I just finished watching the ...
Question: I just finished watching the conclusion of
Spike Lee's Katrina documentary
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. I know that it's really too soon to be thinking about next year's Emmys, but after seeing this documentary, I just wanted to say that it has "Emmy winner" written all over it. I totally agree with your
review of this doc. It was poignant and eloquent, and Spike Lee gave it the right tone of voice. It made me wish that Lee had shown this in the theaters, in which case I think it would give the
Al Gore global-warming doc a run for its money come Oscar time. What do you think its chances are for an Emmy? There is no way that a TV documentary can win an Oscar, right? Anyway, as a native New Orleanian, I just wanted to say that Spike Lee truly did a great job.
Answer: HBO has won a number of Oscars for its nonfiction programming, but I think the rules are that in order to qualify, it would have to air theatrically before going to TV. And while
Levees did get a public screening in New Orleans before the HBO premiere, I doubt this will be eligible for an Oscar. But an Emmy? I certainly hope so and would expect so. Working against its being released theatrically is its considerable length, which is more than justified by its impassioned, heartbreaking, understandably angry content. It plays well on the big screen, though. Because of my deadline, I went to an HBO screening room twice over several days to watch the movie. And I was transfixed. The four-hour film repeats in its entirety Tuesday (Aug. 29), so if you missed it last week, this has my highest recommendation.
