The first thing anyone should know about this documentary is that the producer, Betsy West, is the woman who used false documents for an exposé on George Bush. Her actions brought down the CBS news division and ended the career of Dan Rather. Despite this, the executives at the well-respected CNN somehow thought it would be a good idea to employ her for this project. Big mistake.
In watching this show, one must assume that West once again checked her journalistic integrity at the door. A case in point are the added sound effects over footage that didn't originally contain such audio. Or perhaps it's the questionable treatment of foreign speakers whose original voice is muted only to be replaced by that of a voiceover artist.
West's producing abilities don't stand the test of basic logic. The viewer is left to squint throughout the show as she constantly uses difficult-to-read handwriting samples from Julia Child and her husband. Worse yet, the text is far too small, even on a large screen. That's one of many rookie mistake made to be "artistic."
HBO is currently running a scripted version of Julia Child's story. Although it elapses over multiple episodes, it is far more interesting.
This CNN show is based on three books but doesn't serve them well. I made several attempts over three days to get through this documentary, but West's stale approach to storytelling had me falling asleep repeatedly.
Ultimately the audience is treated to a taste of Julia Child's life, but it's sour, suffering from poorly created ingredients.
In watching this show, one must assume that West once again checked her journalistic integrity at the door. A case in point are the added sound effects over footage that didn't originally contain such audio. Or perhaps it's the questionable treatment of foreign speakers whose original voice is muted only to be replaced by that of a voiceover artist.
West's producing abilities don't stand the test of basic logic. The viewer is left to squint throughout the show as she constantly uses difficult-to-read handwriting samples from Julia Child and her husband. Worse yet, the text is far too small, even on a large screen. That's one of many rookie mistake made to be "artistic."
HBO is currently running a scripted version of Julia Child's story. Although it elapses over multiple episodes, it is far more interesting.
This CNN show is based on three books but doesn't serve them well. I made several attempts over three days to get through this documentary, but West's stale approach to storytelling had me falling asleep repeatedly.
Ultimately the audience is treated to a taste of Julia Child's life, but it's sour, suffering from poorly created ingredients.