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Bright Leaves

Essay Films • 1h 47m

Directed by Ross McElwee • Documentary • With Ross McElwee, Allan Gurganus, Paula Larke, Marilyn Levine, Emily Madison, Charlleen Swansea, Adrian McElwee, Tom McElwee • 2005 • 105 minutes

McElwee family legend has it that the Hollywood melodrama Bright Leaf starring Gary Cooper as a 19th century tobacco grower, is based on McElwee's great-grandfather who created the famous "Bull Durham" brand. Using this legacy as a jumping off point, McElwee reaches back to his roots in this wry, witty rumination on American History, the tobacco business, and the myth of cinema.

"Beguiling and Irresistable!"—Los Angeles Times

"By the end of this reflective, wise, often hilarious movie, you feel as though he has slapped a huge chunk of raw, palpitating life onto the screen. Bright Leaves leaves you feeling invigorated by the boundless curiosity, humor and high spirits of its creator."—The New York Times

Tags
agriculture and food, americas, biography, bright leaves, bull durham, business, business ethics, cigarettes, communication and media studies, doc, documentary films, duke university, essay, expository, family issues, farming, film and video studies, first run features, health, healthcare, history, humor and satire, labor and economics, languages and literature, literature, medicine and nursing, north carolina, ovid, ovid_ca, public health, ross mcelwee, s_0029, s_0074, s_0104, s_0105, s_0108, s_0151, s_0408, s_0437, s_0467, smoking, social studies, the, the american south, title_abc, title_b, tobacco, united states, world regions

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