“Monument to Political Impotence”
Today’s Freep featured an interesting article (A Critical Look At Detroit) on the film, Detroit: Ruin of a City:
The documentary is a critical examination of how Detroit has gone from one of the world’s greatest industrial centers to a city increasingly known around the world—especially in academia—as perhaps the best case study of urban decline.
The film uses rarely seen archival footage to depict the dynamic Detroit of Henry Ford and his awesome Rouge plant. Much of the footage, in fact, was made by Ford Motor Co. cameramen.
The documentary also uses interviews and professorial commentary to describe the Detroit of today.
Despite its title, and the fact that the two directors have never lived in the city, they are quick to note their intent was not to bash Detroit. Indeed, they say they love Detroit.
Their film targets suburban flight and racism. And it tackles the complex and controversial question of how the automotive industry both built and abandoned the city.
Detroit: Ruin of a City will premier Friday night, at 8:30 PM in the Rackham Building (UM Central Campus), as part of the Ruins of Modernity Conference.
Let me get this straight. The premier of this film is happening in Ann Arbor. Then it’s being played in London, Dearborn, back to Ann Arbor, and finally back to London (according to their site).
Were’s the Detroit screening? DFT anyone?…
Ha, I think the DFT is the “one” theater they allude to in the article(!):
“But the filmmakers have not yet found a theater to show it in Detroit. They note there is just one major movie theater in the city.”
Damn, i really want to see this, but i don’t think it will be playing here.
Anyone know anyone involved in this that we could get it here? There are a surprising number of Detroit ex-pats running around here.
In my head I was just half-jokingly thinking, “Damn, I should open a theater in Detroit.” Well, plenty of people have tried this over the past 20 years and failed. However, I then started thinking about grocery stores. We’ve had this discussion in the past on Form and Function. We should open some small grocery stores in the various neighborhoods in the downtown and midtown areas. Resonable prices, quality foods (Randy, I know you and Mark had this discussion at Leopold’s about crappy produce in the Corridor area), in an area where people can actually walk to purchase goods. I know this sounds really far-fetched, even though it shouldn’t, but someone needs to take the initiative…