Broken Rainbow DVD: Review By kaismith

In 1986, directors Maria Florio and Victoria Mudd received the Oscar for the best Doc*mentary for the very passionate yet disturbing film Broken Rainbow. The film goes through the government's involvement with the relocation of some 10,000 Navajo Indians in Arizona and addresses the blind eye Washington has turned on the subject and the corruption involved in the oppression of these people.

Coming from a Native American and African American background I was able to deeply identify with the story and the desperation of the people in the film that are so na&#239ve that the government will whole heartedly do the right thing. Only they are continually shafted and continually being forced to compromised between their old world beliefs and an assimilation into a new society. It is sad to see through out the film just how expendable people are to big energy companies and the lengths they will go to in order to get what they want.

After watching this you fell helpless and wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help. Not that throwing money at an issue is a solution, but by the end of the film you feel helpless since there isn't an outlet or resources for those motivated that want to help. This could have easily been supplemented in the Special features with websites or instructions in general how to help.

2006: The Struggle Continues

Although not very optimistic, this featurette gives an update on the struggle and the subjects interviewed in the film.

Full Screen - 1.33:1. The picture quality is nice for the doc*mentary although some of the older films used in e4diting seem a bit grainy it is not so much that it disturbs the film in anyway. The panning is gorgeous and the intimacy of the interviews warrants an applaud. It makes you feel like you are right there.

Dolby Digital Surround. The traditional music is beautiful yet sad at times, which suit the film and enhances many scenes.

A Navajo woman looks off to the left holding a woven basket and clasping a bag in another. Just to the right is a quote that says, "There is no word for relocation the Navajo language; to relocate is to disappear and never be seen again." The back features a scene clip and a smaller image of the two filmmakers. Also a plot synopsis and DVD features list.

This is a film that should be shown in schools. It is patient and unsettling. Perfect for those interested in a compelling doc*mentary that gives voice and faces to the struggle of the indigenous people being oppressed today in our very own backyard.