Primary
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Movie Reviews of Primary
Movie Review: A Robert Drew classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a classic from the famed Robert Drew and shows JFK and Hubert Humphrey, 'unplugged'. I very much like the behind-the-scenes footage and off-the-cuff remarks. Well done.
Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA
BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)
Movie Review: what a shock
Summary: 5 Stars
Well if Im the first reviewer for this after all the years amazon have had it on,
I dont think a blu-ray is very likely. Which is too bad because the importance of
this film in the history of documentary cannot be overstated. It is sad that the
only available copy is this murky transfer. Even sadder to see that Robert Drew has
his name on it, he should have been ashamed to let this go out in this condition.
Movie Review: ETERNAL YOUTH IMMORTALIZED
Summary: 3 Stars
Robert Drew's groundbreaking PRIMARY (New Video Group) is a fascinating, up-close cinema verité chronicle of Kennedy's 1960 Wisconsin presidential primary run against Hubert Humphrey. See a youthful JFK capured forever. fascinating with its wit, scheming and charisma. A haunting look back at what was.Movie Review: Robert Drew is High on Himself.
Summary: 2 Stars
I would've given this documentary four stars, except I didn't like it. It was great seeing the footage of Kennedy. And showing Humphrey seeking out people to shake their hands as opposed to Kennedy who was mobbed with young autograph seekers, was a fabulous vignette that encapsulates the fascination with and popularity of Kennedy. But for a 53 minute documentary, it still played too long. So that brings us down to three stars. Still forgivable. But what is not forgivable is a documentarian that tries to outshine his/her subject. Robert Drew does just that. And it's not in the actual footage of the film. It's in the production of this DVD. Throughout the film there is a rather conspicuous "RD" in the bottom right corner of the screen. It obviously stands for Robert Drew, the filmmaker, and it was never in the original film. It's so utterly obtrusive and egotistical, and an unprofessional move for someone who purports to portray the objective truth. It looks ridiculous, and I have never seen anything like it on DVD or VHS. It is only seen on tv where every station feels it necessary to put their self-conscious logo in the corner as if we might not know what the heck we're watching. But I've never heard of a filmmaker so in love with himself that he felt it necessary to intrude on the image in such a pathetically insecure way. Quite the contrary, most self-respecting filmmakers would never allow such an egregious self-promotion at the expense of the integrity of the film and image. I mean could you imagine Martin Scorsese putting an "MS" in the corner of the screen on his DVD release of Taxi Driver. Aside from the fact that people might think the film is benefitting multiple sclerosis research, it would be a ridiculous way to "sign" the film. Some people might say, who cares, you hardly notice it (but it truly is conspicuous), but look at it this way. Robert Drew's making a DVD. They say, "Robby, what do you think of the DVD so far?" He says, "It's great, but do you think it'd be possible to put my giant initials in the corner through the whole thing?" They say, "Sure, but isn't that kind of tacky. I mean most people just want to see the film you made and the footage of John F. Kennedy, not your lame initials." And he says, "True, but nobody knows who I am. The initials are in. And I want to pimp my company in the special features section, too. And I also want a giant bio on me and I want a big section on my 'statement,' whatever that means." And of course they did all that too. Interesting shots of Kennedy, and an interesting study of an American filmmaker who can't get enough of himself.Movie Review: Very bad documentary
Summary: 1 Stars
I heard about 'Primary' on NPR. I rented it with the impression that it would be a very candid documentary about the 1960 Democratic primary. The candidness, I was told, was on account of it the being the first time video cameras followed candidates on the campaign trail. The show talked about the movie being a glimpse into a time where candidates were not self-censored as much and were more themselves on the campaign trail.
But, the hosts' talk of seeing Humphrey's "common touch" or him "railing against the eastern media," and their talk of Kennedy and his "youth appeal" are just hype and over-selling. It looked no different than a modern campaign (same pandering, etc.) except that the candidates were different and the people at the rallies wore different styles of clothing. Of everything that I disliked about the movie, it was that NPR hyped it up to be something it wasn't.
I'm not a student of documentary filmmaking, so I can't say whether this was a truly groundbreaking movie. But as for its entertainment value, I can say that I do watch documentaries, and this was one of the worst I've ever seen. There was no overarching narrative that tied everything together and gave the movie any kind of momentum; so you felt like you were just sitting there for an hour, not going anywhere. The images were shown entirely out of context, with little narration.
If you want to see film of Kennedy or Humphrey, or of people in little Wisconsin towns from 1960, this movie may be for you. But if you're looking to spend an hour of your life watching an interesting documentary about campaigns before the advent of youtube and the 24-hour news cycle, then I suggest you look elsewhere.
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