Product DescriptionPare Lorentz's The Plow that Broke the Plains (1936) and The River (1937) are landmark American documentary films. Aesthetically, they break new ground in seamlessly marrying pictorial imagery, symphonic music, and poetic free verse, all realized with supreme artistry. Ideologically, they indelibly encapsulate the strivings of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's `New Deal'. Virgil Thomson's scores for both films are among the most famous ever composed for the movies. Aaron Copland praised the music of The Plow for its `frankness and openness of feeling', calling it `fresher, more simple, and more personal' than the Hollywood norm. He called the music for The River `a lesson in how to treat Americana'. Special Features include: George Stoney on The Plow and The River * Stoney on The New Deal, The River, and Race * Charles Fussell on Virgil Thomson * Virgil Thomson on Virgil Thomson (audio only) * Original beginning and ending of The Plow * Option to view The Plow and The River with original sound track and narration - Actors: Virgil Thomson, Post-Classical Ensemble, Angel Gil-Ordonez
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audience Rating: Unrated
- Format: Black & White, Classical, Dolby, NTSC
- Language (Original Language): English
- Region Code: 0
- Release Date: 2007-01-30
- Running Time: 112 minutes
- Theatrical Release Date: 1935
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