Louisiana's music, wetlands inspire new documentary

The career of the late zydeco legend Beau Jocque only lasted six years in the 1990s. But his funky, high-energy sound took him to the Late Show with David Letterman, the Conan O'Brien Show and beyond.

Beau Jocque gained a worldwide cult following and even inspired Don Howard and Jim Shelton to film a documentary on his life. But on their 100-plus trips in 10 years to south Louisiana, Howard and Shelton discovered the region's culture is more than music and good times.

"We started out making the film just about the music and the dancehalls," said Howard, a professor of radio, TV and film at the University of Texas at Austin. "There's a problem with that kind of movie because the only people that are going to get it already have it because they've already been there.

"We didn't really know how to make the best film about it. Then we read this book, 'Bayou Farewell,' which was an introduction to what's going on in the wetlands. We realized the dancehalls are dying on a certain level, but also the landscape itself is drowning.

"Those obviously aren't causally related, but it seemed to be a poignant thing to make the film about."

Disappearing wetlands, dancehalls and Beau Jocque are the main subjects of "By the River of Babylon: An Elegy for South Louisiana," an independent documentary by Howard and Shelton. The film makes its broadcast debut at 8 p.m. June 16 on "America Reframed" on the WORLD Channel. WORLD delivers public television programming to more than 35 million viewers in the United States.

Starting June 17, the documentary can be viewed free online at worldchannel.org. It will stream on the site for three months.

The film features dozens of cultural names familiar throughout the region, such as Paul Marx and Todd Ortego of KBON Radio, the late fiddler Hadley Castille, record producer Floyd Soileau, journalists Bob Marshall and Herman Fuselier and accordion maker Larry Miller. Kevin Courville, Phil Allemond, Jeffery Broussard, Corey Ledet, Cedric Watson and Don Rich are among the featured musicians. Clifton Chenier, Nathan Abshire and the Balfa Brothers and The Uniques perform in archival footage. Rare footage of Beau Jocque performing on Letterman is also included.

"We just fell in love with that place and the people there," said Smith. "We were captivated by the sound that Beau Jocque had. It's unique and crossed so many borders for us.

"Those things were so powerful to us — getting to know the people and the music of Beau Jocque, and going to all those dancehalls and participating in that wonderful way of life down there."

The film also serves are a primer on Louisiana's wetlands, efforts to control their future and damage done by oil and gas exploration and pipelines. Skeletons of dancehalls, once plentiful throughout the region, are captured in their decaying states.

Producers hope their documentary reminds viewers of the cultural and economic importance of the state.

"Seeing all this stuff disappear is so sad," said Smith. "I knew it's happening all over the country. It's not a unique situation watching cultures meld and original cultures disappear.

"To me, why Louisiana? It has so much to offer. It's so wonderful to find places where you can experience life. I'm from Texas and there's plenty of places in Texas where I'd be fine if they disappeared. But not south Louisiana."

"To me, it's the most distinctive place in the country," added Howard. "Obviously, it still is, but there's a kind of sadness to the whole situation."

Want to watch?

A trailer for "By the River of Babylon: An Elegy for South Louisiana" can be seen on theadvertiser.com.