Mississippi River Documentary

In THE PLOW THAT BROKE THE PLAINS, we see the power filmmaking has over a population. We are witness to propaganda by the United States government to raise awareness about the New Deal. At the very beginning of the film were presented with what looks like a still image reminiscent of Soviet propaganda imagery, in what looks like farmers and pioneers and covered wagons moving in a direction that is unknown to us, in other words moving towards the future. The cinematography alone is worth the price of admission as it conveys a sense of this wide, open area. What we get from the initial opening scenes is this overwhelming sense of potential and an understanding that this sky is truly the limit! About halfway through the film, along with the narration …show more content…
We 're also shown how farming and timber practices had caused topsoil to be swept down the river and into the Gulf of Mexico leading to catastrophic floods and impoverishing farmers. I especially love the buildup, using the imagery of small trickles of water that became creeks and brooks that became tributary to other rivers that became the Mississippi. In cinematic fashion the filmmakers are painting a picture for us in which they depict all of the rivers that run into the Mississippi to look like blood vessels. Mark Twain called the Mississippi the life blood of the United States and the comparison between the author and this filmmaker is not lost on me. But again we 're looking at a “US documentary film” that is once again pointing out the struggle between industrialized nation and natural resources. This film does a fantastic job of establishing the scenery and giving us a sense of where we are, however I was more struck by the amount of close-ups used by the cinematographer. This use of close-ups underlined the intimacy that was prevalent throughout the …show more content…
There was an underlying theme of man taking control of the machine and using it to build better communities, that allow him to come closer to the pastoral ideal. The underlying theme was that only by returning to the old ways, albeit the modern version complete with cars and prefabricated housing, can America fix the problems that have resulted from industrialization and the misuse of the natural environment. Among the imagery we had a narration that was emphasizing the false belief that moving to the city is the move to make. The cinematographer in this film managed to capture quite elegantly the claustrophobic notion of the city punctuated by scenes that by today 's standards would border on abuse. One scene in particular where the train rails were right next to a schoolyard. Children are playing with the kick ball out in the front yard as trains are roaring by. And seeing that boy run across the tracks to get to the ball was