Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Let the Fire Burn (2013)

Director: Jason Osder
Run Time: 95 min.
Call Number: F158.9.N4 L48 2013

"Documentaries don’t come more sparse or more disturbing than 'Let the Fire Burn,' Jason Osder’s examination of the disastrous confrontation between the police and the radical group MOVE in Philadelphia in May 1985. . . . [The film] uses archival footage from sources that include newscasts and community hearings to tell the story of the growing tension between the group and the city, which came to a head on May 13 of that year with tear gas, gunfire and the bombing of the MOVE compound from a police helicopter. The resulting fire destroyed some 60 homes. By the time it was over, 11 people were dead."
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times