It's FINALLY over! The History Channel's Hatfield-McCoy Feud went on as long as the feud itself. I was worn out before I got through the first episode; never mind the other two. True to it's subject, this 'historical drama' nearly killed me.
Months before it aired a neighbor knocked on my door; all excited he told me about the upcoming feature and told me to put it on the calendar. I followed his advise. Then about a month out I started seeing the previews daily. Next I was in New York City and saw it promoted on several Times Square billboards. Then after coming home I sent emails, text messages, tweets, Facebook announcements, and told everyone I knew to watch it. I also bragged that I am a descendent of this famous feud and also a descendant of another less famous feud, the East Tennessee Greene-Jones feud. I thought about how finally the world would get to understand all of the factors leading to the feud. Finally everyone would understand, and I would be spared the brief summary conversations trying to explain the multiple issues of 50 years. After this Kevin Costner version of history, I've decided I'll never bring up the feud again.
In a nutshell, the History Channel botched this piece of history in a major way. It turned into nothing more than 6 hours of violence, guns, and invented Hollywood drama. The story was so poorly told that after every episode the average person couldn't keep the characters, the connections, or the summary of events straight from one scene to the next. The first episode attempted to summarize the factors leading up to the feud, but without any factual statements or chronology the viewer had to put it together from short scenes portraying the events. Knowing these facts already I could see where the film was going, but most people viewing the film did not know these basic facts. I did see one local entertainment writer in my area who cared enough to write about them and to help clarify the episode. Everyone should have had these facts. http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-in-nashville/jonathan-pinkerton?CID=examiner_alerts_index
If you were looking for a million ways to explore violence and it's aftermath, this would be your film. I suppose the acting was brilliant if you focused on violence; otherwise, I saw little acting that was focused away from violence. The bare chested characters looked like they they worked for Gold's Gym (particularly Johnse Hatfield), all had perfect teeth (no one had access to dental care in these mountains), the sex scenes were easily understood (far better than any other part), and the viewers were probably more confused about how all this happened than they were before the series aired. At the end I prayed for a summary statement explaining how the feud ended and how each character died. Yes, it was there, but before you could read the tiny print about one character it switched to another one, then another one. These sentences appeared obligatory rather than helpful or thought provoking providing that you were a fast reader.
In short, please don't purchase a copy of this History Channel installment. Prior to its airing, I looked forward to the offering and believed The History Channel presented accurate, factual history well. Maybe I'm the stupid person here, but this piece has raised many questions about how this and other history is portrayed, the accuracy of facts, and the quality of script writing used by The History Channel. Not all actors can direct films even if they are in their field of expertise. I suggest Kevin Costner stick to acting and The History Channel present itself as fictionalized history.
I would love to hear what each of you thought about the Hatfield-McCoy feature.
I was kind of confused more than before. And was there any more feuding until the treaty was signed? Where would you suggest looking for accurate details about the feud/and or books about it?
ReplyDeleteCertainly I understand your confusion. The feud was very complex, many factors within a culture isolated from the rest of society. Following the Civil War families and friends were dealing with their grief, their injuries, betrayal, as well as the return of those who fought against them in the war. Normal life was not normal. Wars change people, events and outlook. It was a recipe for disaster. You might want to check out Appalachia in the Making: The Mountain South in the Nineteenth Century
ReplyDeleteBy Mary Beth Pudup, Dwight B. Billings, Altina Laura Waller
David wants to dive into it, but the only reason I'm really considering joining him was the theme music in the trailer. I was seriously impressed & then blown away to find out that it's Kevin Costner's band! I'm sad the story does not live up to any expectations, but I guess we'll see what happens with it in our house. I'll share your review with D and see if we end up investing our time.
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