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Revived Documentaries 'Plow' into the Present [audio 7min]

With heartbreaking footage, narration written in poetic verse and a folk-inspired score, a young director created some of the earliest American propaganda films. The Plow That Broke the Plains was released in 1936. Director Pare Lorentz knew that the devastating drought on the Great Plains would be a dramatic subject for his first film. Hollywood wasn't interested, but the U.S. government also wanted to make a point about the Dust Bowl and agreed to fund his film. Two years later, they financed The River, in the hope that it would make the case for massive flood-control projects on the Mississippi. Both films are widely recognized for their cinematography and for music by American composer Virgil Thomson. The images have been restored and released on DVD, with Thomson's original score performed by the Post-Classical Ensemble. Spaniard Angel Gil-Ordonez conducts. Webpage includes extended report by Elizabeth Blair, film clips.
Read entire article at NPR "Weekend Edition Saturday"