The Dust Bowl

“We lived in a brown world,” says Dorothy Kleffman, one of several poignant, well-spoken interviewees in documentary filmmaker Ken Burns' latest visual opus, The Dust Bowl, which examines the causes and effects of the greatest manmade environmental disaster in American history. Part one, “The Great Plow-Up,” traces the early years of the decade-long catastrophe, beginning in the late 1920s when “suitcase farmers”—taking advantage of an expanded Homestead Act—flocked to places like the Oklahoma Panhandle (dubbed “No Man's Land”), where they plowed-up the grasslands and planted acres and acres of golden wheat. The stock market crash of 1929, coupled with the arrival of a multi-year drought, acted as a potent one-two punch on the economy of the Great Plains region, turning it into an eroded desert where reduced crops sold for reduced prices. Most frightening were the “black blizzards,” massive dust storms that collected the topsoil into sky-high waves stretching as far as 200 miles and bringing dirt and grit all the way to President Roosevelt's desktop in Washington, D.C. One storm alone destroyed half of Oklahoma and Kansas's wheat crop and all of Nebraska's, carrying off—in a single day—as much dirt as was excavated while digging the Panama Canal over the course of a decade. Part two, “Reaping the Whirlwind,” continues the chronicle of incredible hardships faced by families in the southern Plains, brought to the nation's attention through the haunting photographs of Dorothea Lange and the gut-wrenching story of “Okies” in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. In addition to the ecological devastation wrought by dirt and wind, the area would also suffer plagues of rabbits and grasshoppers, before a combination of New Deal programs, advanced farming techniques, and the eventual arrival of blessed rain would finally end the crisis—just as World War II was beginning. Narrated by Peter Coyote, The Dust Bowl smartly interweaves incredible archival photos and footage, excellent interviews of survivors, and insightful comments from authors and historians. Extras include bonus and extended scenes along with behind-the-scenes segments. Both a cautionary tale of the environmental perils of shortsighted capitalism and a paean to a quintessential example of the amazing resiliency of the American spirit, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)