The South Never Plays Itself: A Film Buff’s Journey Through the South on Screen

Former film critic Beard (Muhammad Ali: The Greatest) seeks to map the on-screen American South in this expansive but ultimately thin work. Beard starts with D.W. Griffith’s silent The Birth of a Nation, which, in simultaneously codifying many basic techniques of film storytelling and upholding an anti-Black, pro-Confederacy view of American history, demonstrates how “Hollywood was built on a movie that perpetuated” long-standing Southern myths. This provocative starting point goes nowhere, though, and Beard proceeds to discuss a dizzying array of films, many unrelated or tangential to his main theme, such as the Chicago-set horror film Candyman. Adding to the scattered feeling, Beard employs multiple organizational schemes, devoting some chapters to notable Southern writers (William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams), and others to the representation of individual states (Louisiana, Texas, and Florida) or to the films made during Southern-born presidents’ terms. A closing chapter places a commendable focus on Black filmmakers, but loses sight of the Southern theme altogether. Cinephiles may appreciate Beard’s enthusiasm and energy, but few will be surprised when he concludes: “I’m not sure I’m any closer to understanding the South at the end than I was at the beginning.” (Nov.)