This is a pretty ordinary docudrama about the events surrounding the Donner Party, perhaps a bit too focused on the weather per se, but as a Weather Channel production, that is to be expected. In terms of the basic facts, the program gives them to us, along with some onsite views of what life was like at that time. There are also lots of old photos.
What is missing are the human struggles, which are hinted at and occasionally referenced when quoting from the first hand accounts written in diaries. But this kind of distancing keeps us from getting involved in the central drama – the decision to eat a dead companion and sometimes family member. There is also a failure to provide adequate follow up as to what happened to those people who survived.
What is missing are the human struggles, which are hinted at and occasionally referenced when quoting from the first hand accounts written in diaries. But this kind of distancing keeps us from getting involved in the central drama – the decision to eat a dead companion and sometimes family member. There is also a failure to provide adequate follow up as to what happened to those people who survived.