World Famous Comics: NBC News Presents - Ronald Reagan
NBC News Presents - Ronald Reagan
Starring: Ronald Reagan, Stone Phillips Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC Label: Universal Studios Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: July 20, 2004 Running Time: 41 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 2004
A good documentary, but buy it for the Bonus Features NBC News Presents Ronald Reagan is an impressive DVD that all Americans can appreciate - even those who opposed Reagan's policies. It features a 41-minute documentary of Reagan's life hosted by Stone Phillips, and I was actually more impressed with the documentary than I expected to be (especially since I don't subscribe to the twice-repeated boast on the back cover hailing NBC News as the most respected name in broadcast journalism). It covers Reagan's childhood years, his acting days, and of course his political career that took him from the Governor's mansion in California to the White House. The NBC folks did put a couple of subtle little jibes in there, but overall it's a professional, quite respectful look at the life of the late 40th president.
The NBC News documentary may get top billing here, but the true heart of this DVD (and the reason it is well worth your money) lies in the Special Features. You don't have to be a Reaganite to appreciate the significance of the historic speeches included here in their entirety: President Reagan's 1981 Inaugural Address, his famous 1987 Berlin speech in which he called upon Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," and his heartfelt Farewell Address in January 1989. I was especially pleased to be able to watch the complete Berlin speech of 1987. Everyone is familiar with President Reagan's "tear down this wall line," but short clips do not place the words - and the complete speech - in their full context. On the other side of the Brandenburg Gate were a large number of East Berliners who had come to hear the speech themselves (although they could not, of course, see the President). President Reagan was addressing his words not just to the Soviets, the West Germans, and the American people, he was speaking directly to East Berliners, as well. The 1981 Inaugural Address is also a fascinating speech, wherein President Reagan lays out his guiding principles on limiting government influence and achieving peace through strength. I cannot help but be drawn to some of the people in the background, however. There is a lot of milling around by camera men, for one thing; there's also the world's most obvious Secret Service agent sticking out like a sore thumb. Most interesting to me, however, is a red-headed young man sitting on about the fourth row. Early on, he keeps bending over into the aisle as if he is battling a stomachache, then a few minutes later a member of the Honor Guard comes up to him, walks him into the background, and seemingly makes him show him his ID, after which point "Opie" disappears.
The remaining bonus features will appeal strongly to my fellow Reaganites. You have "A Day with President Reagan" presented by David Brinkley; this fascinating look at a day in the President's life was made in the first month or two of Reagan's Presidency (before the assassination attempt), and it offers a wonderful look at Reagan's leadership style, commitment to reform the economy, and his personal feelings about beginning the last and most important job of his life. Several features provide an intimate look at Ronald Reagan the man. There is a Dateline feature about a woman who corresponded with Reagan from his acting days all the way up through his Presidency - wonderful glimpses of Reagan's inner thoughts can be found in these letters, and the very fact that he, even after becoming President, continued to correspond with a pen pal and long-time fan says a whole lot about the kind of man Ronald Reagan was. You also get an episode of General Electric Theater, a show Reagan hosted for some eight years. In this particular episode, Reagan himself appears in the drama, playing a former boxer turned manager dealing with an up and coming kid who doesn't realize all his victories are arranged in advance.
The most touching and memorable Bonus Features center around the love affair between Ronald and Nancy Reagan. One discusses and provides a few excerpts from Reagan's love letters to his wife - and he wrote her tons of love letters throughout his life. Then you have a Katie Couric interview with Nancy Reagan on the Reagans' 50th wedding anniversary in 2002. The features conclude with a short but poignant look at the days of national mourning following the death of President Reagan.
Ronald Reagan is, was, and always will be my hero and idol, so I enjoyed this DVD immensely, especially the Bonus Features. Those who opposed Reagan's policies can comfortably watch this DVD to get a picture of Reagan's true self, free of political partialities and biases. And those who are ambivalent toward President Reagan or are too young to really know how much he meant to this country and to the free world can benefit enormously from hearing some of Reagan's most memorable speeches and getting a sense of how he saved America and won the Cold War.
Who's been writing reviews for this? It sounds like a bunch of NBC publicists. There is some good stuff on this DVD to be sure but it isn't the documentary itself which comes in at a meagre 41 minutes. The highlights are in the bonus material which include the 30 min. Brinkley segment that aired in 1981 (detailing Reagan's fight to institute his economic program), the GE Theater episode from 1957 that starred Reagan, and the three speeches that show just how great of a communicator he was.
That said, there are some significant gaps in the material, including his 1964 speech (referred to by most as "The Speech") which essentially set him up as a future political star, and curious omissions in his political career (the failed nomination bid in 1976, Iran-Contra, etc.)
Despite that, it's worth buying if only for the bonus material. Hopefully NBC News will come out with an expanded edition with a proper documentary.
Well, this was just great! It's the quality one would expect from NBC, but this goes beyond just reporting a litany of facts. It's an emotional tribute to a man who defined a generation. the full three hours of footage and reporting really is able to get into the details and shed light on the man. If you're interested in Regan, this is the DVD to choose!
What more could you ask for? This comprehensive, moving, and illuminating dvd is packed with great video from reagan's years in front of the camera. It's almost three hours long, but the quality network production makes it zip along. Fortunately for us and for history, so much of Ronald Reagan's life was recorded...and this NBC News gem seems to have gotten all the good stuff. It has all the recent coverage of his funeral, but I loved the personal things: love letters, interviews with Nancy, my fave David Brinkley spending a day in the Reagan White House. Andthe ever-fabulous GE theatre.
Great program on Reagan For anyone interested in Ronald Reagan, history, politics or just fascinating people, this program is enjoyable viewing. In brisk, yet in-depth reporting, you get a feel for the man and his era. And it is something you'll want to watch a second and third time. I highly recommend it.
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