The Levees, Spike Lee’s new movie at Been There Clearing House

The Levees, Spike Lee’s new movie

August 4th, 2006 by Emily in general

Spike Lee is releasing “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” his four-hour documentary on HBO this month.

The New York Times reviewed it today. Here’s a quote that got me:

‘“Levees” started out as a two-hour, $1 million film. HBO executives looking for a Hurricane Katrina project snapped it up. Mr. Lee and his crew were able to get into New Orleans after Thanksgiving, Mr. Lee said, and he quickly realized that he needed two more hours and $1 million more to give the story a full airing. He got it.

“Sheila Nevins, the film’s executive producer and the president of the documentary and family division at HBO, said “Levees” was an easy sell, at both prices. ‘“I realized this would be the film of record,” she said.

“When Spike interviews a forgotten American whose kid floated away in the water, he lets them raise up their poetry. They’re able to express to him what they’re not able to express to anyone else.”

‘”With all those hours of conversations and interviews, he certainly ended up with themes that went beyond the floodwaters, Mr. Lee said. ‘“Politics. Ethics. Morals,” he said, when asked what Katrina and in turn “Levees” was really about. “This is about what this country is really going to be.”’

If HBO will let us post a clip from the film here, we will.