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Blood in the Face

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Blood in the Face

"Welcome to the Ku Klux Klan, American Nazi Party and David Duke"

NR199178 min.IMDb7.1/10

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Blood in the Face is a gripping, unsettling, and thought-provoking documentary from the year 1991. This movie is directed by Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty, and James Ridgeway and stars Robert E. Miles, George Lincoln Rockwell, and Don Black playing, not characters sketch, but themselves in real life. It is derived from a book by James Ridgeway and its title is borrowed from a saying associated with supremacist advocacy groups that a true Aryan "has blood in the face."

The movie explores the world embedded in the extremist wings of the white supremacist movement in the United States, giving a glimpse into the ideologies of these groups and the people associated with them. It probes their beliefs about racial purity, power, their perception of the world, and how they justify their propagandas.

This compelling documentary starts its narrative with a gathering conducted by Robert E. Miles, a former grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan and now leader of his white supremacist community in Michigan. Miles is the common thread that weaves throughout the film as it dives into confrontational interviews, meetings, and conversations involving different characters in this radical subculture.

One of the highlighted figures is George Lincoln Rockwell, a prominent figure in the American Nazi Party. Though Rockwell had been assassinated years before the film, his presence is felt through archival footage. This gives viewers a complex view of the extreme right, its history, and chilling first-person accounts of hatred and intolerance.

Don Black, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and founder of the infamous white supremacist website Stormfront, also features prominently in this film. The movie shows his rise to prominence in the extremist movement and sheds light on his efforts to use the internet as a tool for propagating racial hatred and recruiting new members.

The filmmakers, with their direct questions and non-judgmental stance, open up a dialogue with these individuals that would generally seem closed off to society. Their approach allows viewers to hear these views firsthand, often leading to unsettling, uncomfortable, and enlightening moments.

Contrary to what one might expect, the film does not solely provide analysis or commentary; instead, it lets the individuals speak for themselves, hence contributing to its raw and authentic nature. Their prejudices are laid bare in their own words, making the feature genuinely disturbing yet significantly insightful. The documentary is not so much a traditional narrative story but a series of vignettes that together create a tapestry of bigotry and hate.

Interestingly, the filmmakers choose not to demonize these individuals or reduce their lives to mere caricature; rather, they reveal the darker shades of human chauvinism while also unveiling the banality and rationalization that comes with such extreme beliefs. This mixture of stark reverence and prejudice paints a disquieting panorama in the process.

Set against the backdrop of the late cold war era, steeped in deep-seated prejudice, the film reflects the socio-economic unease and political unrest of the time. It offers a profound look inside the minds of those involved in these movements, providing a wider understanding of socio-political dynamics in the country during the late 20th century.

However, despite its focus on racist groups, "Blood in the Face" is not just about them. It also draws the audience's attention to a broader question on society's role and response to these ideologies. It raises nagging questions about the passive observers and the so-called ‘apolitical middle-ground’ population, thus making the documentary a wider social commentary.

In conclusion, "Blood in the Face" emerges as a revealing yet discomforting journey into the extreme right groups spiraling in America. It is an exploration of bigotry, hatred, racism, and delusional narratives that lead to a streak of scorching introspection about the darker peripheries of our societal construct. Through its unflinching depiction of the subjects, the film truly stands as an essential documentary that evokes unsettling questions about the roots and ramifications of hatred in the heartlands of society. It is highly recommended for those interested in social politics, history, and human behavior on the fringe.

NR199178 min.
IMDb7.1/10
Director
Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty, James Ridgeway
Stars
George Lincoln Rockwell, Don Black, Thom Robb, Jack Moher, Allen Poe
Genres
Documentary