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