''Blood in the Face'' is a 1991 documentary film about white supremacy groups in North America. It was directed by Anne Bohlen,

Kevin Rafferty Kevin Gelshenen Rafferty II (May 25, 1947 – July 2, 2020) was an American documentary film cinematographer, director, and producer, best known for his 1982 documentary ''The Atomic Cafe''. Background Rafferty was born in Boston on May 25, 194 ...

and James Ridgeway. It features many interviews with various white supremacist leaders, and archival footage of others.

Production details

''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-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

s, and conspiracy theorists who expect people of color to ignite a

Racial Holy War Bernhardt "Ben" Klassen ( ( O.S. February 7, 1918) – ) was an American politician and white supremacist religious leader. He founded the Church of the Creator with the publication of his book ''Nature's Eternal Religion'' in 1973. Klassen ...

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 The Idaho Panhandle—locally known as North Idaho—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shosh ...

. According to the audio commentary on the Roger & Me DVD, Academy Award-winning American filmmaker

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

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).

External links

* Rabinowitz, P. (1993). Wreckage upon wreckage: History, documentary and the ruins of memory. History and Theory, 119-137. 1991 films American documentary films Films based on non-fiction books American independent films Films about neo-Nazism Films about race and ethnicity White supremacy in the United States Documentary films about racism in the United States Documentary films about Nazis 1991 documentary films 1991 independent films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language documentary films {{hist-documentary-film-stub