Part at home dentistry instructional film and part Alone in the Wilderness, Dead River Rough Cut is a documentary about a couple of leathery guys living a backwoods existence away from the bothers of social interaction and the convenience (read: health standards) of modern life. The DVD was part of my ACL Twitter gift guide, but I thought it was worth expanding on a little for those that might have missed it.
The film documents a secluded and cracker barrel life in the Maine woods. Its an astonishing look at a different way of life. Dead River Rough Cut also has the honor of being the number one requested film at the Maine State Penitentiary – you can’t even make this shit up. Worth a look if you are into toothless roughnecks that spend their whole day hunting, slaughtering pigs and riding around on primitive snowmobiles. You can purchase the DVD here.
Is copper too expensive these days to use for ripping teeth out?
These accents are priceless. Not quite subtitle worthy though…
Merry Merry Ol’ Boy off to Mexico… enjoy the Holidays& The New Year…!
Kenyan
awesome. Anyone see the Johnny Knoxville doc the ‘Whites of West Virginia’?
Hank III, No teeth, Oxycontin and police. I think that was a movie.
May have been Thanksgiving with my cousins. It was a while ago.
“The Beans of Egypt, Maine” a great read about the good life in rural Maine!
rufus, that was exactly my first thought, too. There was a great NY Times profile on Carolyn Chute and her husband in 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/books/04chut.html
But not something I’d want to romanticize. That’s poverty. Those folks don’t have medical care. Chute lost a baby because she couldn’t get to a hospital for the delivery.
She does have an AK-47, though.
thanks for the link to Carolyn Chute’s NY Times story. Guess it is time to read another story…
@TMH…
While “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” is an interesting documentary, I can’t fathom the connection you’re making to Dead River. The former focuses on a freeloading, drug addicted, and murderous clan. The latter focuses on two hardworking men making a life for themselves in the woods. Bob from Dead River, while obviously rough and tumble in his own right, shows an obvious level awareness and thoughtfulness to the world around him that is completely absent from the depravity of the White clan. Both films touch heavily on the nihilism their characters live by, but where the Whites turn to drugs and crime, Bob and Walter turn to the woods and the trapper’s life.
@Rufus…coincidentally, I just received a copy of “The Beans…” from a friend. After watching Dead River I’m only more excited to read it!
Along the lines of mountain folk and the ilk, I’d recommend “And the Ass Saw the Angel” by Nick Cave. It definitely leans HEAVILY towards the dark side of the holler life, but it’s a joy to read. Even in all it’s twisted, appalachian gore, Nick Cave certainly has a way with words.
This thing is not on Netflix. Bummer. When I search for it, Netflix recommends “Splice”.
A free 28 minute cut can be had thanks to the fine folks at the University of Maine:
http://windowsonmaine.library.umaine.edu/fullrecord.aspx?objectId=6-4
Excellent, thanks ACL for your always reliable ephemera- and to see the tooth video used in a completely different and inspring ( i hope) context… click greatzamboni blog..
-the zambonesman