Whitesburg Epic
- Description
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This film was preserved by Appalshop Archive with support from the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Shot in the summer of 1970 and one of the first films in the Appalshop catalog, Whitesburg Epic uses “man on the street” reportage to investigate issues faced by residents of a rural Appalachian community. People discuss growing up in a small town and their reactions to the war in Southeast Asia and the recent massacre at Kent State. Shots of youth outside of Main St. businesses and a spontaneous point-of-view car ride around the downtown strip – accompanied by the bluegrass music classic ‘Salty Dog Blues’ by a local mountain group – all combine to provide an energetic, playful (evident in the ‘Epic’ of the film title) but particularly moving portrait by the filmmakers of their community.