West Virginia Whites

Kindra Mason

ENGL 336:001

The annual Appalachian Festival started with a viewing of “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” at the Palace Theater on Main Street. The film, directed by Julien Nitzberg, is centered on the infamous White family known for murder, robbery, drugs, embezzlement, forgery, and other indiscretions in Boone County, West Virginia. The patriarch of the family, Jesco White is known for his ability to tap dance. He took after his father, D. Ray, in his talents. This 2009 documentary follows the White family for a year in an effort to shed light on the lives of these people. At least, that is what is seems like on the surface.

While visiting the graves of his deceased relatives and smoking a cigarette, Jesco says, “It seems like our lives have just been a party and we’re just living like it’s a story.” The film does everything it can to see this through. One family member by the name of Kirk has her newborn baby taken away from her. To get her back she goes to an in-treatment rehab facility to try to kick her drug addiction. The night before she does all the drugs she can find and drinks all the alcohol she can stomach showing that she didn’t care if she was clean and sober, she only wanted to go to rehab to get her daughter back. The film makes light of the very serious issues it portrays.

Emmy Award winning director Jacob Young graced Frostburg with his presence to discuss the film further after the viewing. Young was not part of making this film, but made a film about Jesco White called “Dancing Outlaw” in 1991. Because of his close affiliation with the White family, he gave the audience some insight to some of the realities of the film, starting with, “ I have really mixed feelings about it.”

When asked if there was any part of the film he actually liked, Young admitted to liking the first 20 minutes because of the use of graphics on a giant family tree. He said, “I’m surprised it didn’t become more light and enjoyable. It sinks into a level that becomes so depressing. I don’t want to do that to my audience.” Young thought the film should have talked more about D. Ray because the “characterization (of D. Ray White) is so paper thin.” D. Ray was “10 times the dancer as Jesco” and Jesco never came close to the talent of his father.

The film attempts to bring people humor to a very tragic situation. Parts of it are hilarious, but it’s hard not to feel bad for laughing because the film exploits the White family. Young says the film “excludes a lot of their reality” and the filmmakers had no real sympathy.