. Because when it opens up nationwide, everyone is going to be talking about it and you will want to be part of that conversation.
I was scanning the New York Times online this morning and came across this story. It caught my attention because it reminded me of Into Thin Air, the book by Jon Krakauer of the 1996 disaster on Everest, which led me to think about my favorite podcast ever, The Rest of Everest by Jon Miller. Jon tells the story of Ben Clark, who was attempting to be the youngest American to summit Everest. I won't reveal how it came out, but the podcast is great! Jon went on the climb with Ben (he didn't make the full climb - Jon stayed at Base Camp most of the time, venturing up to the higher camps a few times) and they made a documentary of the adventure called Everest: The Other Side which Jon was kind enough to send to me. The documentary was aired on Dish Network. I use the documentary in my classroom when we read the "Into Thin Air" excerpt in my class. Ben's story is a wonderful story about setting your goals and doing what you have to do to reach them. So much more than a mountain climbing story and such a totally different look at Everest than was portrayed in Krakauer's book!
Looking at the photo of this mountain, I still can't fathom what makes a person say "Hey! I want to climb that!" I am terrified of heights, I hate cold weather, and I hate grueling exercise. So, this is obviously not for me. My students often ask me why someone would want to put their life in such jeopardy. As Ben Clark said, "The depth of the experience will always be greater than the height of the summit." From watching Jon's documentary, it is obvious there is a lot of camaradarie in mountain climbing - it's a real community of climbers up there. In fact, at the end of that documentary and especially the podcast, I felt like I knew those people myself.
Take a few minutes and check out Jon's site, linked above, and especially watch his podcast if you can. Even if you aren't an "Everest person" it's a great look at the culture of Nepal and Tibet, and you will learn something. The photography is over-the-top beautiful.
