Book excerpt: This book details the production of Robert Flaherty's most beautiful and most ambitious film, Louisiana Story. At its core are the production diaries of Helen van Dongen, associate producer and editor for the project and a pioneer among women filmmakers. Her informative notes, which have never before been published, illuminate the problems and challenges of shooting and cutting the film on location in the bayou country of Louisiana. The essays describe the creative partnership that van Dongen developed with Flaherty. They also provide insight into New York's documentary film scene during the 1930s and '40s. The illustrations include film stills, working documents, and archival photographs; there are also biographies and filmographies.