The Aftermath of Spike Lee’s HBO Doc on Katrina
Sometimes media lightning rod Spike Lee’s recently released HBO Documentary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” got mostly positive reviews following its premiere earlier this week. The documentary tells the story of Katrina’s aftermath, and pulls no punches in criticizing the government for its lackluster response to the catastrophe–which Lee considers more of a man-made than a natural disaster.
It is clear that Lee intends the film to be a “call to action” of sorts, as is most evidenced by his appearance and comments at a screening in Martha’s Vineyard. Social activism is not, of course, foreign to the director of “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” and many other, lesser-known films (like the wonderful “Clockers”) that deal with racial issues.
The film has, of course, generated much controversy, given the fact that it gives voice to conspiracy theories which blame the levees’ collapse on intentional governmental action and that it all but ignores local politicians and Democrats in its blame-slinging. A heated discussion of the film’s merits in this regard can be found atWizbangblog, where Kevin Aylward’s negative take on the doc generated quite a response.