Customer Reviews

The Appalachians

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

An excellent and moving production covering the way the people and the land changed and grew and suffered at times, in part to make this entire country what it is today. History of the Irish, Scots, English, Cherokee, African-Americans, Germans and others endured during the development of the land, the growth of strong community ties, the evolution of the mining industry, as well as the birth of Country Music. Interviews with some of the legends of country music, such as Johnny Cash and Lorette Lynn, and many others of the region in many fields. A real-life portrayal of the Appalachians, which dispells some of the myths and stereotypes of people from these areas.

Seldom am I inspired to review documentary film - I'm usually busy criticizing them and analyzing what could make them better. After seeing the first installment of "The Appalachians" on my local public television station, I was not only moved to write, I immediately purchased the set and told my fellow music colleagues about it. This is a must for all lovers of American history, music and culture! It tells the stories of what shaped our country's heritage with such clarity and honesty, and weaves the stories so seamlessly you don't even notice the passage of time. Kudos to Mari-Lynn Evans and the production staff - this is one of the best documentaries ever!

The Appalachians is a powerful documentary of the greatest geographic place and period of American history. I have watched these specials several times on PBS, and as a student of Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University, I had to watch The Appalachians in class and write research papers based on certain interest on these documentary.

You will observe the early frontier days of the Appalachians, coal mining, economic problems, and the best: Appalachian Music. Johnny Cash makes one of his last appearances with his daughter Rosanne. This collection is a great asset if you are interested in gaining more knowledge and appreciation for our heritage and culture of the Appalachians. I am purchasing a set for my library. The Appalachians book is also available as a companion to the DVD's.

The Appalachians is a model of what a television documentary should be. You may start with little knowledge of or interest in the region; very soon you will find yourself deeply engaged. The program connects the culture and current problems of the region to its history, and makes every stage of that history clear and lively. The interviews, whether with citizens or (often native-born) scholars, are riveting, far beyond the usual "talking heads." Interviews, historical footage, still photos and paintings are superbly balanced - with scenes of unspoiled landscape and of areas ravaged by mining, and with the wonderful music of the region. (Note: before watching this show, I had no taste for "country"; now I'm an enthusiast.) The problems of the people of Appalachia - exploitation, pollution, stereotyping - are problems all Americans should be aware of; and their courage and will to survive are humbling. Highest possible recommendation.

This delves deeper into history then the book. I especially found interesting about the coal mines in West Virginia and how the owners stole land through eminent domain (it wasn't said but implied). And how the owners played into the fears of "The Others" by starting rumors about workers and their families among the different people who worked the mines: The Scots-Irish, the newcomers from Eastern Europe and the African-Americans. The story of the Hatfields and McCoys were interesting too. It was about power and money. And how that event fueled the stereotypes of Appalachian people in the north that newspapers started.

I never knew that the Cherokees were a matriarchal society. They tried to become like Caucasian society but it wasn't enough to satisfy the land lust of the European-Americans. As anyone who has read American history knows, Andrew Jackson forced them out to Oklahoma. The DVD went into a little depth on this sad part of our American legacy.

This is a must see! First of all it's beautiful, secondly the story of the area is extremely well written and the assembled cast authentic and articulate. Lastly - the music. The sound track alone is worth the series.

I have spend no little time over the past several months putting roots music, the historical roots of mountain music in the hills and hollows of the Appalachians, especially Kentucky and my own personal connection with the place as a son of a coal mining son of the region together. This film documentary takes two of those strands, roots music and the history of the region and tries to explain the values behind the music and behind the pioneer spirit that drove some of our forbears to those lonely hill and hollows to eke out a an existence and create a cultural gradient that is not always understandable to those of us not immersed in that milieu. Except those virtues of hard work, hard religion, hard times and hard liquor are not all that far from the mainstream experiences, at least of earlier generations. In a sense this film is a tribute to a vanishing breed, a breed the mined the coal in the eastern mines, and farmed those hard rock acres. I like to think that some of those virtues and, of course, the music would not die.

Along the way this documentary traces the roots of the original Northern European settlers as they fled, or were pushed , from the East Coast and sought the new virgin lands of the then `west' in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their uneasy relationship, finally untenable, with the various indigenous Native American tribes in the 19th century. The film also points out the gathering storm over the slavery issue that would literally become the "brothers' war" in much of the region in the mid-19th century civil war. In the post- Civil War period the outlines of a distinctive Appalachian cultural gradient became recognizable through an exploitation of the natural resources of the area generated by the needs of the emerging industrial age, especially mining of the abundant coal fields. The struggle between labor and capital takes center place as the driving force from then until the near present. This includes the titanic struggles for mine workers union recognition, the demise of labor intensive coal mining and the rise of mass high tech mining that has ravished the land.


But, mainly this film is an exposition on the music. Without straining credulity "mountain music" is the music of the simple folk of Appalachia, those who worked hard in the coal mines, on the hard scrabble farms and in the isolated mills of the region. This was their Saturday night entertainment and with the advent of radio was a unifying cultural experience. The songs "speak" of hard and lonely lives, the beauty of the then pristine countryside, the usual vagaries of love and lost and the mysterious ways of a very personal, if arbitrary, god. Throw in a few upbeat tunes reflecting the love of "corn" liquor, women and the sometimes funny side of coping with life's trials and tribulations and you have the mountain version of the folk experience. Sound familiar? Sure it does, except, it is done with simple guitar, a blazing fiddle and, hopefully, a full-bodied mandolin.

A first rate, eye-opening documentary of the history of the land and people of this region of America.

I really enjoyed learning more about the Appalachians. The DVD's were insightful as well as entertaining revealing the rich history of the area, of how it became settled to present day existence. It also displays mankind's greed and how the area was plundered for its natural wealth and how we mistreat our own people all for money. I am going to enjoy watching these DVD's again and again.

The Appalachians is as informative as it it is beautiful to watch. A unique portrait of an area and people. Before watching this film, I had little knowledge of the history of the people or the role of mining in their lives and music. The damage of strip mining to our land and their lifestyle and culture is devastating. The visuals are as dramatic as the information and interviews, The music haunting...
Not to be missed, Johnny Cash participation!