The American President (Boxed Set)
List Price:
Our Price: $29.99
You Save: $50.00 (63%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $23.50 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Andrew Young, Dale Bumpers, Morley Safer, Robert MacNeil, Walter CronkiteBrand: PBS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 600 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
DVD Reviews of The American President (Boxed Set)
DVD Review: Fun but necessarily superficial given length
Summary: 4 Stars
I tremendously enjoyed this PBS series on the first forty-one men to serve as president from Washington to Clinton (although Clinton was the forty-second president Cleveland was both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president, throwing the total off by one). Far and away the most enjoyable aspect was pulling from a host of visual imagery of the presidents. There are a host of photos of the White House and the Capitol from sources contemporaneous with the particular president under discussion as well as paintings or photos or film, depending on the era the president lived. For instance, they show some fascinating photos of Andrew Jackson, the first president of whom we have such a record. All in all, one's knowledge of history will be greatly enhanced.
Nonetheless, this is more in the line of infotainment than the true study of history. Even for the television documentary the treatment of each president is rather slight. Contrast this series with, say, Ken Burns's documentary on Lincoln or even the sketchier one on Jefferson. The weakness of the series is seen in the treatment of the more important presidents. For instance, the treatment of Woodrow Wilson left an enormous amount of truly crucial material out, such as the numerous invasions of Latin America he ordered or his actively racist policies. Wilson is a great president, but it is despite such aspects of his presidency. It is simply impossible given the format of the series--devoting a bit less than fifteen minutes to each president--to do justice to the vast majority of American presidents. The space is enough to do approximate justice to someone like Zachary Taylor, but how can you do justice to the mystery that was Richard Nixon in the same span?
People will quibble with the treatment of individual presidents. For instance, I strongly agree with those who see Reagan as a poor president, a perspective this show assumes without emphasizing (Richard Neustadt's comments show that he is far from a fan of the Gipper), but a significant minority of Americans thinks he was a great president. But most presidents are beyond partisan bickering. Most of the issues that divided Americans at the time of the individual presidents simply don't fit in contemporary frameworks. If I were transported back in time, just how would I stand on the need for a national bank? Or if Jefferson were magically transported today and he saw the dangers inherent in a society where a weak federal government was faced with powerful trusts, would he still hold to his ideal of a small federal government? Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson thought he would not. But the point is that most presidents are not partisan icons like Reagan.
Another negative on the show was the choice of many of the people to perform the voices of the various presidents. Why was the somnolent William F. Buckley chosen to voice the high-pitched, highly animated Teddy Roosevelt? While Buckley was the worse, many other performers simply seemed inappropriate for the president they voiced. I think the show would have been enhanced if they had asked more gifted individuals to participate.
I really did enjoy this series, but I do feel the need to voice one more complaint. For the life of me I can't understand why they attempted--somewhat weakly--to arrange the presidents topically or thematically rather than chronologically. I personally think the latter would have dramatically improved the series. For one thing, it would have given a far stronger sense of how the presidency evolved over time. Moreover, many of the presidents overlapped with those administrations that went before. I think they would have been able to pack more real content into the show by beginning with Washington and ending with Clinton.
Nonetheless, this is a good series with a lot to offer. There is only one commentator, but fortunately that is one of the premiere presidential scholars of recent decades, the late, great Richard Neustadt, who died a couple of years after the series. Few individuals possess a more wide-ranging or deeper understanding of the presidency than Neustadt and this serves as a fine reminder of how prescient he was in understanding the office. The actual information on each president tended to be highly accurate. Viewers might argue with particular assessments, but rarely can they dispute particular facts. Any sins were sins of omission, not of commission.
Anyone with any degree of interest in American history is going to find this series rewarding and highly entertaining. It isn't anywhere near as educational as reading a good presidential biography like Doris Kearns Goodwin's NO ORDINARY TIME on FDR or a study of the presidency like Richard Neustadt's PRESIDENTIAL POWER AND THE MODERN PRESIDENTS, but it is probably more entertaining and educating in its own way.
More The American President (Boxed Set) reviews:
1
1
Description of The American President (Boxed Set)
Who were the U.S. presidents? What did they accomplish? What qualities defined them, both as public figures and private men? In this made-for-PBS documentary series, brilliantly adapted from the acclaimed book The American President, these questions and others related to the presidents are answered with rare insight and intimacy. As in the book, the 41 lives of the 42 presidencies (Grover Cleveland served on separate occasions as the 22nd and 24th president) are not presented chronologically but are, rather, episodically linked by common personal traits and circumstances of their terms in office. For example, an episode called "The Heroic Posture" explores the careers of four presidents--Washington, Harrison, Grant, and Eisenhower--who came to their positions as a result of heroism in the service of their country. "Happenstance" looks at five presidents who moved from the vice-presidency to the White House upon the death of the president, and how these ascensions tested their worthiness as politicians. "An Independent Cast of Mind" weighs the pros and cons of presidencies marked by a lack of the messy political maneuvering that is apparently necessary for presidential success (none of the four portrayed--including John Adams and Jimmy Carter--achieved a second term).This focus on the prominent aspects of these exceptional personalities brings an understanding of them that transcends their historical legacies. Broad portraits are painted here, the brushstrokes of which range from public policies and convictions to romantic indulgences (it's true--this kind of scandal is nothing new to the presidency) and even to certain presidents' smoking and drinking habits. Further bringing these stories to life is a seemingly exhaustive album of presidential photographs, voice characterizations by celebrated figures such as Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Walter Cronkite, and revealing interviews with living former presidents (and one sitting president). Thorough, balanced, and fair, this series is destined to become a historical documentary classic and is a must-see for anyone interested in American history and the story of the most powerful office in the modern world. --Ed Noble
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
American Experience - Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House DividedPBS; Release date: 2005-02-15; DVD
Best price: $20.48
Price in other shops:
Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the PresidencyPBS; Release date: 2008-01-15; DVD
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops:
America at War Megaset (History Channel)A&E; Release date: 2008-02-26; DVD
Best price: $42.49
Price in other shops:
Up From SlaveryDIG; Release date: 2011-09-13; DVD
Best price: $3.69
Price in other shops:
New YorkParamount; Release date: 2004-09-28; DVD
Best price: $39.49
Price in other shops:
Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of DiscoveryPAR; Release date: 2004-09-28; DVD
Best price: $13.19
Price in other shops:
The Supreme CourtPBS; Release date: 2007-01-23; DVD
Best price: $38.75
Price in other shops:
Liberty! The American RevolutionLiberty; Release date: 2004-06-29; DVD
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops:
Artist Not Provided - Presidents CollectionParamount; Release date: 2008-08-26; DVD
Best price: $49.29
Price in other shops:
The History Channel Presents The PresidentsA and E Home Video; Release date: 2005-05-31; DVD
Best price: $13.49
Price in other shops: