Clocking in at almost 39 hours and spread over 17 discs, this set contains a treasure trove of information. Each of the documentaries offers viewers the chance to see each man’s political and personal triumphs, as well as their tragedies. Interviews with friends (and in some cases family) and co-workers, gives a real sense of the mood of the country leading up to each election. The interviewees give tremendous insight into what it was like inside the White House during some of America’s most troubled times—the death of FDR, Truman’s decision to launch the bomb on Hiroshima, the Cuban Missile crisis, Richard Nixon trying to hold on to the Presidency, as Watergate closed in on him, the atmosphere in the Clinton White House as the Lewinsky scandal consumed the press. All these issues and more are discussed in remarkable depth in The American Experience: The Presidents Collection.
American Experience documentaries never seem to take sides; each one paints a full picture of the man. For instance, while it is true that Nixon was forced to resign from office because of the Watergate scandal, it’s only one aspect of his life. We learn about his hardscrabble life in Whittier California, his family and subsequent rise through the political ranks. Only by getting a full picture of Nixon can we hope to gain any understanding as to why he participated in the Watergate cover-up. American Experience: The Presidents Collection puts the information out there, allowing you to draw your own conclusions.
The parade of historical events which occupied each of these Presidents is fascinating. During the terms of these Presidents, America took part in two World wars and numerous military operations; from Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders to the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf. In that time, we also witness the rise and fall of Soviet communism and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. At home, there were enormous struggles for civil rights and economic equality.
The various producers, directors, and writers of these programs have utilized a countless number of old photographs, audio recordings, silent and sound motion picture footage and television broadcasts throughout; some of the footage is one-of-a-kind (watching Franklin Roosevelt walking with the help of his son, a nitroglycerin pill popping from LBJ’s mouth during a speech). A gallery of respected historians, relatives, and members of the various Presidents’ staffs are present to offer testimony and opinions on the various men and their years in the public eye. Often, they are as fascinating as the men they’re describing and what some of them have to say has never before been documented. Many distinguished, award-winning actors and historians do the narrative commentaries on the discs; among them are Jason Robards, Linda Hunt, David Ogden Stiers, Stacy Keach, and David McCullough (Truman biographer).
The Presidents Collection provides a fascinating look at the United States through the eyes of some of the men who were chosen to lead the United States. This box set would be a welcome addition to any history buffs DVD collection.
The Presidents Collection appears in a variety of screen ratios, though most are 1.33:1. The Woodrow Wilson set is a nonanamorphic 1.78:1 while the Jimmy Carter George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton discs are anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 and look by far the best of the group. All of the discs have occasional problems with moiré in some of the old photographs and film footage. Almost all of the modern interviews are sharp and detailed and feature very good color. Obviously, the quality of the rare film footage is spotty, but that’s no fault of the transfer.
Most of the discs offer a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track, while the George H.W. Bush disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix.
Every program except for Woodrow Wilson comes with a PDF Teacher’s Guide, but only Woodrow Wilson and The Kennedys come with much in the way of additional supplements.
Woodrow Wilson offers viewers the option of watching an Enhanced Version with 90 minutes of additional video. There also Interviews with filmmakers and scholars, a photo gallery, a World War I Poster Gallery, and A Scholars’ Forum on Wilson’s Legacy.
The Kennedys include JFK’s Hidden Life: An Interview with Historian Robert Dallek, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, and a Kennedy Family Tree.
