Mini-Review: “The Order of Myths”
The film shows segregation in Mobile Mardi Gras.
Published March 2, 2008
With ornate masks and floats, decadent parties and members of secret mystical societies tossing beads and moon pies to those cheering from the sidelines, the Mardi Gras celebration in Mobile, Ala.––the oldest in the country, preceding New Orleans––seems like any other.
The difference? Mobile’s Mardi Gras remains segregated, with separate black and white celebrations. Citizens of Mobile featured in the documentary “The Order of Myths” argue the celebration is voluntarily this way, but racial tensions are still very evident.
Director Margaret Brown combines a steady sensitivity towards the overarching issue of the film with incredible cinematography and technical skill. The film is a very perceptive one––cinematographers Michael Simmonds and Lee Daniel have a knack for capturing each of the subjects’ every thought, particularly in highly emotional or sensitive situations. When a member of the all-white Mobile Carnival Association court talks about her love for the history and heritage of Mobile’s celebration, the camera focuses on the frustration and exasperation in the face of the black woman designing her dress. Conversely, when the king and queen of the all-black Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association attend the MCA coronation––and the MCA king and queen reciprocate by attending MAMGA’s Comrades Ball––there are plenty of close-ups on the faces of kings and queens from both courts as they interact with one another and seem to be genuinely enjoying the company of one another, a step toward a unified celebration.
“The Order of Myths” is a film of social importance and raises some very relevant questions about the enduring presence of racism, but Brown succeeds in ensuring that the film has no outright agenda or imposition to tell the audience to have a very strong opinion either way. Rather, she ensures that the film’s subjects, black and white, are shown as they are with their opinions and intentions out in the open, with neither side being favored or demonized. This is a film that, above all, encourages post-viewing dialogue and proves that when done right, a documentary can educate as well as be dynamic and enjoyable while letting the viewer know his or her responsibility to the community at large.