This was a great film and quite illuminating. Technically, it was very well made. The editors of the film deserve a lot of praise - being able to pull out so many nuanced details, from real life nonetheless!, and piece them together into an overarching story that coalesced so well is no small feat. For that alone they deserve much praise.The storyline itself is fascinating - an in-depth analysis of Mobile, Alabama's segregated Mardi Gras celebrations. I agree with another reviewer who said that the class aspects deserved more analysis (but perhaps that would have bogged down the message?).I can't help but walk away from this movie (and the Q&A) feeling like the black people of this town are pleading (screaming if they could), to have the white people just TALK to them about the need for better integration. But the whites just keep turning a deaf ear to them. During the Q&A, almost every black person who stood up to talk into the mic (on stage and in the audience), brought up this need to TALK about the issue. And almost every white person who spoke up ignored these requests. The whites in the audience asked about the technical aspects of the film, congratulated the filmmaker - one man clearly tried to start a conversation by asking the filmmaker's intent, but even he fell flat because he wasn't pointed enough. Even the self-described liberal woman of the high-society group didn't acknowledge these requests to talk. Instead she rambled on and on about superficial things that were important to *her* (like how it felt to have a camera stuck in her face). The filmmaker herself also wouldn't talk a firm stand on where she stood. And that's a damn shame, because let's face it - the white people of this town are the ones who have the power. They are the ones who need to step it up. Over and over in the film, we heard the black people saying they WANT to integrate. Any statements opposing this were all hearsay - never once a black person say on camera that they didn't want to.So as it stands, it is up to the white people of this town to respond. And I hope they do.

This film honestly looks at the accepted "segregation" of "America's oldest Mardi Gras celebration." Tradition runs deep in the 307-year-old port city of Mobile, and the residents like it that way.As a native Mobilian who happens to be black, no one could tell me anything different about the differences between the pageantry of the King Felix III's (the white king) court and King Elexis I's (the black king). It's an unspoken truth. However, someone not familiar with Mobile culture, may find this appalling and racist.There were parts of the film that seemed to only speak to the natives of Mobile. For example, "old society" Mobile prides itself in thinking it is more progressive than other southern cities. There are several incidents in the film that indicate this same "myth," such as the white queen declaring her liberal political stance, or the wide acceptance of Mobile's first black mayor, Sam Jones. The filmmaker even seems to carry this myth herself, since she, as a white society member, is sympathetic towards the black society. Her moves, however, are still seen as progressive. In Mobile, racism is something polite society does not discuss, white or black.The film displays so much emphasis on race, that it only occasionally touches on Mobile's true social problem, classism. Several of the white krewe members mention how "closed" the societies are to non-bluebloods, regardless of color. In both societies, you have to be the right kind of black or white person. Although the whites hold on to this idea more than the blacks, krewes are slow to open up to the idea of anyone joining, versus crossing color lines.As a coda, the film opens up to the idea that society in Mobile is slowly, but progressively changing for the better. Both sets of royalty get along fine, based on the love of Mardi Gras and tradition. And in the end, everyone has bons temps.

From a daughter of this most interesting city, a love letter as only someone who knows the place could give it to us. An interesting lesson in the evolution of cultural mores and standards over time. Lots of Mardi Gras fun! The inside view of a most interesting event. History, alcohol, well-dressed ladies and gentlemen, incidents of the past remembered and others happening in front of you. Well worth the time of anyone who wishes to understand people better. The picture follows a season of celebration in a community steeped in tradition. Interwoven (mostly quite smoothly) is some context of these traditions told of as they would be to a youngster or trusted stranger, and implied by countless actions observed on the screen. Toward the end it becomes clear that things do change, however slowly. Segregation, for instance, even as ritual, will come to an end. If there is a lesson implied it may be to preserve what you love while remembering everything you can.

This is currently a better synopsis of the film: "This film does a credible job of showing how Mardi Gras has progressed, or not progressed, in Mobile, Alabama which is the city where the first US celebrations started in 1703. Much is made of the segregated societies, both black and white, still wanting to keep their groups separate and it gives the wrong idea to a lot of people who have seen it. The Globe and Mail in Canada says: "A study of community ritual, pomp and camaraderie, 'The Order of Myths' also gradually unveils the startling connections between the two communities, where the great-grandchildren of slaves and the great-grandchildren of slave owners still live highly segregated lives." This is patently untrue of the city and it's citizens. True, Mardi Gras groups, all but a couple of them, are segregated by race but it is what each society wants for themselves. Freedom of Assembly is a basic tenet of our Constitution and both races, as private organizations, are free to admit whomever they please. Mobile has had a very diverse city and county government for decades and currently has a black mayor, Sam Jones, elected by a wide margin in the last balloting. He is well liked by most everyone in the city as far as I know and will be a shoo-in next time. The movie presents all the parades and balls as just silly merrymaking but with it's emphasis on racial segregation gives the impression of Mobile having separate water fountain, back of the bus, Old Time Southern Democrat forced segregation." - iPhone1954