The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014)

Another exemplary documentary from the fine American documentary maker Ken Burns. This one has a smaller scope than the other documentary series I've seen from Burns, which typically explore wars the like; this one examines the Roosevelt family, which gave America two presidents alongside many other interesting historical figures. The film has an intimate, personal tone and I'm not ashamed to say I was involved enough to shed tears in the final instalment. This is because the series is so good that it makes you feel like you know the characters involved. I had my suspicions that there wouldn't be enough material to sustain a lengthy running time, but I needn't have worried; this is endlessly engaging, fascinating in fact.

I've watched this series multiple times. I'm not political. I've never really paid much attention to the Roosevelt's. But I absolutely love biographies. Ken Burns has done a fantastic job with this series. I totally recommend anyone who enjoys biographies to watch this series. I came away thinking that our country could use another Teddy Roosevelt. His beliefs and tactics is something our country could definitely use right now. Not too fond of FDR based on this series. Wish it would have went more into Elanor since she was a true Roosevelt by blood (side note....I knew they were cousins before I watched this and it's still very icky that he married his cousin). I would love for Mr. Burns to create more biographies of this nature. I've tried watching others and they've failed to keep my interest like this one did.

Although folks adore Ken Burns' series on the Civil War and it will no doubt be his most famous series, to me this one on the Roosevelts is as good. It ostensibly covers from the birth of Teddy until the death of Eleanor, it in fact emphasizes Franklin Roosevelt foremost. So, although Teddy was born decades before them, starting in the first episode, the show kept bouncing back and forth between the lives of Teddy and Eleanor and Franklin on the other. This did short-change Teddy's portion of the film just a tad but even still, it really delves into them all in depth unlike any other biography on any of the Roosevelts.Like other Burns series, this one consists of the roving camera over photos, lots of interviews as well as important celebrity impersonations of the particulars. Especially good among these was Meryl Streep's voicing for Eleanor, as it really sounded like her. In addition to all this, the show features quite a bit in the way of film footage and overall, they all create a gorgeous and loving look at these famous folks. Well worth seeing and exhaustive--clocking in at about 12 hours!

I will say, this mini-series did seem biased at times, but honestly, all political documentaries are at times. Ken Burns made the Roosevelts seem empathetic, making them more human than we realized. Franklin, with his diseases that most people knew nothing about at the time to his philandering. Mind blowing to say the least.The presidency has sure changed a lot since the end of FDR's tenure in 1945, especially with the health concerns of the leader. The pictures of Franklin's declining health shown in the series were eerie, and surreal, most unseen before. A great leader, he was, but under it all, that's what ultimately ended his presidency and his life.After his death, it explores the fight for progress that Eleanor was a part of, until her death in 1962. A renowned woman for her time, she was "First Lady of the World," a phrase coined by President Harry Truman. Very historical documentary.However, I do wish they had gone into more detail about the Japanese internment camps and the failures of FDR's presidency.