If certain evangelical Christian members of the Texas State Board of Education had their druthers, school kids in the Lone Star State would be taught that humans and dinosaurs walked the planet together, as portrayed in The Flintstones. One might laugh, but The Revisionaries (Kino Lorber), an 83-minute documentary by Scott Thurman, examines the power of far-right elements in Texas to inject creationist ideology into science teaching and textbooks for five million schoolchildren. The state school board begins its deliberations with a prayer that concludes, “Praise Jesus’ name,” which sets the tone for what follows. The Revisionaries provides an illuminating overview of the personalities and ideas contending in this skirmish that is part of the larger ongoing culture war. — M.S.
(American Jewish World, 6.7.13)
