Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale

There is a lot packed into this full-length documentary--enough to be enjoyed by all ages! Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale is an absolutely wonderful movie that takes the viewer on a nostalgic ride back decades when two huge steamboats ferried people of all ages to Boblo Island amusement park. The filmmaker easily captures this summer fun by incorporating series of home movie clips from passengers as well as reminisces of devote local Boblo fans. Not just fun, though, there is real drama and suspense in this movie as you are introduced to the quirky group of people dedicated to reconstructing the Boblo Boats, despite formidable obstacles.

The photography is state of the art and at times breathtaking! And Martha Reeves's narration of the movie was spot on with her melodic and engaging voice. We learn an important history lesson with this movie, too-that there was "another Rosa Parks," a young woman named Sarah Elizabeth Ray, whose Supreme Court ruling set the stage for momentous civil rights legislation. It is no wonder that this documentary has won at least three awards in film festivals!