What is it? The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, approximately 14 hours on seven discs from PBS
How much? $99.99
When? Now
What makes the Roosevelts so special? This series answers that question in great detail. It's from documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, who has become hugely popular and famous thanks to his thorough series on the Civil War, baseball, World War II, the national parks and a long list of people, events and American symbols.
Now, he turns the spotlight on the Roosevelt family, and specifically on presidents Theodore and Franklin Delano and first lady Eleanor. While parents, siblings and children have roles to play in the big drama, it's those three who are the focus.
As one could expect from a Burns documentary, it is an extremely detailed, layered look at the extraordinary family, how their pasts shaped them and how they, in turn, shaped the country.
The Roosevelts played huge roles in transforming American government and the way the government and the citizens relate to one another. The National Park System, Social Security, federal unemployment relief and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. were started during the Roosevelt presidencies. For her part, Eleanor was one of the most accomplished, involved and influential first ladies the nation has ever seen.
The fact that they were related to each other makes their story that much more fascinating.
Through letters and diary entries, interviews, old photographs, newsreel footage and the input of biographers and historians, the film puts together a full picture of this family and explains just how special (and ordinary) they were.
Because this is a Burns film, the voice-over work is done by big-time actors, including narrator Peter Coyote, Paul Giamatti as Theodore, Edward Herrmann as Franklin and Meryl Streep as Eleanor.
How is it? Fascinating and very, very thorough. It takes its time setting up the players and following them through their lives from birth to death, from Teddy's childhood illnesses to FDR's polio and Eleanor's social crusades.
It doesn't shy away from some of the darker aspects of the family, for instance, FDR's extramarital affairs. The people involved are painted as human, which somehow makes them more special.
Are there extras? Quite a few deleted scenes, bonus newsreels and home movies. There's also a half-hour feature on the making of the series, which aired recently on Arkansas' public television network, AETN. That half-hour run time is a bit padded. It contains rather long excerpts from the series, and the last five minutes or so are a preview of forthcoming Burns projects on Jackie Robinson, Ernest Hemingway, the Vietnam War and country music.
New this week: 24: Live Another Day; The Donna Reed Show, Season 1; The Mentalist, Season 6; Mike & Molly, Season 4; NYPD Blue, Season 7.
Next week: Adventure Time, Season 4; Afterlife, Season 2; American Horror Story, Season 3; Bates Motel, Season 2; China Beach, Complete Series; The Flying Nun, Seasons 1-2; The Following, Season 2; The Office, Complete Series; Penny Dreadful, Season 1; Psych, Complete Series; Vikings, Season 2.
Style on 09/28/2014