It can't be said that we weren't warned. For those hoping for an objective presentation of the lives of the 3 Roosevelt's emphasized in this documentary (Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor), they will come away sorely disappointed. "An Intimate History" is just that--a history from the intimate perspective of an admirer with a great reverence for their subject, cognizant that opposing viewpoints may exist, but willing to ignore them altogether or merely acknowledge them briefly rather than discuss them with any meaning.
While the production itself is immaculate--from the wealth of photographs and early video clips rarely seen, to the location shots and voice acting--the presentation as an educational piece leaves one heavily biased towards a particular interpretation of the Roosevelt's contribution to American history. That narrow interpretation is reinforced by the historians invited to participate. A study of those interviewed reveals that historians who have studied Teddy were more balanced in their approach, while the historians who discussed Franklin produced hagiography not historiography. Theodore Roosevelt's overall treatment struggles to stand on its own as it is continuously emphasized how his turn on the stage was a mere warm-up, albeit with heavy influence, on the eventual emergence of the true giant of the Roosevelt clan, Franklin.
Nowhere is the bias more evident than in the treatment of the two men's deaths. While Theodore's death encompassed 4 minutes of screen time, a minute of that time was spent on FDR and where he was when Theodore died. Additionally, the emotional tone of the brief segment is somewhat subdued, as if one is searching for but can't quite find the emotion they know they should feel at his passing, but simply can't. Contrarily, Franklin's death received a full 16 minute treatment, complete with quotations to emphasize his divine stature as an American God in a segment that could lead one to believe that the passing of the "American Savior," Franklin Roosevelt, was the most tragic death since the Son of Man nearly 2,000 years earlier. If you feel this is hyperbole, simply watch the segment--listen to the swelling music, the fawning quotations, and the utter lack of any criticism. In discussing the final months of FDR's life, no mention is made of the criticism that existed even then that FDR failed miserably to prepare his vice-president, Truman, for the presidency, even when FDR had known for over a year he was near death.
Aspects of each man's presidency were addressed, though again, if you keep track of the negative treatments for each, those geared towards Teddy Roosevelt outnumber the negatives leveled to FDR nearly 3 to 1. There are many legitimate questions which academics and historians are beginning to acknowledge are critical of FDR's presidency--namely, the prolonging of the Great Depression by his policies, and it is generally accepted that FDR did not end the Depression, although he did help Americans emotionally cope with it. He may have given Americans hope, but his actionable results far from produced a measurable end to the Depression. Many historians and academics have produced impeccable research to this end, but none were invited to participate in this documentary.
Ken Burns is an excellent documentary filmmaker. He gave us "The Civil War," and even though it's been nearly 20 years since that was produced, it still stands as the finest documentary to address the Civil War and one of the most effective documentaries of all time. His subsequent documentaries, such as "War" and "The National Parks," have both been commendable efforts, but "The Roosevelts" is anything but. While effort was put forth, and resulted in a visually beautiful documentary, there was no beauty in the lack of academic honesty and intellectual objectivity, both of which were cast aside in the face of the popularly accepted notion that FDR is simply one of the greatest men to ever live in American history. Ken Burns loves FDR, and so will the naive viewer at the conclusion of this hagiography.
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