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Blu-ray Review The Roosevelts: An Intimate History Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Richard Gallagher

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The Roosevelts: An Intimate History Blu-ray Review

Aficionados of Ken Burns films will be enthralled by his latest epic documentary, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. It is in effect a triple biography of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Burns utilizes an impressive array of vintage photographs and film, which are combined with trenchant narration to create a compelling narrative about the most influential political family in American history.

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Studio: PBS

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080I/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English 5.1 DD, Spanish 2.0 DD, Other

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 14 Hr. 0 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

Dual Standard Blu-ray Case in Slipcase

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: All

Release Date: 09/17/2014

MSRP: $129.99




The Production Rating: 5/5

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, were fifth cousins. TR was a Republican and FDR was a Democrat, but they were very proud and fond of each other. Their relationship was strengthened when FDR married Eleanor Roosevelt, TR's favorite niece (she was the daughter of TR's tragic, alcoholic brother, Elliott).TR was born 24 years before FDR, so the first three chapters of this seven-chapter film focus primarily, but not exclusively, on TR. Chapters four through six focus primarily on FDR and Eleanor, while the emphasis of the final chapter is on FDR's death and the final seventeen years of Eleanor's remarkable life.As the title states, this film is an "intimate" history of the Roosevelts, which means that it is more interested in examining their personal lives than their political philosophies. That said, the Roosevelts were so political that it is impossible to completely separate the political from the personal. Viewers will be struck by the fact that many of the issues which TR took on, such as income inequality and the influence of wealthy individuals and corporations on the political process, are still being debated today.Both men had to deal with significant health problems. TR was a sickly, asthmatic boy who spent much of his childhood in bed, and it was through sheer willpower and hard work that he turned himself in a robust and energetic young man. FDR led a privileged but somewhat lonely life during his youth, but at the age of 39 he was stricken with polio and spent the rest of his life paralyzed from the waist down. Both men survived assassination attempts. Eleanor, who at the age of eight lost her mother to diphtheria, also experienced the death of her alcoholic father when she was nine. She then was raised by her maternal grandmother, an unhappy experience which left her insecure and starved for affection.The lives of the Roosevelts come to life through a striking collection of vivid, mostly pristine photographs and remarkable film footage. The voice of TR is provided by Paul Giamatti, while Edward Hermann (Eleanor and Franklin) was a logical choice to portray FDR (there also is substantial sound film footage in which we hear FDR's own voice). Meryl Streep does the voice of Eleanor, and the narration is performed by Peter Coyote (The Dust Bowl, Prohibition). Viewers also will hear the voice of the late Eli Wallach in one of his last performances. The talking heads include historians David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Geoffrey C. Ward, as well as political pundit George Will.The Roosevelts: An Intimate History appears to be historically accurate, and it is quite entertaining as well. It does not shy away from examining the personal flaws of its subjects. TR is portrayed as a warmonger who encouraged each of his sons to enlist in World War I (losing his youngest one, Quentin, when his plane was shot down over France in 1918). FDR devastated Eleanor when he had an affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer, and he frequently ignored his children. In spite of their personal shortcomings, both men transformed the Presidency of the United States and presided over some of the most momentous events in our history. This outstanding film from Ken Burns is highly recommended.


Video Rating: 5/5 3D Rating: NA

The 1080i 1.85:1 high definition video is superb. The still photographs are astonishing in their condition and clarity. As our resident expert Robert A. Harris has written, "all elements are high definition, and on [the] Blu-ray shines." Readers are encouraged to read all of his comments about this release: A few words about...™ The Roosevelts: An Intimate History -- in Blu-ray



Audio Rating: 4.5/5

The English 5.1 audio also sparkles, particularly when the evocative musical soundtrack kicks in. Other audio options include Spanish 2.0 stereo, described video, and English/Spanish SDH subtitles.


Special Features Rating: 4/5

The extensive extras include a "making of" feature and 24 deleted scenes with an introduction by Ken Burns."The Making of The Roosevelts: An Intimate History" has a running time of 31 minutes and goes into some detail about how the project was put together. Of interest are comments by living Roosevelt descendants, who comment that when watching the film they learned things about their family which they had not known previously. At the conclusion Ken Burns mentions his upcoming projects, which include films about Jackie Robinson, The Vietnam War, The History of Country Music, and Ernest Hemingway.There are seven two-hour episodes, and each appears on its own disc. The 24 deleted scenes can be accessed on Disc 1 and Disc 7, as follows:Disc 1FDR's Great SecretDavid Cieri and Music for The RooseveltsSpringwood & Val-KillSagamore HillOak TerraceSomeone in the ShadowsThe Roosevelt Home MoviesWarm SpringsCampobello"Able-Bodied"FDR's Dog FalaFDR and the Porcellian ClubThe FDR Model-T Re-creationDisc 7TR's Childhood European TripTR and the 1884 Republican National ConventionTR and the Bear Hunt or, How Teddy became TeddyTR's John Singer Sargent PortraitTR and the Great White FleetTR's Daughter Alice's WeddingFDR's Use of the Radio as GovernorFDR and the Opening of the TR Wing at the American Museum of Natural HistoryFDR's White House Cocktail PartiesER and the Tuskegee AirmenER and Women Workers in the War Production Factories


Overall Rating: 5/5

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History is another outstanding historical documentary from Ken Burns. Although the film aired on PBS during the past week (and is still airing on some PBS affiliates), this Blu-ray set raises the bar a significant notch with its exceptional audio and video and its impressive array of deleted scenes.


Reviewed By: Richard Gallagher


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Angelo Colombus

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I just finished watching the whole thing on my PBS station and was suprised how much new info was presented about the Roosevelts and i have watched many documentaries on them and also footage of them i have never seen before. Very entertaining and i do rank it up there with The Civil War as one of Burns's best and a easy buy on blu-ray.
 

Ronald Epstein

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I also just finished watching this on PBS and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Love the documentaries Ken Burns does, and yes, this is easily up there
with THE CIVIL WAR and THE WAR.
 

Steve...O

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Thanks, Rich! I've watched 5 of the 7 parts on PBS and find this very, very entertaining. I've seen this at Costco for $59.99 and will probably buy it since this has replay value for me.

Question for the membership: does anyone have the Civil War set from Burns and, if so, is it good quality (not the content but the A/V presentation)? This has never been released on BD and RAH mentioned possible elements issues so I'm leery on purchasing that as well if this were to be better served by a future remastering for BD.
 

Ronald Epstein

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I have the Civil War set.

It's been a few years since I watched it.

I suppose the A/V presentation is fine.

It's kind of strange to hear about elements issues when we are talking about
historic footage. Rarely does anything from that period look pristine in quality.

If you want, I'll go skim through the set later today. However, all I can tell you is
that it is a fantastic Ken Burns documentary. I learned so much about a war I knew
little about.

THE WAR is also another stellar Ken Burns documentary.
 

Josh Steinberg

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After finishing the latest Ken Burns film last night (The U.S. and the Holocaust), I was still in the mood for that particular style of documentary filmmaking, and remembered that I had missed this one when it originally aired.

I’ve just completed the first episode and it’s everything I would have expected from a Florentine Films production. I’ve read a number of books on TR and FDR over the years, but even still, the first episode contained a number of tidbits I had never known, along with some fantastic context to better understand the times they lived in. If the rest of the episodes are as good as the first - and I have no reason to doubt that - this is going to be another fantastic historical journey. Re-reading Rich’s excellent review makes me eager to see the rest.
 

B-ROLL

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After finishing the latest Ken Burns film last night (The U.S. and the Holocaust), I was still in the mood for that particular style of documentary filmmaking, and remembered that I had missed this one when it originally aired.

I’ve just completed the first episode and it’s everything I would have expected from a Florentine Films production. I’ve read a number of books on TR and FDR over the years, but even still, the first episode contained a number of tidbits I had never known, along with some fantastic context to better understand the times they lived in. If the rest of the episodes are as good as the first - and I have no reason to doubt that - this is going to be another fantastic historical journey. Re-reading Rich’s excellent review makes me eager to see the rest.
The actress who provided the voice Eleanor Roosevelt in this one provided the voice for Eleanor in that one ... there is another connection to that one
1664143818485.png
in one of her first big roles ...
 

Angelo Colombus

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After finishing the latest Ken Burns film last night (The U.S. and the Holocaust), I was still in the mood for that particular style of documentary filmmaking, and remembered that I had missed this one when it originally aired.

I’ve just completed the first episode and it’s everything I would have expected from a Florentine Films production. I’ve read a number of books on TR and FDR over the years, but even still, the first episode contained a number of tidbits I had never known, along with some fantastic context to better understand the times they lived in. If the rest of the episodes are as good as the first - and I have no reason to doubt that - this is going to be another fantastic historical journey. Re-reading Rich’s excellent review makes me eager to see the rest.
Great documentary and have the dvd on my shelf. I also recommend The Rockefellers (2000) that was shown on the PBS American Experience series.
 

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