Similarities

I was really impressed with Ana Deavere Smith’s performance in Fires in the Mirror (George C Wolfe). Every character she acted out had a great sense of authenticity to them. Her performance was incredibly believable. The presentation of these testimonies has great parallels between the Studs Terkel interview method that we studied earlier this semester. Just as Terkel gives his own direction and flow to his transcribed interviews, the editing and composition of Fires in the Mirror creates a discourse that is greater than the sum of its parts. That is to say that the director’s weaving of these interviews speaks on the riots on a much wider scale than any of the individuals who were interviewed ever could. Furthermore, the framing and order that interviews are presented in creates a subordinate narrative that the director has knowingly constructed to convey his own understanding of the event.

The movie covered all the varying point of views surrounding this dramatic period, these differing points of view seemed to be related to their race and clearly pointed out the racial tension in this period. Just as Terkel’s work can be used as a time capsule to capture the social attitudes of the time, this film (providing the interviews are in fact authentic) can be used to relive the social atmosphere present around the Rodney King Trial. In general it was very informative for me, since I was too young to really know or remember anything to do with the LA riots. Just as Ana Deavere Smith gave her voice as that of the interviewees, Terkel gave his transcribed interviews his own editorial touch. The question remains however, which method is more true to documentary style, and which method is more susceptible to having its’ messages tainted.

There is obviously reliance upon the representation that Smith and Wolfe present. Since this event has come and gone, there is little to withhold or disprove the accounts that were apparently recorded. Hopefully the interviews were acted out truthfully and respectfully or the history this film tries to capture is tainted and misrepresented.