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STRUT! spotlights the
world of the Philadelphia Mummers and their annual parade. For fourteen
hours each New Year's Day, electricians, longshoremen, plumbers, cops,
and
other working class wizards transform the city of brotherly love into
the
world capital of surrealism.
The human counterpart to the Liberty Bell? heroic, iconic, and just a
teeny
bit cracked -- the Mummers are quintessentially American in their
boundless
celebration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of joy. Those meeting them
for
the first time will recognize of our collective national character and
the
principles we hold so dear.
From the parade's pre-colonial historic roots and evolutionary
contributions
of European and African Cultures, to the Vaudeville slapstick routines
and
4-minute, fully choreographed Broadway shows, to the extraordinary
inclusiveness and tolerance of everyone except the competition -- the
Mummers capture the pride, passion, and pure soul of the country.
Broader
themes resonate. The power of multi-generational family bonds and
resolute
fraternity-- the lessons of the immigrant experience and blurred social
boundaries -- the liberating abandon and shameless extravagance of
self-expression.
Shot with no script and a point of view that shifts easily from moment
to
moment, the colorful, ebullient tale is told through revealing
interviews,
new and vintage newsreel footage, dazzling still photos, and glorious
music. The result is a documentary that is at once personal and epic, unique
and
universal, touching and funny.
(Order Strut! The Movie) |
