The Presidents Collection
By: Kelly Baron |
Wednesday August 20, 2008 |
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Preview of the upcoming PBS Presidential biography series |
| You know in high school when your history teacher announces that the class will be watching a movie that day, how everyone mentally jumps for joy at the knowledge of not having to do anything, and then you realize that by “movie” your teacher actually means a historical documentary or biography of some sort, and your enthusiasm slightly declines. But then, as the “movie” continues, you actually get pretty into it? Well, teachers and students: Rejoice! A brand new, absolutely stacked collection of presidential biographies put together by the masters of surprisingly engrossing historical lessons—PBS—is being released this Tuesday, August 26th. PBS’s The Presidents Collection is part of their American Experience program, which has been consistently acclaimed by critics, historians and teachers alike for several years. The legitimacy and captivating qualities of The Presidents was cemented when, in 1997, it was honored with the George Foster Peabody Award (an international award for excellence in broadcast journalism. I’m sure we’re all aware of its most recent and public recipient, Stephen Colbert). Since the first film (Nixon) of the series’ release in 1990, The Presidents has consistently released more biographies of our nation’s most controversial leaders. Namely: Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Reagan, Lincoln, Wilson, Grant, Carter, Adams and Bush (H.W. Not his boy. Not yet, at least). This particular collection narrows the focus on the presidents that are considered to be the most influential and controversial, who have shaped our country’s government the most during their time in office. This final cut consists of the following big-timers: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. The attraction of this collection is that it has the ability to transform our knowledge of each president from plain facts and dates to intimate knowledge. Just visiting the collection’s PBS website reminded me that these presidents are people. These are real men with real histories, real families, and complex minds, just like the rest of us. The collection promises to beautifully portray each president’s legacy while integrating their real human qualities into the mix. FDR is the heart. Truman is the overwhelmed underdog. LBJ is the big dreamer who couldn’t quite think things through. Nixon is the legend. Carter is honesty. Reagan is infamous mystery. And Bush is the over-confident powerhouse. Having The Presidents in your collection (and in your brain!) is an undeniably good investment. Not only will the 2220 minutes of footage spread over the course of 14 discs remind you what it’s like to enjoy learning again, but you’ll be so equipped with presidential facts (presented to you in widescreen, with PBS’s signature fantastic documentary skills) that you’ll be able to correct your politically snooty friends for years to come. Check out the website to become as inspired as I have. |
