British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

Synopsis
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, director Spike Lee, like many who watched the unfolding drama on television news, was shocked not only by the scale of the disaster, but by the slow, inept and disorganised response of the emergency and recovery effort. In this four-part chronicle, tagged as "an American tragedy’, he recounts the story of one of America’s most profound natural disasters. In addition to revisiting the hours leading up to the arrival of category 5 hurricane Katrina before it hit the coast of Louisiana, his film tells the personal stories of those who lived to talk about it, and at the same time explores the underbelly of a nation still divided along race and class lines.
Language
English
Country
United States
Year of release
2007
Year of production
2006
Subjects
Geography; Politics & government; Sociology
Keywords
hurricanes; natural disasters; social geography; United States of America; political issues; New Orleans

Credits

Director
Spike Lee

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 2 PAL
Price
£25.99
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
248 minutes
Year
2007

Distributor

 

Available from retail outlets

Name

Warner Home Video

Web
http://www.warnerbros.co.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7984 6400
Fax
020 7984 5001
Address
98 Theobold’s Road
London
WC1X 8WB

Record Stats

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