Originally filmed in 1979 as a PBS
television show, the subject is Glencoe, Minnesota, 60 miles west of
Minneapolis. The population at
this time was 5,000 with 80% of German origin. Louis Malle returned in 1985 for a follow-up to see how the people he
met and became friends with were doing.
The community was very prosperous in 1979 but in 1985 they are feeling
the crises of overproduction by farms.
It’s a no win situation, you need to produce more because the prices are
down but the more you produce, the more the prices go down. There are weekly foreclosures on farms
and those still managing to survive are worried about their future.
This is a very good insight into a rural
community with tight knit families and American values. It was interesting that Malle thought
the people were too involved in grass mowing? He had planned to return before 1985 but he became too
involved in other projects. 3 ½*
(I liked this movie)
90 min, Doc directed by Louis Malle with many residents of Glencoe, Minneapolis.
Note: Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 7.4 out of 10, 100% audience on
Rotten Tomatoes.
Special Note:
Louis Malle, 10/30/1932 – 11/23/1995, is a French director with a long
and varied career. He is well
known for his drama based films but he also had a parallel career filming
documentaries. He felt this kept
him involved with the real world.
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