ALSO
AVAILABLE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF HAND OF GOD
WITCH CITY
Told from the perspective of a returning
native, WITCH CITY is an uncompromising documentary about Salem,
Massachusetts, a town that put the phrase "witch hunt" into
the American vocabulary and a place where today a Disneyesque version of
history serves the purposes of both commercial and religious interests.
Filmmaker Joe Cultrera returns
home to find a place where the historical facts are sensationalized for
the benefit of T-shirt hawkers and wax museum owners. New Age Wiccans
(witches) make the pilgrimage to Salem, and evangelical Christians use street theater
to wage a fire and brimstone war against them. WITCH
CITY is a cautionary tale about the consequences of
manipulating historical facts for present-day gains. Go
to the WITCH CITY Website
"told in
a zesty comic style, which remains bouncy even when the humor gets
scabrous."
John Kotch, THE BOSTON GLOBE
"a
sad, funny and revealing look at how Americans honor their history"
VIDEO LIBRARIAN
55
minutes - DVD - Produced 1997
LEATHER SOUL: Working for a Life in a
Factory Town
The rhythmic grind of machinery, the breath
of smokestacks, the cacophony of immigrant language all came to define a
unique landscape that was the American factory town. Narrated by Studs
Terkel, LEATHER SOUL brings viewers back to a
time when America's work ethic was forged, and into the present where
technological progress has torn apart the fabric of communities.
The story of the evolution of Peabody, Massachusetts' leather tanning industry - where a workforce of 20,000 has
dwindled to less than 400 - becomes a specific focus that gives insight
into a larger picture.
Through tightly woven montage and the pragmatic recollection
of workers, LEATHER SOUL paints a vivid and
poetic picture that plainly shows the undeniable and universal
connection between work and quality of life.
"A sterling example
of rescuing working people's history"
Pat Aufderhide, IN THESE TIMES
"Lovingly
produced...this quickly paced program vibrantly examines a bygone
era."
Sue-Ellen Beaurgard, BOOKLIST
46
minutes
- Video. (27 minute version also available) Produced 1991