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