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DVD: 'Carnivale' The Complete First Season
by das Monkey, DVD Talk (December 1, 2004)


"And together -- brothers and sisters -- together we shall build a shining temple, a kingdom that will last for thousands and thousands of years." - Brother Justin


INTRODUCTION

"Before the beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called Man. And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness; and great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty. And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason ..."

Set against the backdrop of 1930's America, an era marked by the Great Depression and agricultural ruin on a Biblical scale, Carnivàle follows the story of two men whose lives are greatly affected by the drought and sandstorms sweeping across the nation. Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) is a soft-spoken fugitive living on a desolate Oklahoma farm ravaged by the Dust Bowl and its extreme weather conditions. After tending to his mother's final days battling the "dust pneumonia", he is picked up by a traveling carnival where he earns his keep as a "roustie" (manual laborer). Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) is a small town Methodist preacher in Mintern, California. Raised in the church, he is a devoted servant to both God and his community and is trying to raise money and support to bring a place of worship to the countless poor Okies filtering in from the Great Plains. These two men are linked, both by mysterious dreams and unexplainable abilities, and as their story progresses it becomes clear they are destined for much greater things.


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