Wednesday, January 9, 2008

from American History X to American Pictures

I watched two great movies related to racism in America: American History X and 25th Hour, both starring the great actor Edward Norton who first impressed me with Fight Club. In American History X, we confront the extreme brutality in racism, climaxed in the ruthless murders. In 25th Hour, Norton's hatred towards all the minorities in NYC (and ultimately everyone and himself) is hilariously expressed in his “fuck all” rant in front of the restroom mirror. (see clip below)

The name American History X reminds me of the book American Pictures by anti-racism photographer
Jacob Holdt. During his 5-year sojourn at over 400 underclass homes, Holdt captured the true life stories composed of despair, hunger and poverty. He made a presentation of his photos in a movie which can be viewed on his website:
http://www.american-pictures.com/english/video/american-pictures-1.htm

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