A swimming gator’s fluid, muscular rhythm moves to Iko Iko’s beat like a choreographed swamp dance.
With that opener, Hurricane on the Bayou has your ears, your eyes and your attention. Its message of the importance of Louisiana’s wetlands - one pounded home by Hurricane Katrina’s devastation - follows with scenes both breathtaking and heartbreaking, Louisiana’s infectious music ever close at hand.
The large-format film is playing at Jackson’s Russell C. Davis Planetarium through May 2011. The most popular film at New Orleans’ IMAX theater, Hurricane on the Bayou’s reformatting makes it possible to play at Jackson’s planetarium. It’s expected to be a big draw for visitors to the neighboring Jackson Convention Complex and during the upcoming USA International Ballet Competition.
“With all the emphasis on the environment and the greening of America, it’s very timely,” says Michael Raff, director of human and cultural services for the city. “It’s all part of the environmental thrust to save the land and lives.”
The film is narrated by Meryl Streep and fueled by the presence and music of legendary pianist Allen Toussaint, Cajun blues guitarist Tab Benoit, teen fiddling prodigy Amanda Shaw and zydeco accordion master Chubby Carrier.
“Have you ever loved a place so much that you dedicated your life to saving it?” asks Benoit, who’s also a wetlands activist and a pilot. “From there,” the airborne Benoit says, “the truth hits you,” with wetlands reduced to a sliver of their former selves.
Levees that channeled Mississippi floodwaters also caused them to flush wetlands-building soil right out to the ocean. Canals for boat navigation introduced salt water, killing marsh grasses and trees. Changes weathered away wetlands that served as a speed bump for hurricanes.
Originally conceived as a warning, the film changed course to a potent wakeup call when Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast. Familiar scenes of that destruction are a key reminder that, as the film says, “we can do better” with wetlands stewardship.
At 42 minutes, Hurricane on the Bayou zips along at a lively pace, much thanks to the rich music at its disposal. Wetlands and wildlife scenery pack surprising beauty.
The presentation through musicians’ eyes keeps a key thread to the state’s culture winding throughout. Generous talent and easy rapport - from catchy music to quieter reflection - make this a lesson that goes down easy but lingers nonetheless.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100401/FEAT05/4010321/1002/newsfrnt/Hurricane-hits-the-planetarium
