Bright Leaves (film)
Encyclopedia
Bright Leaves is a 2003 documentary film by independent filmmaker Ross McElwee
about the association his family had with the tobacco
industry.
Bright Leaf
is the name of a strain of tobacco. It was also the name of a 1949 novel and 1950 feature film
about a struggle between two tobacco barons. (Patricia Neal
, one of the film's stars, is interviewed.)
The struggle depicted in the film, according to McElwee family tradition, parallels the historical one between McElwee's great-grandfather and the patriarch of the Duke family who founded Duke University
.
The documentary follows McElwee's usual style, where he gives voiceovers to apparently spontaneous footage, making the story more personal.
Ross McElwee
Ross McElwee is an American documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, and Harvard professor, known for his autobiographical films about his family and personal life, usually interwoven with an episodic journey of some sort. Many cultural aspects of his southern upbringing are present in his...
about the association his family had with the tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
industry.
Bright Leaf
Bright Leaf
Bright Leaf is a 1950 film drama based on a 1949 novel by Foster Fitzsimmons. It stars Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal and Lauren Bacall, directed by Michael Curtiz....
is the name of a strain of tobacco. It was also the name of a 1949 novel and 1950 feature film
Bright Leaf
Bright Leaf is a 1950 film drama based on a 1949 novel by Foster Fitzsimmons. It stars Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal and Lauren Bacall, directed by Michael Curtiz....
about a struggle between two tobacco barons. (Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
, one of the film's stars, is interviewed.)
The struggle depicted in the film, according to McElwee family tradition, parallels the historical one between McElwee's great-grandfather and the patriarch of the Duke family who founded Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
The documentary follows McElwee's usual style, where he gives voiceovers to apparently spontaneous footage, making the story more personal.