Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

stories-89-104702 This was a wonderfully engaging and well-researched film. Faubourg Treme was home to the largest community of Free Black People in the Deep South and the birthplace of jazz. The filmmakers did a fabulous job of uncovering the lost history of this unique American city. It explains how blacks were treated different in this town when the Spanish and then the French owned Louisiana until it was sold by Napoleon to the United States. Slaves and Free People of Color were influenced by the French and Haitian revolutions and it helped fuel the civil rights movement of the 1800s. Yes, New Orleans was different then the rest of the South. Blacks could go to school, sue their masters for back wages, own slaves themselves. Like the poet said. None of the history books talk about New Orleans. African American history has been simplified. "Black people were slaves. Period. Then came civil war. Period. Then came the freedom. Period." This film explains that it was much more than that. The spirit and perseverance of the people of New Orleans comes through every frame of the film. The music and dancing scenes are especially beautiful as is the way the filmmakers treat their interview subjects. Some of it is heartbreaking. What a struggle these poor people have had before and after Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the fight for during the second civil rights movement to desegregate the schools (again!) and then the devastating blow by the flood after Katrina . Great drama and entertaining, but also highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, Black History, the roots of jazz, civil rights, sociology and so much more.

gonnagetit Everyone should watch this film - young and old. If you want to really understand the history behind the HBO Treme series, you should see this film. You can see where David Simon and Eric Overmyer got their ideas and inspiration. They use the same old home movie shots this documentary uses and the family photos for the end credits are very much the same as HBOs opening sequence with the same John Boutte song. This is an inspiring film. I see why they wanted to emulate it so much. The history is eye-opening. I didn't know half that stuff and I thought I new my American history. I liked the re-enactments, the characters are real and moving. Glen David Andrews and the carpenter are my favorite characters. Wynton Marsalis' interview is really good, too. Go Treme.

petuniaperry I loved this documentary. It looks lovingly crafted. Such rich history that was never taught to me in high school or even college when I took Black Studies. Incredibly enlightening AND entertaining history. Not always an easy feat to do, I'm sure. I adored the beautiful archival photos and footage of the second lines. The score is exquisite, too. I can clearly see where David Simon got his inspiration for the HBO Treme series. This is a must see for anyone interested in New Orleans, American history, music, and documentary film-making. The civil rights movement didn't start with Martin Luther King in Atlanta. It started in New Orleans in the 1800s!

crepuscule9999 I'd never heard of this documentary or the director...but I bought it on a whim online (www.tremedoc.com) recently because I've been reading all about the upcoming HBO series Treme and my newspaper cited this documentary as essential viewing in preparation for the series - to learn more about the area. They weren't kidding. This show totally blew me away. I feel like my understanding of jazz, history and my country have been turned upside down. Can't wait to watch the HBO show tonight to see how they handle the subject. Glad I watched the real story before the fiction one started. The real story is about a community that has survived unbelievable hardships and given America unbelievable gifts. The most famous of those is jazz. But there are so many more completely unknown and forgotten gifts. I don't want to spoil it by spelling out each one. See the show yourself! You won't regret it.