It is twilight on Route 79. Traffic is light on this West Virginia highway as State trooper Larry Smith sits in his patrol car, thinking about a quote he heard long ago. It seems to be quite true now. “Krushchev was right”, he says. “Russia will never have to attack our country...America will crumble from within”. So begins “Revelations”, an unordinary look at an ordinary family struggling to cope with changes in American life. Weaving together scenes featuring three generations of Smiths with a variety of television images, the programme explores one family’s view of America. Shot during the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving, the documentary examines traditional American values and their meaning for the future. “Revelations” takes a step out of the mainstream documentary form by integrating interviews, parallel strands of live action, and excepts from television news, commercials, and entertainment programmes. The result is a rich and challenging structure that repeatedly juxtaposes the Smith’s picture of America with that seen on television.
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