Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

ndelat3 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*Urban planning is never static; things are constantly changing. It is the appreciation of why certain projects lead to complete failure and some succeed. The cliché "We learn about the past in order to learn about the future" is a very prominent theme embedded within this documentary. In some aspects, the Pruitt-Igoe Myth is more lament than examination. Through the survivors' tales of death both literal and figurative, Benjamin Balcom's dismal score portrays everything as it is out to be. Directed by Chad Freidrichs, this grim but powerful documentary covers the domestic turmoil by punitive public welfare policies and the processes of mass suburbanization that emptied American cities. The Pruitt-Igoe housing had high hopes but empty promises. This housing project created the dream of a wonderful life. Although it did assert the importance of community, it backfired in vandalism, vacancy, and crime. The film starts off with Solvester Brown, a former resident of Igoe-Pruitt, revisiting the area for the first time in over 30 years. The plot he went to was almost unrecognizable; it consisted of a vacant "mini-forest" surrounded by piles upon piles of junk and mounds of concrete. The movie then cuts to a housing project video advertising the project, promising indoor plumbing, electric lights and other things expected in the 20th century. The sight that Brown witnessed did not match the promise that the planners put forth. Post WWII and the beginning of the Cold War, the Pruitt-Igoe housing project was created in response to the national urban renewal process of the 50's/60's. St. Louis's urban renewal plan was one of the most ambitious. Having major influence for coalition due to their wealth and power, civic leaders and politicians viewed the slums as eyesores and the downtown area was of their full interest. Urban reformers pressed lawmakers to input new clean modern homes to re-energize depression-era housing projects installed by war. The 1949 Housing Act was installed to bulldoze the slums and incorporated 800,000 homes within the United States that were supposed to ensure safe and affordable mortgages to low-income communities. The federal government funded the production of the project but didn't put money into the maintenance. So slumlords took advantage of the distressed residents and played a part with the worsening conditions of the apartments. Slumlords would pack as many people as they could within these buildings because they knew these people were desperate. World War II took a toll on St. Louis's economy. From 1970 to 1980, the population had decreased by 28 percent, beating Cleveland's and Detroit's downfall. Post war, urban growth reversed. The cities were losing the working middle class, their industrial base, and overall investment. National suburbanization policies, or urban flight, was made possible by the same housing act for Pruitt-Igoe. The appeal of the suburbs became the mainstream, and many families sprawled to the newly developed areas outside the city in hopes for more opportunities and overall a better life. Due to the disinvestment to the city and increase demand for the suburbs, land tax decreased in urban areas and thus leading to less money for maintenance. The unfortunate lower class that was left behind within the slowly rotting public housing. As if it couldn't get worse, the welfare department mandated that families living within the housing project qualify for aid only if there is not an able bodied male present. Women and children were the only residents allowed to reside. Families had to sacrifice a father figure in order for everyone to have somewhere to sleep. Televisions and phones were also violations of receiving aid. These harsh regulations created even more isolation than the community of Pruitt-Igoe was already in. This sense of hopelessness and alienation created a sense of imprisonment that further made people products of their environment, consisting of vandalism and no sense of safety. In short, this figurative prison is the effects of the welfare The residents of Pruitt Igoe found themselves in a prison they could not escape because of their income restraints.Pruitt was essentially clean at first, but maintenance declined shortly. There was never an adequate provision for maintenance. Solvester Brown recalled scratch-proof elevators evolving into urine-smelling that did not operate. Brown and his brother would be stuck in an elevator all day and would eventually have to pry the doors open and climb rope from floor to floor. The slumlords did not have sufficient amount of money to fund the operations nor did the state of Missouri. A representative from the St. Louis Housing Authority was interviewed in regards to the lack of federal investment of operations within the housing and he claimed that they "simply do not have enough money to operate as well as we should". He in front of a poor incinerator with mounds of garbage piling up as he was making this statement. Although the Pruitt-Igoe had the stereotype of a bad, unsafe place, the adversities that the residents dealt with created a strong sense of community. Everyone knew everyone, they were never alone. The implosion was devastating because the project was the solution, and it was very painful moment of trust to see that failure. This documentary portrayed the Pruitt-Igoe housing project well in the aspect of that it was a symbol for failed public housing as well as the proceed failure of well intentioned government policies in general. This shines a light on the responsibility for not for just the urban planners but for the country to learn from those failures and do better.

montalvo_marcial Pruitt-Igoe was among the largest projects of urban revitalization during its time. It was designed to be a cure for the disease of poverty and slums, in which the city and community alike would thrive. The Pruitt-Igoe myth documentary does an outstanding job of painting a vivid picture for one to visualize, the many hardships the residents faced. It concentrated on the issues that lead to the demise, the suffering and segregation but also the positive effects that it had on many people's lives. Initially the residents were extremely excited to move into the community. They described it as a utopia and safe haven as well as a resort. People that lived in the Pruit-Igoe community claim that there was once a sense of community and that at a certain time period "it was full of electric engaging life". However, the green grass and playgrounds didn't last, and soon later the deterioration of the buildings became significantly of concern. Matters were so terrible that people would actually defecate in the elevator and stairs, and burn neighboring apartments. However, professionals claim that this was their unique cry for help. What was the causation of these failures you may ask yourself? Much blame the architect; others blame the welfare state, while others put to blame the people that resided there. The city of St. Louis was expected to grow exponentially during this time frame that the project was being innovated. However, plans didn't go as expected. The city shrunk by 20%, which lead to homes being vacant causing a cascade effect full of negative impacts for the city to endure. Whites moved to the suburbs, and took the jobs with them; this became an even bigger problem because now not only were there vacant homes and apartments but also no jobs to pay for rent. This is one of the main issues to the demise of Pruitt and Igoe. The main idea was that the maintenance would be funded by rent paid by the tenants. It seems like an ingenious plan, where the buildings were basically going to maintain themselves without the input of state or government funding. Nevertheless, no one expected the city to decline greatly and for jobs to move out of reach. This predicament made it nearly impossible for residents to establish a secure form of employment. Thus no employment meant that rent met would not be met, therefore causing a deficit in resources for the maintenance department. After the buildings resort type facade diminished, tenants that had the means to escape left while persons with little to no resources stayed behind. This created segregation within the community, because as suburbs were being built and desirable areas within the city suffered from gentrification, low income individuals were essentially forced to move into Pruitt and Igoe. Another important aspect that the film focuses on is the terrible violence and crime that the community underwent. It became a safe haven for drug dealers and murderers since the buildings were extremely vacant, criminals could easily handle their unlawful activities while remaining under the radar. Pruit-Igoe became representative of black; poverty, crime, and drug abuse. Community activists actively spoke to city officials in an effort to deal with the wrongdoings that the neighborhood was actively facing daily. However, the police blamed the mayor, while the mayor, blamed the state and Washington. It was a cycle of pointing fingers where the people left to suffer without remorse were the residents. Matters became so terrible that police and firemen stopped showing up to the area. Not only is the city to blame but also the tenants, because they would throw fire bombs at the same people that are supposed to protect them. It's extremely counter intuitive from their part. However as before mentioned this was a way of the tenants of demonstrating that they didn't like the conditions in which they were living. An important point made by the film was the many strict laws that the tenants had to abide by in order to have a roof over their head. If the government was going to support them and give them a few extra dollars, they then had to abide by the cruel rules. Residents were not allowed to own a television, or telephone. They felt segregated and isolated; many claim that it felt like a prison environment. Wouldn't you agree? It almost seems to me in my personal opinion as though the government was attempting to keep blacks dependent on the system, virtually modern day slavery where they control their every action and future as well as their children's future-one vicious cycle it all adds to urban issues that we still face to date. However the most absurd rule of all was the fact that men couldn't live in the projects, what's the rationale behind this concept? Splitting of families, kids growing up without father figures, leaving women vulnerable to criminals is what the foolish regulation caused. There was no morality being presented to these helpless individuals, they were treated inhumane and split of their naturalistic rights. With accordance to the film, many people have very good memories of living in Pruitt and Igoe. The nostalgia of dancing in the halls and playground during Christmas brings nothing but tears of joy to their eyes, and the smell of baked goods coming from their neighbors windows brought the simplest of happiness. And although there were many negative phases that were lived many rather looks at the positive memories. It's extremely difficult to figure the source of the demise to this day, as we still face a huge dilemma with public housing. Nevertheless it's safe to say that everyone was at fault; the architect, government, and residents. Not for the source of the problem, since cities change with regards to population and capital, rather for allowing the predicament to reach such a cruel and inhumane way of living.

Chase McCants The Pruitt-Igoe Myth is a documentary that tries to zero in on just why the massive public project went so quickly from being an modern masterpiece to an absolute hell in such a short amount of time. Architects, urban planers, sociologist, and politicians have all weighed in on why the housing project failed, but no one can pin point the exact problem. This documentary aims to step back from the project and look at the city of St. Louis as a whole. Urban Flight and the lack of jobs and support from the city are pointed to instead.The Pruitt-Igoe Myth means well. All too often, the reason for the project's demise is pointed to the poor that lived that. That they couldn't have nice things and keep up with them. The documentary, however, gives those people a voice. Throughout the film, people who lived in the community speak highly of their time there during what seemed to be golden years. Stories of love, union, and community run rampant. But that almost comes to the film's fault. We know whose side the film makers are on. And we only get the human story and not the other things that lead to the end. We aren't told about the skip-stop elevators, the condensing of physical space, or the fight for mixed housing. We hear a majority of human stories.Luckily, the interviewees paint a terrific and chilling picture of their experiences in the community. Even years later, a woman is brought to tears recounting how the people of the projects were viewed. Also a bonus are the massive amounts of pictures and videos looking back to a time we've all forgotten.The Pruitt-Igoe Myth is a great documentary that feels incomplete. Like having pancakes without bacon and eggs, what you get out of the movie is delicious...but you feel like you're missing something.

akeason1 The Pruitt-Igoe housing projects are currently remembered as one of the worst disasters in federal housing history. There has been ample debate among academics as to why, ranging from architectural problems to poor planning to demographic shifts in the city of St. Louis. This new documentary mostly looks at the latter two ideas and does not interview architects but rather former residents of the projects. Their stories vary from uplifting to tragic and detail the many problems with Pruitt-Igoe. Mostly the film suggests that the depopulation of the city following the explosion of suburban society in the 1950s is to blame for the project's failure. With fewer people there was less of a need for the massive buildings and with a smaller tax base it was impossible to maintain the expensive structures. What the film does show is that most of the people who lived there were decent folks hoping to make a new life, and that it was mostly the outside world that undermined the projects. The director uses several excellent shots including the image of the collapsing towers (they were demolished in the 1970s). Overall he does a superb job of telling a very intriguing and moving story while stimulating a debate on the future of federal housing.