The History Channel Presents The Presidents
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DVD Cover Information
Brand: A&EDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 360 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
Movie Reviews of The History Channel Presents The Presidents
Movie Review: Pretty evenhanded until the modern era--then the Leftist bias begins
Summary: 4 Stars
This presentation of The Presidents is pretty good until about the post-Eisenhower era. After that the modern day bias of the press kicks in. This is unfortunate, because most of this series is terrific, and gives a pretty evenhanded summary of the presidencies of most of the presidents. By doing so this series gives the viewer a wonderful look at American history and the place each of the presidents occupies within it.
Lyndon Johnson gets a very sympathetic hearing from this series despite the fact that he is responsible for the Vietnam disaster. The bias really begins with Richard Nixon, who is virtually caricatured. The press hated Nixon's guts, and this comes through very clearly in the treatment that "The Presidents" dishes out to him. (I am no big Nixon fan, but this series wrongly states that he escalated the Vietnam War when in reality he promptly began drawing down US troop levels in Vietnam, notwithstanding his attacks on Communist sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia.) Jimmie Carter's failed presidency mostly gets a pass for its disastrous failures on both the domestic and international fronts. The series makes no mention of the crazed levels of inflation and interest rates that occurred on Carter's watch. His feckless foreign policy is portrayed through rose colored glasses--Carter himself informs the viewer that Carter learned how "to work well with others." Watching this series, one would conclude that Carter was a successful president, rather than the one-term failure that he actually was. (To this series' credit, it does a fair job analyzing Gerald Ford's presidency.) Ronald Reagan is introduced as "a former movie actor" rather than as, for example, the former two-term governor of California. Nothing is said of the speed that Reagan's countermanding of Carter's policies had in reviving the American economy and position abroad. Instead, Reagan is portrayed as not very bright, and "out of the loop." His economic and tax cutting policies "simply caused deficits." Bias can go little further. Put simply, this series' portrayal of Ronald Reagan's presidency is unacceptably biased, and a good example of why the American people no longer place any trust in journalists or the press. George HW Bush is portrayed as having been "wise" to break his promise on making tax cuts, and the series (without rebuttal by anyone) intones that the Bush and Clinton tax increases ("which were probably a good idea...") helped fuel the boom of the 90s! I suppose it was too much to hope that modern-day journalists could avoid the big government, pro-high tax bias that so permeates the modern-day press. An objective look at our recent presidents will no doubt have to wait until America has a more unbiased press interested in reporting the news, rather than pushing a single leftward political bias.
But enjoy! Excepting the last four or so presidents, this is a fine series, well worth the viewer's attention.
Summary of The History Channel Presents The Presidents
THE PRESIDENTS is an unprecedented eight-part survey of the personal lives and legacies of the remarkable men who have presided over the Oval Office. From George Washington to George W. Bush, THE PRESIDENTS gathers together vivid snapshots of all 43 Commanders in Chief who have guided America throughout its history--their powerful personalities, weaknesses, and major achievements or historical insignificance. Based on the book To the Best of My Ability, edited by Pulitzer Prize-winner James McPherson, THE PRESIDENTS features rare and unseen photographs and footage, unexpected insight and trivia from journalists, scholars, and politicians such as Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Wesley Clark, Bob Dole, and former President Jimmy Carter. Viewed within the changing contexts of each administration, the Presidency has never seemed more compelling and human. Narrated by Edward Herrmann (The Aviator), this three-DVD set is a proud addition to the award-winning documentary tradition of THE HISTORY CHANNEL?. DVD Features: Feature-length Bonus Program "All The Presidents' Wives"; Timeline of U.S. Presidents; Interactive Menus; Scene SelectionDocumentary DVD Video
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