The Charcoal People

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width="98" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><B>DVD <script language="JavaScript"> function popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10'); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B00005UO7H/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb1_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=B00005UO7H"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.B00005UO7H" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input 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VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="588"><div> Reviewed by Brenda Sexton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  Filmmaker:  Nigel Noble</div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line:</B> A documentary exploring the harsh life of the workers and the destruction of Brazil's rain forest in the development of the charcoal industry.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> A powerfully poignant, beautiful film, <I><B>The Charcoal People</B></I> conveys its message of brutal living conditions with grace and dignity.  The first migrant worker we meet is 76 years old.  This may be grueling, backbreaking work, but this South American has the lithe and athletic build of a twenty year-old man.  In spite of the savage working conditions, the health hazards of constant smoke from burning wood, and the lack of hygiene, these people portray a beautiful, magnificent race. All are uneducated, though one proudly proclaims he can write his own name.  The charcoal people are trapped in an unending cycle of poverty and lack of other skills.  Each father educates his son in the charcoal business, with most of them working full time by the age of seven.</div> <bR> <div> In one case we meet three generations of men in one family.  The grandfather no longer works in charcoal, but he regrets that his son does, while his adorable five-year-old grandson boldly states to the cameraman that he intends to be a charcoal worker as well, because he wants to make money.  It is heartbreaking because we realize it's a trap.  The workers only get enough money to survive.  There are no savings, no investing in a future where change can occur.  In the three-generation family, the grandfather speaks about the importance of being polite and liked by people.  He is proud of the way he has lived his life and we can see he has taught these values to his son.  We can't help but wonder why one even bothers with manners in this miserable life.  Yet it is their life and some are able to live it gracefully, maintaining hope for a better life for their children.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell me More About It:</B> Though only 70 minutes long, this film provides a rich education to audiences in the outside world about life as a migrant worker in Brazil.</div> <div> The land is being ravaged; the people are being ravaged.  A sixteen-year-old girl is pregnant with her third child and her husband has just gotten fired for asking for a raise.  Another man tells of a job in a different remote region of the Amazon where he could only buy his supplies from his boss.  The costs for the food and essentials exceeded his pay.  The more he worked, the greater his debt was to him.  He was able to escape and walked 20 miles to his "freedom"-his next job as a migrant worker.  This film makes you wonder how this life compares to that of a slave's?  It's a hard question to answer.</div> <bR> <div> The film shows this life from the inside, portraying gentle, hardworking, family oriented people.  You wonder "How did these nice people become so trapped?  How does this cycle end?"  We are told that the government has implemented a school-pay program, whereby a child's family receives $25 per month for each child in school, about half what a full time working child can earn at their $2 per day scale.</div> <bR> <div> We witness a beautiful people and wonderful natural resources devastated in this film. This poignant message is powerfully delivered in a subtle way through the voices and living conditions of the workers.  I felt I had truly met these poor, hard-working migrants and was greatly touched by their story.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Not Rated</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="587"><div> <B>Brenda Sexton © 2001</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:brendasext@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:brendasext@aol.com"><U><U>brenda@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography:</div> <bR> <div> Director Nigel Noble:  Close Harmony, A Stitch For Time, Porgy & Bess:  An </div> <div> American Voice</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>