Documentary Review: 'The Roosevelts: An Intimate History - A Film by Ken Burns'

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.- Franklin D. Roosevelt, first Inaugural address, March 4, 1933

On September 14, 2014, producer-director Ken Burns' The Roosevelts: An Intimate History premiered on PBS. Written by Burns' frequent collaborator Geoffrey C. Ward (Baseball, The Civil War, The War, and Jazz), this documentary series chronicles the highs and lows of what is perhaps the most influential family in American political history. 

This seven-part, fourteen hour film follows the Roosevelts for more than a century, from Theodore's birth in 1858 to Eleanor's death in 1962. Over the course of those years, Theodore would become the 26th President of the United States and his beloved niece, Eleanor, would marry his fifth cousin, Franklin, who became the 32nd President of the United States. Together, these three individuals not only redefined the relationship Americans had with their government and with each other, but also redefined the role of the United States within the wider world. - The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

Narrated by Peter Coyote (who earned an Emmy for his work in Episode One: Get Action) and featuring the voices of Paul Giamatti (Theodore Roosevelt), Meryl Streep (Eleanor Roosevelt), and Edward Herrmann (Franklin D. Roosevelt), The Roosevelts is a fascinating glimpse at two of America's truly great Presidents - TR and FDR, and Anna Eleanor, niece of the former and the wife of the latter. It covers a 104-year period of American history, starting on the eve of the Civil War and ending during the twilight year of the Kennedy Administration. 

Though Theodore and Franklin represented two different political parties - TR was a progressive Republican, while FDR was a reform-minded Democrat - they shared a belief that government had a positive role to play in the lives of America's citizens.  Both were patrician scions of two different branches of a Dutch-American family from New York who nevertheless wanted to help the common man be free from poverty, lack of housing or food, and poor working conditions. The two men followed similar career tracks that took them from New York's state assembly in Albany to the Navy Department in Washington, D.C., then back to Albany as governors, and eventually all the way to the White House as President of the U.S.

Eleanor Roosevelt, for her part, is perhaps the most influential First Lady in American history. She struggled all her life to overcome obstacles, such as the death of her alcoholic father and the lack of love from her mother, who died when Eleanor was still young. Later, the shy "ugly duckling" not only has to deal with her insecurities and the biggest betrayal in her life, but by doing so, she learns to strike out on her own while helping her husband reach the pinnacle of political power.

The series encompasses the history the Roosevelts helped to shape: the creation of National Parks, the digging of the Panama Canal, the passage of innovative New Deal programs, the defeat of Hitler, and the postwar struggles for civil rights at home and human rights abroad. It is also an intimate human story about love, betrayal, family loyalty, personal courage and the conquest of fear. -  The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

The Episodes

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is divided into seven episodes, each one with a running time of around two hours. They are:

• Episode One: "Get Action" (1858-1901)
• Episode Two: In the Arena (1901-1910)
• Episode Three: The Fire of Life (1910-1919)
• Episode Four: The Storm (1920-1933)
• Episode Five: The Rising Road (1933-1939)
• Episode Six: The Common Cause (1939-1944)
• Episode Seven: A Strong and Active Faith (1944-1962)

As he has done in all his documentaries about U.S. history and historical figures, Ken Burns depicts the world of The Roosevelts without resorting to dramatic recreations to evoke the past. He uses a mix of still photos, paintings, and archival footage from the period. There are, of course, some contemporary scenes shot at TR's home of Sagamore Hill and FDR's "little White House" in Warm Springs, Georgia (just to name two of the most famous locations). 

There are also interviews with a huge array of experts, including historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, political commentator George F. Will, author David McCullough, and biographers John Meacham, H.W. Brands, and Blanche Wiesen Cook. Even series co-writer Geoffrey C. Ward, who has written several books about FDR, appears in each episode - in part because he, like the 32nd President, was partly disabled by polio as a young boy. (In a totally spontaneous and moving scene, Ward gets emotional when he describes the horror that FDR felt when he lost the use of his muscles below the waist during a 1924 vacation at his summer home in Campobello Island.)

As the current Republican administration and its Congressional allies seek to undo the Big Government legacy of both TR and his cousin Franklin, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is a reminder that good Presidents are rare, and that exceptional presidents are rarer still. As David McCullough, a renowned historian, puts it, "the Roosevelts were 'exceptional' with a capital 'E' underscored." 

"It is a bad thing for a nation to raise and to admire a false standard of success; and there can be no falser standard than that set by the deification of material well-being in and for itself." - Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

This 2014 documentary is one of the best films by Ken Burns that I have seen, and I've seen quite a few. It is a fascinating yet critical look at two of the greatest men ever to reach the White House. Both Roosevelts were flawed - TR was an unapologetic imperialist who thought war was good for the country, while FDR was selfish, self-centered, and cheated on Eleanor with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. Yet, they accomplished more than many other Presidents have, Theodore's legacy includes the creation of the National Parks system and the building of the Panama Canal, while FDR guided a battered and bewildered nation through two of its greatest crises: the Great Depression and the Second World War.

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is a must-have documentary for anyone who loves the United States and its history. It helps viewers see how and why TR and FDR made the Presidency what it is today. It also has a lot to say about how rare great political leaders really are, and explains how today's divisive and angry American political landscape got its start when Teddy Roosevelt promised not to run for President in 1908...and lived to regret it. 

Although I consider Burns' The Civil War and, to a lesser degree, The War to be the best of all the Florentine Films documentaries that I have watched, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is definitely worth watching. It should be watched by anyone with an interest in American history, especially at a time when the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is doing everything possible to undermine the accomplishments of both TR and FDR.  

Blu-ray Specifications:

Video

• Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
• Resolution: 1080i
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio

• English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
• Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Subtitles

• English SDH, Spanish SDH

Discs

• Blu-ray Disc
• Seven-disc set (3 BD-25, 4 BD-50)

Packaging

• Slipcover in original pressing

Playback

• Region A