Interesting
Film
This is a True Story (links to entire movie). A Japanese woman flies to Bismarck, ostensibly to find the money buried in the movie, Fargo. She dies in the snow. This 10-minute documentary tells the story.
When the Landscape is Quiet Again (links to trailer only). A documentary on 1970s governor Art Link. An environmentalist and fiddle player.
Minot North Dakota. A dreary 20-minute drive through Minot. People (mostly teenagers) narrate with their thoughts on living in a town defined by the presence of the army and nuclear missile silos. Personally, I liked it. But I don’t think anybody else did. Airs sometimes on the Sundance Channel.
Jesus Camp (trailer only): A documentary about religious fervor, based on a minister in Mandan (just across the river from Bismarck).
Northern Lights (link only): Near mythic film shot in 1978 about early 20th century socialist movement in North Dakota. The VHS version of this film is available at the State Library.
Prairie Trilogy: Rebel Earth, Prairie Fire, and Survivor. Three documentaries made in 1978 in which filmmakers follow 95-year-old Henry Martinson around North Dakota as he talks about his early days organizing for Socialist group, The Nonpartisan League. Made by the same filmmaker who made Northern Lights. The VHS version of this film is available at the State Library.
Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A love story extra (link goes to YouTube excerpt): A look at the Bank of North Dakota and its Socialist roots.
Roll Out Cowboy (links to documentary trailer): A North Dakota son comes home to find out how locals would react if they saw his real, uncensored cowboy/rap act. (Think Hank III playing his heavy metal show at the Opry)
Blogs
Here are some of the more thoughtful blogs I’m finding:
North Decoder: State-wide political blog.
Bismarck-Mandan blog: Conservative, yes. But great photos and a great eye for Bismarck about town details
Rhubarb and Venison: A North Dakota food blog
Hawthorne and rosehip : Especially the bits about permaculture
Barry’s Bikes. A commercial web page, but he earns a spot here for not making his blog all rah-rah.
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