American Experience: JFK

American Experience: JFK is a docu series that was put out by PBS in 2013. This four-part series describes itself as taking, "a fresh, objective look at President John F. Kennedy, from his strengths and weakness in office to his personal relationships"(Netflix description). The first episode, "Part 1," focuses on Kennedy's formative years and his rise to American political power up until his rise to the US Senate.

John F. Kennedy as a young boy

John F. Kennedy Senator Campaign

It was interesting to learn about JFK's past and upbringing, especially his medical history and his relationship with his father, Joe Kennedy Sr. Joe Kennedy was a prominent political figure in the US and provided his eight children and the rest of his family with a very privileged upbringing; however, Joe expected nothing but greatness from his children, especially his boys. This competitive environment created tension between the siblings to essentially one-up each other in everything that they did. There was a lot of archival footage of at home competitions, and it was evident from the film that the level of competitiveness was high, especially between JFK and his older brother Joe Jr. Their competition was most evident after JFK returned from WWII a war hero due to the sinking of his naval vessel and his heroics as he lead the survivors of the wreck on a three mile swim back to shore. There was a letter written to JFK from Joe Jr. that "subtly expressed his jealousy" of JFK's newly gained status as a war hero. It is believed that it was because of this jealousy towards his brother's achievements that Joe Jr. volunteered for a dangerous bombing mission, even though he had fulfilled his duties and was able to go home, it was on this mission that Joe Jr.'s plane exploded and his body was never recovered. 

JFK's medical history was brought to light for me in this documentary. I was unaware of the extent of his health issues. His life was threatened by illness at as young as 3 years old; these issues continued to follow him throughout the rest of his life. The documentary mentioned that he attended Choate, a boarding school in Connecticut, but failed to mention his time spent at Canterbury School, also a boarding school in Connecticut (which I attended). This was a disappointment. I was able to recover his report card from 8th grade though. He had to withdraw from the school due to health issues. It is rumored that we occupied the same dorm room. 

WWII In HD

In 2009 The History Chanel released a docu series called "WWII In HD." When I came across this in my Netflix browser, I thought it was a feature length documentary, and was surprised (and a little excited) when Netflix prompted me to play the next episode. I only watched the first episode, but fully intend to finish out the series over spring break. The series utilizes recently discovered first hand footage, shot in color,  from the war; along with personal accounts from survivors of the war. The voice over talent includes notable actors like: Rob Lowe, Amy Smart, LL Cool J (yes, LL Cool J), and Gary Sinise. 

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It was interesting to see footage from the late 1930s and early 40s in color, because I am used to seeing film from this time period in black and white. I've seen my fair share of WWII documentaries, but because the images on the screen are in color it evokes a different emotional response for me. The archival footage featured in this series is often on the front lines of battle, and seen through a shaky camera. These factors come together to give a new understanding of the war. 

Most of the American documentaries about the Second World War that I have seen start off with Pearl Harbor in 1941, but this first episode started in 1939 with one of the survivors of the war giving an account of what was going on with his life at that time. Jack Warner is Jewish, and originally from Austria, but fled to America after the Nazis invaded Austria in the spring of '39. He went to Hollywood to be an actor, but ended up taking a job in a flower shop in '41.  He reflected on how care-free Americans were, while back in Europe life as people knew it was drastically changing. The editors of this episode did a really good job using archival footage of American families and friends enjoying their time while the war was begin fought overseas. Warner even said that he would find himself forgetting about the war because Europe seemed so far away. Starting in a time of calmness in America before Pearl Harbor, especially from a perspective of somebody who had experienced the injustices of the Nazi party during this time, gave a more profound understanding of America's involvement in the war. This also made Pearl Harbor have even more of a resonance with me. 

Jack Warner (Present Day)

Jack Warner (c. 1941)

When the United States got involved with the war, our army was the 17th largest in the world (for comparison purposes that's smaller than Romania's was at the time), which was not nearly large enough to fight the Axis' power house that had taken over 1/3 of Europe. The few troops that the States did have were equipped with dated equipment left over from The First World War. It was because of this that, "at the onset of the Second World War, the nature of documentary altered to reflect the interests at work in that conflict" (Saunders 51). Filmmakers from the documentary, and fiction worlds came together to put out work that they thought would, for lack of a better term, rally the troops. It was interesting to see so much archival footage, especially in color, because I'd imagine it is very similar to what was being featured in these documentaries. 

I really enjoyed the first episode of this docu series, and I am excited to follow it through till the end. I'm also excited to see how LL Cool J does in a historical documentary. 

LL Cool J (c. 1987)

Hawking

Hawking is a documentary about Stephan Hawking's life. I chose this documentary because I have seen the critical success that The Theory of Everything has received, and I've been meaning to watch it. However, I did not have much grounding in the life and works of the beautiful mind that is Stephan Hawking.

The documentary is narrated by Hawking, who suffers from ALS. Because the disease has left him with minimal control over his muscles, he utilizes his computer that is mounted on his wheelchair to communicate. The computer allows Hawking to scroll through letters, and commonly used words that he can select in order to form sentences. He has an infrared switch on his glasses that can read the movements of his cheek muscle in order to operate the speech system. 

(Hawking with his computer)

When speaking about his formative years, Hawking pointed out that his home was always a place in which his mind was constantly stimulated. Childhood friends and family members commented on the never-ending piles of books that were left around the house, and the ongoing chess games. Hawking credited his parents for encouraging such mental stimulation, because they were both intellectuals as well. His cousin remarked that young Hawking would often times spend hours trying to fathom the limitlessness of the universe. She said that it nearly drove him mad that something didn't have a definitive end. The documentary utilized reenactments to represent Hawking in his younger years. However, these shots were almost entirely extreme close ups of the actor's eyes, or hands; the producers also utilized lighting to blur the identity of the actor. 

(Hawking as a young boy)

Hawking, like his father, went to Cambridge University where he studied the natural sciences. He was a member of the crew team, where he served as a coxswain. It was during his final years at Cambridge when Hawking was diagnosed with ALS. After his grim diagnosis, which left him with an estimated 2-3 years life expectancy, Hawking fell into a deep depression, which effected his work greatly. It was the introduction of young love that pulled Hawking from his depression and motivated him to finish his theories on black holes. 

(Hawking and his wife, Jackie, on their wedding day)

While earning his PhD at Oxford University, Hawking essentially proved that there was a beginning moment of the universe by identifying a cause for the Big Bang Theory. This discovery made him very reputable in the science community. His next huge discovery gave scientists an even deeper understanding of black holes. 

He goes on to talk about his research and all of the awesome things that he has done; along with the not-so-awesome things, like divorces and complications with his disease. In short I'm glad I watched this documentary, because he truly possesses a beautiful mind and is one of the most important thinkers to date. Also he has a good sense of humor. 

Also fun fact: He's friends with Jim Carrey