*Among the dozens of people Spike Lee interviews in his ambitious four-part Hurricane Katrina documentary, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts,” is Mrs. Phyllis Montana-Leblanc, a remarkably spirited woman who was forced to evacuate her New Orleans home as floodwaters from the breached levees were en route to covering 80 percent of the city.
In that familiar Bayou accent, she recounts her entire survival experience in colorful, and at times, humorous detail – often using expletives to punctuate her pain and anger, particularly at the chain of events immediately following her escape. In fact, it was this dry humor in several of the interviews that caught Lee a bit off guard.
“Even through all the stuff they’d gone through, there were still many times where the stuff they were saying had the crew dying laughing,” he said. I know it might seem like it’s gallows humor, but just the spirit of the people – I think that’s what makes New Orleans the most unique city in America.
And if that wasn’t apparent before the hurricane, Lee makes sure the film conveys this notion clearly. In addition to the central story of documenting Katrina’s life story – the days before its approach when Mayor Ray Nagin declared a mandatory evacuation; theories about the levees being deliberately dynamited to drive out poorer residents; first-hand accounts and footage of its power, never-before-seen images within the Superdome; the bungled federal response; decisions to rebuild – there are several segments that celebrate the city’s rich history, underscoring just what America has lost. New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis contributes mostly to this segment, describing the traditional jazz funerals among the city’s African American residents, the history between the region’s black and Indian populations and more.
But what ultimately gives “When the Levees Broke” its emotion are the people who endured one of the worst natural disasters in American history and lived to tell th story. Included in the film is an interview with Herbert Freeman, whose ailing mother died in her wheelchair outside of the Superdome while waiting for buses to arrive. The freezer inside was not working, so she was covered in a blanket and wheeled to the side of the building - where news cameras eventually discovered her.
Lee recalls the particularly memorable story of Kimberly Polk, “whose five-year-old daughter drowned. And for months she was listed as missing,” he says. “And they finally found her skeletal remains in the Lower 9th Ward. And the thing that really would identify her was that she always wore a backpack, and that’s what they found [near the remains].
Another individual, Lee notes, is University of New Orleans student Paris Irvin,who recounts his story of losing contact with his mother after the storm. Informed that the house had been searched and was empty, he spent months on the Internet trying to track her down, thinking maybe she was displaced in some other state. A relative suggested that he call the police and tell them to search the house again. He did so. His mother was ultimately found in the house, buried in the kitchen under her toppled refrigerator.
“And that’s just where it starts because even then, he could not get the body right away because they have to have identification,” Lee says. “So months after that he was finally able to get his mother’s remains. And he says in the piece, ‘On the death certificate, it says, ‘Cause of death: drowned.’ His mother drowned in her own kitchen. These are things I wanted to put in this piece.”
Politicians Nagin and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco are also trotted before Lee’s cameras to explain their actions before, during and after the hurricane. The two also give their accounts of the infamous meeting with President Bush, when Blanco reportedly said she needed time to think about his offer of federal aid. Also, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu is asked to explain why evacuees trying to flee New Orleans toward the predominantly-white city of Gretna via the Crescent City Connection were blocked by gun-toting deputies and told to turn back around.
Former police chief Eddie Compass admits to relaying unverified – and ultimately untrue – information about babies being raped in the Superdome and snipers shooting at helicopters trying to provide aid and rescue.
Spike makes no secret about who he blames for the catastrophe in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s Aug. 29 arrival. He includes in the documentary aspects that angered him the most: “...when Condoleezza Rice was buying Ferragamo shoes on Madison Avenue, then went to see ‘Spamalot.’ Bush’s fly-over. The slow, slow response to get to New Orleans. I mean, no one still has explained why there was not a food and water drop right away."
"And what gets me – people did not have to die," Lee continues. "I think it’s very important that we realize that it was not a natural disaster; it was a man made disaster. The United States Engineering Corps, who finally admitted that they were negligent in building these levees, the flood walls – people did not have to die. I think somebody has to go to jail somehow for what was committed down there."
“When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” Parts I and II air tonight beginning at 9 p.m. Parts III and IV air tomorrow night (Aug. 30) beginning at 9 p.m. All four parts will air back to back on Tuesday, Aug. 29, the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.