This documentary was very well done. I could not believe all of the stunning black and white photos spread across its 4-hour runtime (there is an explanation given within the film for the photos, by the way). I don't see how any documentary can be presented any better than this. I really liked the format of using people who experienced the Dust Bowl events first hand, personally telling their stories and how the history of the events followed their stories and their lives.
The hope going into any documentary is to learn something and "The Dust Bowl" certainly satisfied that. I can't even imagine how the people who lived in the Southern Plains were able to persevere. There was a lot of death, a lot of destruction and a lot of amazing stories. The dust "pneumonia", the slaughter of cattle, the plague of rabbits (and the cruel but not surprising "rabbit drives"), the plague of locusts...it was pretty incredible.
I also thought the documentary side-stepped a lot of the politics. So many of Roosevelt's "New Deal" programs permeated the region (and the Great Depression, for that matter). No matter where you stand politically or morally on such things, it's pretty clear that the actions taken by the Department of Agriculture in regards to contoured plowing and other measures, not to mention actual rain, helped to pull the region out of the Dust Bowl conditions.
I do not accept the implication that every time the weather is warmer during a season, it's because Man caused it. However, it's clear that while many of the make-work programs undoubtedly helped the farmers in the region, it was an ecological catastrophe brought on by the farmers themselves.
One thing that I did not appreciate was what I considered to be a warning that current farming in the region is likely to bring about another Dust Bowl. It wasn't necessary given the historical context presented throughout the entirety of the documentary.
This was my first Ken Burns produced documentary and given its solid presentation, I'm certain it won't be my last.
Review by whitsbrainVIP 5BlockedParent2022-01-15T16:05:18Z
This documentary was very well done. I could not believe all of the stunning black and white photos spread across its 4-hour runtime (there is an explanation given within the film for the photos, by the way). I don't see how any documentary can be presented any better than this. I really liked the format of using people who experienced the Dust Bowl events first hand, personally telling their stories and how the history of the events followed their stories and their lives.
The hope going into any documentary is to learn something and "The Dust Bowl" certainly satisfied that. I can't even imagine how the people who lived in the Southern Plains were able to persevere. There was a lot of death, a lot of destruction and a lot of amazing stories. The dust "pneumonia", the slaughter of cattle, the plague of rabbits (and the cruel but not surprising "rabbit drives"), the plague of locusts...it was pretty incredible.
I also thought the documentary side-stepped a lot of the politics. So many of Roosevelt's "New Deal" programs permeated the region (and the Great Depression, for that matter). No matter where you stand politically or morally on such things, it's pretty clear that the actions taken by the Department of Agriculture in regards to contoured plowing and other measures, not to mention actual rain, helped to pull the region out of the Dust Bowl conditions.
I do not accept the implication that every time the weather is warmer during a season, it's because Man caused it. However, it's clear that while many of the make-work programs undoubtedly helped the farmers in the region, it was an ecological catastrophe brought on by the farmers themselves.
One thing that I did not appreciate was what I considered to be a warning that current farming in the region is likely to bring about another Dust Bowl. It wasn't necessary given the historical context presented throughout the entirety of the documentary.
This was my first Ken Burns produced documentary and given its solid presentation, I'm certain it won't be my last.