Feature length documentary to premiere on 50th Anniversary

by Angie Asam– Staff Writer

On November 18, 1958 a brutal Lake Michigan storm took down the Carl D. Bradley, taking the lives of 33 crewmen. Twenty-three of those who lost their lives that tragic day called Rogers City home. Literally overnight 23 women became widows and 52 children were left fatherless. Nearly every resident in this small community was affected in some day by what happened in just that one day. Presque Isle District Library in partnership with A. Marlowe productions set out to tell the story of what happened to the small northern Michigan town overnight as well as how they coped with the tragedy in telling the story in feature length high-definition documentary entitled ?November Requiem?.

The documentary communicates the authentic personal history of the tragic account as the ships only living survivor, Frank Mays, experienced it. Personal stories from family members, friends, fellow sailors and other community members will also be told, giving a glimpse into how the tragedy affected the people within this one community emotionally and economically. All of that said it is important to note that the documentary isn?t about a shipwreck, rather it is about the Rogers City community surviving a great loss and forever remembering what happened that fateful November day. In 2005 after working with the dive team, that visited the Bradley in Lake Michigan, on their video Anne Belanger of the Presque Isle District Library began talking with people about the 50th anniversary of the sinking and the seed was planted in her head to start working on a documentary.

?There was a large federal grant we hoped to take advantage of as a partnership for the documentary which would have allowed us to do the documentary and create traveling exhibits. We were not awarded the grant but the community and other agencies pulled together to make the documentary possible,? said Anne Belanger. Since 2005 Anne Belanger and Brian Belanger of Royal Oak have been interviewing witnesses from the time, maritime historians, wreck divers and psychologists who offer insight on how the grief of the tragedy played out in the community. Production of the documentary began in August of 2007 and ended in July of 2008 and it is currently going through narration, editing and duplication. Anne Belanger figures she has spent thousands of hours working on the documentary, and isn?t finished yet, as she works on editing and final preparations for the world premiere on November 18, 2008 at 8 p.m. at the Rogers City Theatre, immediately following the 50th anniversary bell ringing ceremony. ?It?s always on my mind, even when I am not working on it I am thinking about it and constantly making notes,? she said.

The documentary also features rare underwater footage that was shot in high-definition of the Bradley at a depth of 380 feet. Following the premiere in Rogers City, the community most affected by the tragedy, the documentary will air on WCMU publi

c broadcasting, PBS stations and eventually will be made into a DVD for release. The overall cost of the documentary is more than $150,000, some of which still needs to be funded. Grants continue to be sought after. One of the things that drove the cost up was shooting in high definition, a step that will make the picture cleaner as well as long lasting in our ever changing technological world. ?One of the main reasons for doing the documentary was that those who remember are getting older and we don?t want to see the story of what happened in this community following the tragedy to be lost,? said Anne Belanger.

The documentary will air at the Rogers City Theatre November 18-22, tickets will be on sale prior to those dates and at the door if space is available.