I made it through all 4+ hours of When The Levees Broke, an HBO documentary by filmmaker Spike Lee. Much of it is tough going because it means witnessing the pain that so many people felt when their homes and lives were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and — as the film makes clear — the incompetence (and sometimes indifference) of those we count on in a time of emergency. Parts of it also made me angry. I find that in the face of such devastation, I get angry at government officials of all kinds, of all parties, who spend time on comparative trivia like flag-burning amendments, pork projects for their home districts and buddies, and impeaching Bill Clinton.
The story is told through news footage, newly-shot footage and — most compelling of all — the personal accounts of a vast number of locals and witnesses. Lee found some articulate and perceptive people to interview and he let them talk, in some cases at considerable length. The stories and observations often cover the same ground and there are moments when you may be tempted to grab for the Fast Forward button and say, "All right, already. We get it." Part of me wishes Lee had made the film shorter, not because any of the tales are unworthy of telling, but because a lot of people who need to see this account won't clear the four hours. And if they do start watching, they won't make it to the last hour, the message of which is that the system is still broken with regard to helping people down there.
On the other hand, it is an important story…one of the most important ever told about life in these United States. Maybe four hours isn't too long.