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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2016)
November 23, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 FILM REVIEW: ‘The Wake of Vanport 2’ Chronicles More Flood Survivors’ Life Stories By Kam Williams For The Skanner News A t 4:05 p.m. on May 30, 1948, a dike failed in the city of Vanport, Oregon situated on lowlands be- tween the Portland and the Columbia River. The ensuing flood swamped the federal housing proj- ect, claiming 15 lives and leaving 40,000 citizens homeless. Last spring, The Skan- ner Foundation released “The Wake of Vanport,” a very informative doc- umentary about the in- cident composed of the riveting recollections of survivors of the Memo- rial Day disaster. Now we have “The Wake of Vanport 2,” the second installment in the on- going historical project designed to preserve exactly what transpired that fateful afternoon from a variety of differ- ent perspectives. Among the welcome additions to the mix is Betty Deulen, who was 11 at the time of the tid- al wave. She recounts how she rushed home to save her parents and young sisters as soon as the dam failed. Her fam- ily didn’t have a car, so they ended up escaping aboard a bus. Curnel Waldren, who moved to town at the age of 6 or 7, waxes romantic about the freedom he enjoyed while growing Survivors gather on high ground to watch the destruction of Vanport. May 30, 1948. Photo by Allen deLay (1915-2005) ©Thomas Robinson up in Vanport. How- ever, he did dislike the fact that they had no air conditioning so he had to suffer on those hot, hazy, humid summer “ of “organized confu- sion” about how to stem the overflowing wa- ter. He was asked to fill sandbags but was also warned to be careful to sticks in his mind is how numerous residents ig- nored “the wail of the sirens” as well as how the residences would float away after being John Beverage talks about how much he ap- preciated moving to Vanport in 1943 since un- til then he’d been raised on his grandfather’s farm without electricity or running water days. In terms of the flood, Curnel remembers that the hastily-constructed housing units had been built on poor founda- tions. Consequently, most folks “lost just about everything they had” in the deluge. Nev- ertheless, he says the tragedy brought out the best in some people. Melvin Osbeck was a teenager who drove with friends from south- east Portland to assist during the calamity. He recollects finding a sort avoid sinkholes which could very easily sweep him away to his death. In his video memoir, John Beverage (Brother of Betty Deulen) talks about how much he ap- preciated moving to Vanport in 1943 since until then he’d been raised on his grand- father’s farm without electricity or running water. He soon became a paperboy, saving up to buy himself a bike by selling copies of the Oregon Journal. As far as May 30 of ‘48, what engulfed in by four feet of water. The final chapter of this episode revolves around Dorothy and Hurtis Hadley, a couple See VANPORT on page 8 Arts & Entertainment Beasts cont’d from pg 6 Newt, however, must get it right back under wraps ASAP, before it arouses the suspicion of Mary Lou Barebone (Sa- mantha Morton). She’s the leader of the New Salem Philanthropic So- ciety, a group of no-majs, aka muggles (meaning ordinary human beings), dedicated to the exter- mination of wizards and witches. Newt whips out his wand to recapture the naughty niffler in front of Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), an affable Every- man applying for a loan with hopes of opening his own bakery. Trouble is, since the unassuming fellow has just observed the use of magic, wiz- ardry protocol calls for his memory to be wiped clean on the spot. But Jacob not only flees before being “obliviat- ed,” he inadvertently takes Newt’s bag of tricks with him to boot. Next, Tina Goldstein (Kather- ine Waterston), a comely witch with the Magical Congress of the United States of America, comes to Newt’s rescue. Thus unfolds “Fantas- tic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a visually captivating adaptation of the J.K. Rowling best seller of the same name. Although the book was alluded to in “Harry Pot- ter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” one need not be familiar with the Potter series at all to appreciate this delightful debut of a fantasy franchise de- signed for five episodes. Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne (for The The- ory of Everything) deliv- ers afresh conveying an endearing vulnerability as the picture’s bashful protagonist. And he is ably assisted in this en- deavor by a stellar sup- porting cast composed of both A-list actors and an array of computer-gen- erated creatures. Redmayne’s enviable acting range makes Newt Scamander a far more engaging and emotion- ally accessible character than Harry Potter ever was. Heavens to Hog- warts! Excellent HHHH Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence Running time: 132 min. Distributor: Warner Brothers
