The Order of Myths is a 2008 documentary film directed by Margaret Brown.It focuses on the Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Alabama, the oldest in the United States.It reveals the separate mystic societies established and maintained by Black and White groups, and acknowledges the complex racial history of a city with a slaveholding past. The Order of Myths: Directed by Margaret Brown. In 2007 Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras is celebrated and complicated. Following a cast of characters, parades, and parties across an enduring color line, we see that beneath the surface of pageantry lies something else altogether. About the Documentary. The first Mardi Gras in America was held in Mobile, Alabama in 1703. Three hundred and five years later, the city’s annual Carnival is split down the middle, with separate The documentary presents an unflinching examination of the racial divide in Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations, which have remained largely unchanged for centuries. The film showcases the mystique and grandeur of the two separate Mardi Gras celebrations, highlighting the elaborate floats, costumes, and traditions embraced by both communities. Dora Finley is a local activist and historian in the Mobile community and a self-described “Mardi Gras enthusiast.” She tells the story of the slave ship Clothilde and reads a letter she wrote to the editor of the Mobile Press Register, which declares that Mardi Gras is “the last stronghold of segregation.” About the Filmmaker This unsettling 2008 doc explores one of the last bastions of American segregation: Mobile, Alabama, where whites and blacks still throw separate Mardi Gras celebrations. In fact, he wasn't even in Mobile. New Orleans journalistic records show Cain was a guest in the Crescent City watching Mardi Gras parades in 1866 and 1867. In 1868, Cain and the Order of Myths both began parading in Mobile as a regular occurrence. Mobile's more popular New Year's parades slowly waned until evaporating in the late 1880s. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a fascinating documentary on the almost completely segregated Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Alabama This award-winning documentary from "Descendant" director Margaret Brown explores the racially divided Mardi Gras traditions in Mobile, Alabama. Watch trailers & learn more. “The Order of Myths” is a wise and soberly affecting documentary about the separate but unequal Mardi Gras festivities that take place each year in Mobile, Ala. This unsettling 2008 doc explores one of the last bastions of American segregation: Mobile, Alabama, where whites and blacks still throw separate Mardi Gras celebrations. The New Orleans Mardi Gras is famous for wildly good times and wildly questionable behaviour. This documentary aired on TLC (The Learning Channel) in 1998 an Reactions to Mobilian Margaret Brown's film about Mardi Gras in Mobile, "The Order of Myths," are being heard beyond the well-known Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where the documentary Mardi Gras This is for all things Mardi Gras related along the Gulf Coast. Local Businesses If you live in the Mobile, Alabama region and you’re looking for a certain type of business, this is the category for you. Mardi Gras is one of the most loved traditions in South Louisiana. Learn more about one of Cajun Country's most celebrated festivals with Vice's upcoming documentary 'Vice’s Guide to Mardi Gras Originally envisioned as a broader exploration of Mardi Gras across Mobile, New Orleans, and Southeast Louisiana, the documentary ultimately narrowed its focus to Cajun Mardi Gras, where the grassroots nature of the celebration was impossible to resist. View and download the 2025 Mobile Mardi Gras parade schedule, complete with dates, times and routes for all Mobile & Baldwin County parades. A feature-length documentary film about Mardi Gras in Mobile that premiered early this year at the famed Sundance Film Festival will be distributed in theaters and on DVD by New York-based The The Order of Myths is a captivating documentary film that delves into the rich historical traditions of Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama. Directed by Margaret Brown, this 2008 film explores the deeply ingrained racial segregation that persists in the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations. “The Order of Myths” is a wise and soberly affecting documentary about the separate but unequal Mardi Gras festivities that take place each year in Mobile, Ala.
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