| Blood in the Face | |
|---|---|
Film poster
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| Directed by | Anne Bohlen Kevin Rafferty James Ridgeway |
| Written by | James Ridgeway |
| Starring | George Lincoln Rockwell Don Black Thom Robb Jack Moher Allen Poe Bob Miles Glenn Miller |
| Distributed by | First Run Features |
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blood in the Face is a 1991 documentary film about white supremacy groups in North America. It was directed by Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty and James Ridgeway. It features many interviews with various white supremacist leaders, and archival footage of others.
Blood in the Face was inspired by a nonfiction book of the same name by author James Ridgeway, who is also credited as one of the film's directors. This documentary was largely shot in Cohoctah Township, Michigan. It focuses on a gathering of neo-Nazis, racists, and conspiracy theorists who expect people of color to ignite a Racial Holy War in the U.S.
Filmmakers Anne Bohlen and Kevin Rafferty take an intentionally leisurely, conversational tack with supremacists who have assembled for lectures and workshops on everything from getting their message out via home videos to moving all like-minded "white Christians" to the Pacific Northwest, especially the Idaho Panhandle.
According to the audio commentary on the Roger &Me DVD, Academy Award-winning American filmmaker Michael Moore appears as an off-screen interviewer because he was originally contacted to arrange a meeting between the filmmakers and the supremacists since he had previously interviewed them for a magazine. At the last minute, the filmmakers backed out of the interview and Moore stepped in to conduct it. Moore is thanked in the end credits.
Michael Moore does appear on camera during one interview, and can be heard during another interview.
While the cinéma vérité filming style of "Blood in the Face" gives audiences an unfiltered exposure to far-right extremist practices, the absence of narration and direction may help recruit more people to adopt such bigoted and harmful worldviews rather than educating them about the impact of extremism in America. Without outwardly criticizing the neo-nazi subjects through either voice-overs or filmmaker interviews, "direct cinema can espouse that which it seeks to expose" (125, Rabinowitz, 1993). The film's failure to challenge problematic ideals and hate speech gave racism and anti-semitism a free nationwide platform, spreading such ideologies across the country in a time preceding social media and the internet. According to critics of the film, "the subjects were delighted that the film was being made by James Ridgeway because they knew it would get wide distribution, unlike a film made by a crew of insiders" (125, Rabinowitz, 1993).
Rabinowitz, P. (1993). Wreckage upon wreckage: History, documentary and the ruins of memory. History and Theory, 119-137.
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