Even though they have pissed everyone off recently (though I remain in a perpetually far more pissed off state in regards to Cox and their worthless service), there is somewhat of a loose course in New Orleans social history going on if you seek it out…
Some of this is review for locals. A lot of time is spent on the Henry Glover case…
Frontline: Law and Disorder
2010 NR 55 minutes
This poignant edition of Frontline examines the performance of the New Orleans Police Department at the height of Hurricane Katrina hysteria, investigating charges that officers on duty used improper force while trying to keep the peace. Originally airing on PBS five years after the storm, the program is a three-way collaboration between Frontline, ProPublica and the city’s newspaper of record, the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Frank Minyard, Dr. Paul McGarry and the Cayne Micelli case is examined.
Frontline: Post Mortem
2011 NR 53 minutes
Providing a stark contrast to the supersleuth-physicians who run the forensics labs on TV, the real-life medical examiners under the microscope in this PBS documentary often lack requisite certification and training. As a result, criminals go free.
Almost everyone I know has seen this already but it is worth another look…
Trouble the Water
2008 NR 95 minutes
Filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal recount a surprising tale of heroism amid tragedy in New Orleans, where a wannabe rapper and her husband brave the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina to rescue their neighbors. Featuring live video diary footage from the couple, the Oscar-nominated documentary is both a poignant portrait of a family’s will to survive and a startling portrayal of Katrina’s devastating power.
Mine
2009 NR 80 minutes
Explore the devastating effects Hurricane Katrina had on the lives of dogs and dog owners separated during and after the storm. This documentary profiles the complicated struggles of Katrina victims and the new families who’ve adopted their pets. New Orleans residents like Gloria Richardson, Malvin Cavalier and Jesse Pullins discuss their hurricane experiences, relationships with their dogs and desires to be reunited.
Documents the awful public safety record of BP leading up to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Frontline: The Spill
2010 NR 53 minutes
This installment of the PBS documentary series investigates the disaster involving Deepwater Horizon, the BP drilling rig that exploded in April 2010, killing 11 workers and causing the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Focusing on BP’s appalling record of safety violations, this program paints a scathing portrait of a company callously committed to profits despite repeated pledges to better protect its workers and the environment.
Nothing Earth-shattering but an enjoyable look at the history of Storyville…
Storyville: The Naked Dance
2000 NR 56 minutes
This documentary is the first to profile America’s legendary — and legal — red-light district, which thrived in New Orleans from 1898 until the U.S. Navy closed it permanently in 1917. It was an area filled with the raucous rhythms of a new American music called jazz, excitement — and sin. Set against the backdrop of Victorian morality, 2,000 prostitutes worked the 16 square blocks of twinkling lights and rat-infested alleyways.
The whole world has seen it but the first episode starts where it should, in Nola…
Ken Burns: Jazz
2001 NR 10 episodes
Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns celebrates jazz, the “most American art form,” in all of its incarnations over the decades — from its origins in blues and ragtime through its evolution into swing, bebop and fusion. The series follows the growth and development of jazz from the gritty streets of New Orleans to the Lincoln Gardens on Chicago’s Southside, the hallowed place where Louis Armstrong first won fame.