With the October 24 passing of music and New Orleans legend Fats Domino, word of mouth has been making the rounds to turn what was the city's Lee Circle – named after the Confederate hero Robert E. Lee – into a place commemorating the man who belted “My Blue Heaven,” among many other hits.
I say “was" Lee Circle, because the monument that once stood in the area, as well as others across the country, was removed months ago after public protests protests and a city vote. The statue was an eyesore to begin with, but it also represented and celebrated an ugly side of our collective past – one we are now acknowledging in a drawn-out public debate over “tradition” and hate.
Attempting to represent what's happening in local culture, the New Orleans Film Society last month wrapped up its 28th film festival with a program that included the shorts series More Than Monuments featuring two documentaries, "Divided City" and "Goodbye, Old Glory." In under fifty minutes total, the stories paint portraits of not only a city and a country suffering deep levels of stress, but of an issue we’d like to think has been taken care of.
Both movies cover the volatile debate over the monuments, but only "Divided City" provides the context that counts. In this doc, the Take Em Down NOLA movement is at the forefront of the conversation, presenting key facts and insights. In one scene they discuss the Battle of Liberty Place and how its monument may be the only one dedicated to violence against police. In another, we see plaques commemorating slave trading posts with official salutations to white power engraved beneath statues.
According to some scholars and history organization representatives, these symbols remain inanimate objects. They mean nothing more than history. For others, they mean that some people are better than others. That only some lives matter. And that clearly, something must be done about these horrid figures.
"Divided City" ends with a celebratory second line parade for the removal of the monuments, one that is filled with many tears and smiles. If this documentary has a fault, it's that it tries to put a happy resolution on the problem. It also spells victory too purely. The opposing views – by people in favor of keeping the monuments – are shown as ignorant and desperate. I found myself many times talking back at the screen in disgust, as people claimed racism wasn't part of the debate. To the filmmakers' credit, some opinions are not created equal.
In "Goodbye, Old Glory," opinions are at the center of the story. So is behavior. This short film covers the night of one monument removal and the rage-fueled fights between residents. In it, people gather to protest and argue, with flags and chants aplenty, in a ridiculously tense display of primal attitudes. It goes on well into the morning hours as we witness shovings, yellings, hittings and spit flying. Many young, white, gentrifier types want the removal to happen, while some armed African Americans want them to stay up. The definition of a circus, this is.
The film deals with the feelings of ordinary people in a more profound way than "Divided City." Where that movie picked a clear side, this one wants to let us know how misguided and unfortunately simple-minded both groups can get. "Goodbye, Old Glory" is a rude awakening of sorts. America at large, not just one city, is still not over the wounds of its past, which are raw and poorly stitched.
Follow the author at @billreviews.
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