The voices of the women are really incredible--brought tears to my eyes-- their accents, their choices of words are really emblematic of another era and place. The producer does a great job mirroring their two stories, reminding us that despite the great divide between North and South, black and white, the joys/comforts of marraige and the hardships of the Great Depression were shared across the country.The other reviewer is right is saying that it's really not a piece on the Civil War, but rather a very honest portrait of two women-- the story of 20-some year old women marrying 80+ men in the early 1900s is inherently pretty fascinating. My only criticism is that I would have preferred a shorter narrative lead in and lead out.
This piece uses music as background almost all the way through, but its use feels nonetheless very sparing; I was pleased that it never distracts the listener from the deep, textured voice of the speaker. The piece is of a perfect length-- the producer manages to bring us back to the heart of the fifties racial tensions in a matter of 2 short minutes-- and the final twist in the narration is haunting but very satisfying in a way that unsaccharine endings are.
This would be a good piece to play on any show on desegregation, and on Valentine's day, to illuminate the topic from a very different angle.
Highly recommended. (I might add that although I chose "raw" as one of the adjectives, I am referring to the ambiance of the piece and not the sound quality, which is very professional.)
Comments by Laura Wiens
Comment for "Civil War Widows"
Laura Wiens
Posted on February 27, 2005 at 12:33 PM | Permalink
Review of Civil War Widows
The voices of the women are really incredible--brought tears to my eyes-- their accents, their choices of words are really emblematic of another era and place. The producer does a great job mirroring their two stories, reminding us that despite the great divide between North and South, black and white, the joys/comforts of marraige and the hardships of the Great Depression were shared across the country.The other reviewer is right is saying that it's really not a piece on the Civil War, but rather a very honest portrait of two women-- the story of 20-some year old women marrying 80+ men in the early 1900s is inherently pretty fascinating. My only criticism is that I would have preferred a shorter narrative lead in and lead out.
Comment for "The Valentine 1955"
Laura Wiens
Posted on February 27, 2005 at 12:08 PM | Permalink
Review of The Valentine 1955
This piece uses music as background almost all the way through, but its use feels nonetheless very sparing; I was pleased that it never distracts the listener from the deep, textured voice of the speaker. The piece is of a perfect length-- the producer manages to bring us back to the heart of the fifties racial tensions in a matter of 2 short minutes-- and the final twist in the narration is haunting but very satisfying in a way that unsaccharine endings are.
This would be a good piece to play on any show on desegregation, and on Valentine's day, to illuminate the topic from a very different angle.
Highly recommended. (I might add that although I chose "raw" as one of the adjectives, I am referring to the ambiance of the piece and not the sound quality, which is very professional.)