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[regicide]

Product Description

For twelve years he stood as America's 32nd President, a man who overcame the ravages of polio to pull America through the Great Depression and WWII. From his legendary Fireside Chats to his sweeping New Deal, Franklin Delano Roosevelt revolutionized the American way of life. FDR: A PRESIDENCY REVEALED examines one of history's most compelling figures. Inspired by his cousin Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt rose to the nation's highest office during the depths of one of its darkest periods. A man of few words, he brought a nation together through his revolutionary Fireside Chats. He introduced vast reforms like Social Security and work relief for the unemployed. At the same time, his administration hid a dark underbelly teeming with covert maneuvers, spy rings, and powerful enemies.


11 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
The Man and the Myth, June 8, 2005
By Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator"

"A complex man emerges from the shadows" in this 3 hour documentary which includes some rare footage, going back to the early days of FDR's life, his battle with polio, and tenure as governor of New York. I found this film to be a sobering eye-opener, and learned things I had not known about our 32nd president, a man who kept a degree of secrecy that not only kept the people who voted for him in the dark, but often members of his own cabinet. How the press dealt with his secrecy about his personal life, his health, and his policies is in stark contrast to the press of today. FDR was also duplicitous in the buildup to WWII, where he professed to the people "Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign war," while in correspondence with Churchill expressed an opposite (and fortunately correct, even if not implemented soon enough) opinion.

Though he started programs like Social Security, he was supposedly "for the little man," but after 2 complete terms, unemployment was still at 20%, and his agricultural policies were devastating to poor black farmers, who to survive had to move to the cities. His complacency, compromise and silence on matters of segregation were shocking; he co-operated with "Jim Crowism" and turned aside when Eleanor tried and failed to make the horrifying practice of lynching a crime. Another big disagreement he had with Eleanor was the rounding up of 110,000 Japanese-Americans and placing them into internment camps, in the barren desert for 3 years. The relationship with Eleanor in its later years is described as "two ships passing in the night," and she never fully recovered from the letters she found from his mistress, Lucy Mercer, and was devastated to find that Lucy had been with him in his final hours.

There are many interesting commentators that are interviewed: Authors Doris Kearns Goodwin, Geoffrey Ward, Robert Dallek, Thomas Fleming, Sir Martin Gilbert, Jon Meacham, historians Allida Black and Craig Wilder, grandson Curtis Roosevelt, FDR Library director Verne Newton, his Secret Service man, Floyd Boring, and many more. Much information that pierced through the secrecy was found in a diary written by FDR's cousin and constant companion in his later years, Doris Suckley. His mental and physical health were very deteriorated going into the 4th term, and underscored the public's "willingness to be deceived" as they went to the polls and voted for a dying man...a man who was like a "waxen figure" at Yalta, "making concession after concession to Stalin." Another dreadful policy (supported by 71% of Americans in a poll) was the restrictive immigration policy towards German Jews, even though much was known about their fate in Nazi Germany.

This is a sad documentary in many ways, but is important history. The man that appears larger than life, a lion of a man, with integrity and strength, is Winston Churchill, and other great leaders are shown, like General Eisenhower and General Patton. Narrated by Edward Herrmann, this film is meticulously directed and edited, and worthwhile viewing for all history buffs.
Note: I am simply reviewing the contents of this DVD, not any biographies, excellent as some may be; nor am I filtering the contents of this documentary through the information gained from any biographies

[Kuros]

[Ya-ta Boy]

While a certain amount of revision is inevitable--it happens with each generation, I suspect that future generations will not focus on personal flaws and failures, but on the service he gave to the country and will continue to rank him near the top of the list of great presidents.

This will of course contine to irritate those among us who wanted to maintain Hoover's failed policies in pursuit of a romanticised image of a past that never was. Oh well.

[On the other hand]

[Gopher]

Nonsense. Myths, heroes, and villains are for Scooby Doo and Friends and children.

Like every president and every human being, FDR possessed good and bad qualities (depending on where you stand; the far left excoriates him for failing to destroy corporations and the banks when they were weak and for making the world safe for capitalism thereafter; the far right excoriates him as the man who introduced socialism to America).

One has to love these value-laden, condemnatory discussions re: long-dead presidents (Jackson is another one who takes too much heat). What do FDR's detractors want us to do? Impeach him?

After a certain point, these heated discussions become rather pointless, then. But it must feel good and righteous to those who insist on initiating them, I imagine.

In any case, the question of whether history-writing and history discussions ought to explain or judge -- and there is a vast difference separating these two impulses -- is an intractible one. Those who insist on judging will not let it be otherwise.

[djsmnc]

[stevemcgarrett]

Gopher wrote:

[regicide]

[stevemcgarrett]

regicide:

You are nothing but droll with an online TEFL certificate.

[regicide]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Why do you think he has a PhD?

[regicide]

[Ya-ta Boy]

You do know that a fair share of the ESL teachers, with no teaching certificate, manage to get hired by a podunk college (or better) and refer to themselves as 'professor', don't you?

[stevemcgarrett]

regicide:

Another dated but in this case apt definition of the word is "buffoon."

Ya-Ta Boy wondered:

[Ya-ta Boy]

Everyone should have a positive self image.