The Plow That Broke the Plains

film by Lorentz [1936]

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July 23, 2026

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"The Plow That Broke the Plains" is a 1936 documentary film by Pare Lorentz that examined the causes of the Dust Bowl. The film aimed to promote sustainable resource use. It depicted how poor farming practices, such as deep plowing and the removal of native grasses, combined with drought, led to widespread soil erosion and ecological damage. The film's score, composed by Virgil Thomson, incorporated folk music to reflect the spirit of the High Plains, contrasting peaceful landscapes with the devastation of drought and displacement.12

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Pare Lorentz
…and the following year Lorentz’ The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) was released. A classic among documentary films, it recounts, with a harmonious blend of poetic images, narrative, and music, the agricultural misuse of the Great Plains that resulted in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Lorentz then wrote…
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…and the following year Lorentz’ The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) was released. A classic among documentary films, it recounts, with a harmonious blend of poetic images, narrative, and music, the agricultural misuse of the Great Plains that resulted in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Lorentz then wrote…
Read More

documentary film
…films directed by Pare Lorentz: The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936), set in America’s dust bowl, and The River (1937), a discussion of flood control.
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…films directed by Pare Lorentz: The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936), set in America’s dust bowl, and The River (1937), a discussion of flood control.
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The Plow That Broke the Plains
… for the 1936 Pare Lorentz documentary film of the same name, a project of the United States Resettlement Administration (later called the Farm Security Administration, or FSA). The film, which examined the causes behind the Dust Bowl, was intended to encourage a sustainable use of natural resources. Thomson’s music draws…
Read More
… for the 1936 Pare Lorentz documentary film of the same name, a project of the United States Resettlement Administration (later called the Farm Security Administration, or FSA). The film, which examined the causes behind the Dust Bowl, was intended to encourage a sustainable use of natural resources. Thomson’s music draws…
Read More