The plow that broke the plains 1936 the river 1938 in the plow that broke the plains and the river, both directed by pare lorentz and funded by the u. This documentary is about what happened to the great plains of the united states and canada when uncontrolled farming destroyed the soil and led to the dust bowl. The film, written for the us resettlement administration department of agriculture and directed. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through library of congress duplication services. This 1936 public domain documentary is about what happened to the great plains of the united states and canada when uncontrolled farming destroyed the soil and led to the dust bowl. The plow that broke the plains 1936 and the river 1937 will make diehard liberals long for the time when the government really knew how to produce propaganda on behalf of worthy causes. When he was 17 years old, strand began to study photography with lewis w. Longo introduction this article charts the multistrand networks of. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through library of.
The plow that broke the plains and the river pare lorentzs the plow that broke the plains 1936 and the river 1937 are landmark american documentary films. Classic drama which details the great plains during the depression. He was instrumental in the development of the american sound in classical music. The plow that broke the plains connects the booming world war i economy to the environmental crisis that followed. The plow that broke the plains poster 1 goldposter. Without the plow that history would have been far different. Aaron copland declared thomsons score for the plow that broke the plains to be a lesson in how to treat americana, and this music strongly influenced such later copland american pieces as rodeo and appalachian spring. The plow that broke the plains 1936 rotten tomatoes. Paul strand, photographer whose work influenced the emphasis on sharpfocused, objective images in 20thcentury american photography.
Anthony tommasini, the new york times postclassical. The national archives experience highlights americas film treasures pare lorentz made his classic film about the dust bowl of the 1930s, the plow that broke the plains, for the farm security administration in 1936. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclassicist, and a composer of an olympian blend of humanity and detachment whose expressive voice was always carefully muted until his late opera lord byron. The plow that broke the plains part i classic drama which details the great plains during the depression. A wall of dirt and sand descends upon spearman, texas, on august 14, 1935 3 the dust bowl gt dust storm approaching startford, texas, 1930s 4 the dust bowl gt pare lorenz, the plow that broke the plains, 1936 5 the dust bowl gt map of erosion and dust on the plains 6. Resettlement administration documentary the plow that broke the plains tells the history of the great plains region from the 1880s to the dust bowl of the early 1930s in order to. Publication date 1936 topics great depression 1930s. Plow that broke the plains, the soundtrack details home explore movies explore composers resource directory forums contact us about us search on. The plow that broke the plains is a 1936 short documentary film which shows what happened to the great plains region of the united states and canada when uncontrolled agricultural farming led to the dust bowl. The plow that broke the plains, film score by american composer virgil thomson for the 1936 pare lorentz documentary film of the same name, a project of the united states resettlement administration later called the farm security administration, or fsa. Fdr presidential library video 352 the plow that broke the plains from the wikipedia. Documenting the dust bowl during the great depression.
The dust bowl by cameron douglas craig and kevin harker jeanes. Director pare lorentz knew that the devastating drought on the great plains would be a dramatic subject for his first film. For a brief while, to propagate its domestic programs, the roosevelt administration went. The dust bowl 1 the dust bowl 2 the dust bowl gt dust storm. I want to locate the 194547 albumthe plow that broke the. The plow that broke the plains 1936 and the river 1937 will make diehard liberals long for the time when the government really knew how to produce propaganda on behalf of worthy. It could have explained more of the problem with plowingup the plains but it did get its overall focus across. The plow that broke the plains part i internet archive. The film presents the social and economic history of the great plains from the time of the settlement of the prairies, through the world war i boom, to the years of depression and drought. He was instrumental in the development of the american sound in classical. Roosevelt to make films which would help him get the new deal approval. Virgil thomson composer the plow that broke the plains 1936 wise music classical. The full clip can be found online in the prelinger archives or you can check out the dvd from ppld. I therefore find showing this film helpful in teaching the complex economic causes for many environmental problems.
This video presents 2 films, one which documents the struggle of the people of the great plains during the depression, and the second chronicles the history of the mississippi river and its. Man with a movie camera 1929, dziga vertov soviet city life under stalin 4. Director pare lorentz knew that the devastating drought on the great plains would be a. The plow that broke the plains 1936 in subject, the plow that broke the plains is a biography of the great plains region, an area of 625,000 square miles stretching from the texas panhandle through kansas and nebraska to the dakotas and the canadian border. Pare lorentzs films the plow that broke the plains 1936 and the river 1937 are landmark american documentary films. The plow that broke the plains part i by pare lorentz.
This documentary is about what happened to the great plains of the united states when a combination of farming practices and environmental factors led to the dust bowl of the 1930s. The plow that broke the plains 1936, pare lorentz the dust bowl 17. Dustbowl, pare lorentz, resettlement administration, film and film history. Virgil thomson november 25, 1896 september 30, 1989 was an american composer and critic. The plow that broke the plains was released in 1936.
The plow that broke the plains is a 1936 short documentary film which shows what happened to the great plains region of the united states and canada when. These were pronew deal films but they addressed the dangers of overcultivation. Virgil thomson the plow that broke the plains 1936. The plow that broke the plains center for great plains. Aesthetically, they break new ground in seamlessly marrying pictorial imagery, symphonic music, and poetic free verse, all realized with supreme artistry.
Aesthetically, they break new ground in seamlessly marrying pictorial imagery, symphonic music, and free poetic verse, all realized with supreme artistry. Lorentz film sponsored by the resettlement adminstration that brought the dustbowl phenomenon to national prominence in 1936. The plow that broke the plains film score by thomson britannica. The film, written for the us resettlement administration department of agriculture and directed by pare lorentz, is available to stream on youtube. With cinematography by leo hurwitz, ralph steiner, paul ivano and paul strand. The plow that broke the plains 1936 city university of. It wasnt the drought that was the cause of the dust bowl.
The film does not provide answers, and subsequent research has provided new insights on the dust bowl crisis. The plow that broke the plains 1936 photo gallery imdb. Department of agricultures farm security administration. Resettlement administration documentary the plow that broke the plains tells the history of the great plains region. The plow that broke the plains is linked with the river since they are by the same director and funded by the same government agencies. Whatever, the present album contains two of thomsons mostfamous works. Pare lorentzs 1936 documentary film the plow that broke the plains, which charts a history of soil exploitation. Pare lorentzs the plow that broke the plains 1936 and the river 1937 are landmark american documentary films. The first part of the film shows cattle as they grazed on grasslands, and homesteaders who hurried onto the plains and grew large wheat crops. The plow that broke the plains film score by thomson.
Pare lorentzs 1936 masterpiece, the plow that broke the plains, was produced for the resettlement administration to raise awareness about the dust bowl and new. In may 1936, as the people of the great plains battled against the combined effects of overproduction, drought, and depression, the federal government released the plow that broke the plains. The plow that broke the plains, film score by american composer virgil thomson for the 1936 pare lorentz documentary film of the same name, a project of the. The content summary for this dvd is adapted from an historical description provided by the government agency or donor at the time of production release. The department of agriculture hired pare lorentz to make it. Plow that broke the plains, the 1936 the movie soundtrack. List of 100 greatest documentary films including the year, director, and subject. The film was narrated by the american actor and baritone thomas hardie chalmers. The plow that broke the plains 1936 from tempestas et caelum films plus. Some images display only as thumbnails outside the library of congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site. The music originated on the soundtrack of a short pare lorentz documentary commissioned by the u.
The plow the broke the plains was a 1936 film about the dust bowl. Or maybe it was simply because it was pretty hard to match, let alone surpass, coplands genius. If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. Alexandre hogues mother earth laid bare from 1938 and crucified land from 1939, the subjects of my fourth chapter, respond to the dust bowl through landscapes that. Government, two currents of nonfiction filmmaking met. The plow that broke the plains 1936 film by pare lorentz camera crew at railroad crossing outside bakersfield, california, waiting for migrants to cross the tracks in their jalopies, october 1935. The river and the plow that broke the plains, both commissions for movie documentaries.