Originally Published: 2005-02-06

In 1986 Harvard University professor Ross McElwee made Sherman's March, a wonderfully endearing documentary about his life growing up in the American south. Now he's back with a similar, leisurely and engrossing rumination, Bright Leaves. A fascinating personal document, the film traces the director's impressive family tree while taking its time enjoying the scenery around it.
It seems that McElwee's great-grandfather, John McElwee, after the Civil War started a tobacco business with his friend, Washington Duke, and launched the brand Durham Bull, only to lose his fortune after a personal falling out and lawsuit with Duke. (Duke is the founder of Duke University and was one of the richest men in the U.S.)
Travelling from Boston to his ancestral home in North Carolina, McElwee's attempts to come to terms with the tobacco business, the south's dark history and even the public health establishment are poignant and funny. Unearthing some dark truths with an intelligent and affectionate viewpoint takes a certain tranquility, and the filmmaker is in no hurry to rush us along. Though he manages to talk to actress Patricia Neal, who starred in the 1950 film Bright Leaf about a tobacco grower (Gary Cooper), the most revealing moment is when he sits down with Bright Leaf author Marian Fitz-Simmons.
Though not as adventurous as Sherman's March, Bright Leaves is equally engaging and enlightening. Absolutely wonderful.

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