About STRUT! the Movie
From the folks who brought you the Declaration of Independence -- hailed as "the feel-good celebration of America we need" --- STRUT! spotlights the world of the Philadelphia Mummers and their annual parade. For fourteen hours each New Year's Day, electricians, longshoremen, plumbers, cops, and other working class wizards transform the city of brotherly love into the world capital of surrealism.
The human counterpart to the Liberty Bell? heroic, iconic, and just a teeny bit cracked -- the Mummers are quintessentially American in their boundless celebration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of joy. Those meeting them for the first time will recognize of our collective national character and the principles we hold so dear.
From the parade's pre-colonial historic roots and evolutionary contributions of European and African Cultures, to the Vaudeville slapstick routines and 4-minute, fully choreographed Broadway shows, to the extraordinary inclusiveness and tolerance of everyone except the competition -- the Mummers capture the pride, passion, and pure soul of the country. Broader themes resonate. The power of multi-generational family bonds and resolute fraternity-- the lessons of the immigrant experience and blurred social boundaries -- the liberating abandon and shameless extravagance of self-expression.
Shot with no script and a point of view that shifts easily from moment to moment, the colorful, ebullient tale is told through revealing interviews, new and vintage newsreel footage, dazzling still photos, and glorious music. The result is a documentary that is at once personal and epic, unique and universal, touching and funny. |