The Town That Was
The Town That Was

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- 69/100 based on 282 votes

In 1962, a trash fire ignited a seam of anthracite coal beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, a once thriving mining town of over 1600 people. By the mid 1980's, giant plumes of smoke and deadly carbon monoxide gases billowed from fissures in the ground, the local highway cracked and collapsed, trees were bleached white and petrified, as the fire continued to rage unchecked. It wasn't until a young boy nearly died after falling into a smoldering mine subsidence that the government... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in The Town That Was:

John Murtha

Full Plot Details

In 1962, a trash fire ignited a seam of anthracite coal beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, a once thriving mining town of over 1600 people. By the mid 1980's, giant plumes of smoke and deadly carbon monoxide gases billowed from fissures in the ground, the local highway cracked and collapsed, trees were bleached white and petrified, as the fire continued to rage unchecked. It wasn't until a young boy nearly died after falling into a smoldering mine subsidence that the government was pressed into action. After estimating the cost of extinguishing the fire at over a half a billion dollars, the government opted to raze the town and relocate its residents. Today, 11 die-hards remain. Filmed over a period of five years with interviews ranging from former residents to Congressmen, The Town That Was is an intimate portrait of John Lokitis, the youngest remaining Centralian, and his quixotic fight to keep alive a hometown that has literally disintegrated under his feet. His unbowed determination and steadfast refusal to acknowledge defeat reveal a man, a town, a region, and a way of life abandoned and forgotten.

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User Review - 8/10 by Alfredo GA look at the only remaining people of Centralia, Pennsylvania, a town that has been ravaged by an underground coal fire for over forty years. It offers a compelling look at the town's history and the last remaining inhabitants. A moving and instructional event well worth anyone's time.
User Review - 6/10 by TonyPolitoOnly sixty minutes and only mildly interesting. One would think the story of a town, now abandoned, sitting atop a coal mine fire that's been burning uninterrupted since 1962 would make for interesting documentary. And it IS interesting for 25 minutes, telling the basic events timeline. Yes, it's odd, compelling viewing, a mesh of asphalt streets criss-crossing over greenspace where nearly a thousand buildings once stood, now plowed under. And hearing former residents say they wish to return to Centralia someday--for their burial--is touching indeed. After that, however, the filmmakers are unsuccessful in their search for more story worth telling. Much of the balance of the film focuses on one of the few remaining residents (Lokitis) who's, technically, squatting on his home, now owned by the government. Far too much viewer time is devoted to watching him mow an entire street of empty lots, unlocking the cemetery gate each morning for visitors that never come, hanging Christmas lights on utility poles on Main Street for no one to see. Lokitis' quirky stubbornness isn't informative viewing. Viewers will expect far more compelling muck-racking content (than there is) about what went wrong in Centralia. Instead of looking for it, the filmmakers assumed observing Lokitis would drive you to weep for the loss of Centralia. By comparison, the demise of Flint, Michigan, told in "Roger & Me," is far more shocking and evocative of sympathy. Centralia, unlike Flint, died an orderly death, its residents relocated and well-reimbursed for their trouble. Entirely worthless extras include a 3 minute bit where the viewer is shown the cracked foundation of a home sitting atop a coal mine - in another town. RECOMMENDATION: OK for an hour of PBS on-air viewing, but not for your home theater queue.
User Review - 6/10 by SV GStrangely engrossing documentary about the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, where underground coal fires have been burning for 40 years. The town is deserted save for 11 people who refuse to desert their homes, which have actually become government property after the rest of the citizens have been evacuated, leaving the remaining few as squatters in their own homes. I was interested in the main voice of the film, a guy my own age (34) who refuses to leave, spending his off hours fixing up the few remaining landmarks and hoping that the town will one day somehow be saved. An odd watch, but somehow very engaging, give it a look.
User Review - 6/10 by Darrell HThe material here would've made a really decent 30-40 minute documentary short. However, after watching the film's quixotic protagonist John Lokitis intricately discuss the circuits used to refurbish Centralia, PA's Christmas lights for about five minutes, I couldn't help but feel that (even at 71 minutes) there was still plenty of filler here that could've stood to be whittled away.

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