The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

There have been so many documentaries on the three Roosevelts – Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor – that when Ken Burns’ documentary was announced I wondered what more could be said. Well, there’s plenty to see in this sprawling 14 hour work, including many previously unseen photographs and moving pictures. A thread of tragedy runs through the saga.

After a brief recounting of the first Roosevelts in America (Nicholas Roosevelt, the last common ancestor to the three “great” Roosevelts, died in 1742) the story picks up in 1858 with the birth of young Theodore. Teddy, of the Oyster Bay Roosevelts, was an asthmatic, sickly boy who willed himself into vigorous action – both physical and mental. He also was susceptible to depression, and tried to conquer despair by outrunning it. But negative feelings catch up with one, and there was a streak of rage that ran through the man, sometimes resulting in explosions of temper – as when he shot a dog that barked at him. In the course of one day when Theodore was 25, his daughter Alice was born, and his wife and mother both died. Theodore left the daughter in the care of his sister and fled to the west to conquer his grief. When “rancher Ted” returned it was a quick rise up the political ladder until he became President after William McKinley was assassinated. As President, TR was at his best when he was able to channel his zeal into constructive action, like reforming the food industry, busting trusts, and preserving America’s natural heritage. But in many ways he was, to coin a phrase, a “bully”- who thought nothing of invading other nations, and betraying William Howard Taft (who did more the continue his predecessor’s policies than he’s given credit for).

-Hank Drake

This I have received myself as a gift, and am passing it on to my 10 year old granddaughter, who, like me, has a great deal of fascination and admiration for this incredible family, each of whom shaped America in so many ways and forever, and mostly for the better. TR established national parks, and an early battler of big corporations, who pushed the US to international presence. FDR of course saved millions of lives through the New Deal, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, regulated the financial sector, and maneuvered through World War II. Eleanor Roosevelt is an inspiration to women everywhere as she was the first powerful and beloved “first lady”, a true partner to FDR, and whose work extended to the UN and other causes after his death. It is told with many fabulous pictures and films, thoroughly documenting each one of their rises to prominence, overcoming, in each case, incredible obstacles. Little known facts are revealed, all of which show what made each one of them tick. They and the Kennedys are by far the most influential family ever produced, and, like Lincoln or Washington, seemed to be just the statesmen – and stateswoman – that their times required, and they did not shrink from their calls to duty. They are portrayed as real people, with real flaws, but also with great passion, compassion and courage, personal and public. Must see this story.-B. Illes

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Meryl Streep (voice of Eleanor), Paul Giamatti (voice of Theodore), Edward Herrmann (voice of Franklin)
Directors: Ken Burns
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. )
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 7
Studio: PBS
DVD Release Date: September 16, 2014
Run Time: 840 minutes