Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

runamokprods Thoughtful and quietly disturbing as opposed to having the more open rage of most documentaries dealing with modern racism. In Mobile Alabama, 2007, there are still two Mardi Gras celebration, one white, one black. The weirdly uncomfortable anachronism of two 'separate but equal' parades and balls is defended (primarily by the whites) as preserving history, and as not racist, but somehow more inclusive. And it does seem like both sides of the color line are in no rush to lose their own celebration for fear of being swallowed by the other. This is a far more subtle and complex study of the nature of race relations in America than we usually get to see. It's clear that one day the wall will come down. We see the King and Queen of the black Mardi Gras visit the white celebration, and vice versa -- marking tentative and deeply awkward steps to the time when a future generation will marvel that there ever were two Mardi Gras. But for now we also see how deeply race has split and wounded the town, so that it's almost as though two worlds exist in different dimensions in one space, occasionally seeing each others ghosts as they float by each other.

unkoftitan I love the South dearly because of its flawed but rich past, and this film captures the beauty, complexity, and even the shame of the South in way that only a great documentary can. On the surface, its a film of two Mardi Gras parades---one white and one black---in Mobile, Alabama, which is the site of the oldest parade of this type. This account of moneyed white elites and earnest striving blacks, both proud of their history, and looking for a kind of middle ground in the face of a dark past is a poignant portrayal of a unique slice of America life. Watch it and draw your own conclusions about race relations. You'll be happy you took the time, and you'll be better off for the experience.

goodellaa From a daughter of this most interesting city, a love letter as only someone who knows the place could give it to us. An interesting lesson in the evolution of cultural mores and standards over time. Lots of Mardi Gras fun! The inside view of a most interesting event. History, alcohol, well-dressed ladies and gentlemen, incidents of the past remembered and others happening in front of you. Well worth the time of anyone who wishes to understand people better. The picture follows a season of celebration in a community steeped in tradition. Interwoven (mostly quite smoothly) is some context of these traditions told of as they would be to a youngster or trusted stranger, and implied by countless actions observed on the screen. Toward the end it becomes clear that things do change, however slowly. Segregation, for instance, even as ritual, will come to an end. If there is a lesson implied it may be to preserve what you love while remembering everything you can.

Andubatman another great documentary without narration, this one by Margaret brown. this deals with the still-segregated Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Alabama. this is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the u.s., with the first party happening 15 years before New Orleans was even a city.with equal coverage of both the MCA (the white group) and the MAMGA (the black group), brown guides us through the preparation, the racial tensions and the celebration of the 2007 Mardi Gras. absolutely everything is separate in the celebration, from two royal courts, to two dances to two parades. it feels like the Jim Crow laws have not left Mobile, Alabama.this year, however, the MCA court allowed (invited?) the MAMGA king and queen to attend their coronation, and the MCA king and queen attended the MAMGA's dance. it's up to the audience to decide whether the camera's presence influenced this new integration and whether or not it will continue, but for the most part it seemed natural.through a series of events, however, it is revealed that the MCA (remember, the white group) queen's relatives brought the last slave ship to the u.s. as a bet, because it was post-civil war. after he didn't come back to the ship, the first mate set fire to the ship. but the slaves escaped into the forest nearby and formed a small town called Africa town. turns out, the MAMGA (remember, the black group) queen is a direct descendant of one of those slaves. so, even more racial tension. also, the state of Alabama officially apologizes for its involvement in slavery shortly before Mardi Gras. more racial tension brought to the surface.then, several white people make the claim that nobody wants integration, even going so far as to say they want integration, and the black community are the ones who want segregation. however, according to the interviews, the black community are the ones making the effort for integration. the white people also make the claim that everything is already integrated, except for Mardi Gras.the dances are all segregated, the mystic clubs (oh yeah, did i mention the crazy, drunk off-their-ass, mystic clubs?) are all segregated. Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, is completely segregated. in fact, at the white parade, black people aren't even allowed on the floats. they can only be in the band behind the floats. however, their is a vein of hope as one mystic group was recently formed. it's the first integrated group. it's mostly black, but it is integrated. it has ONE white member. unfortunately, as brown revealed in the q&a., he was shipped off to Iraq shortly after the parade and wasn't able to be interviewed.overall, it was a really great documentary as it tried to be balanced, interviewing both groups, the MCA and MAMGA, but overall, it just came over that most of the white people are ass-backwards in Mobile. not all, though. there are the few. unfortunately, they're in Iraq.