User Reviews

Once again, our greatest contemporary documentarian, presents us with a masterful product. This is the first of his intimate biographical pieces on the Roosevelts, who, like the Kennedys, like them or not, dominate Twentieth Century history. This focuses on the rise of Theodore Roosevelt, a complex man, who saw opportunities, and crafted them into a place at the White House. The Roosevelt family was filled with opportunists and salesmen, drunks and cowards, but these failings by some led to greatness in others. The most interesting segment of this episode has to do with Teddy's use of an insignificant war in Cuba to bring about his aggrandizement. At one point, the narrator refers to Roosevelt's "blood lust" and the fact that he was a killer. He described his role in the war as a soldier of fortune as great fun (the truth is over 80 men paid with their lives as well as the rotting corpses of the enemy filling the battlefield). He used this to make his way to the Vice Presidency under William McKinley, by becoming one of the most popular men in the United States. Of course, we know what happened to McKinley.

This episode begins with the birth of Teddy Roosevelt in 1858 and ends with him becoming president after the death of William McKinley. In between, the show alternates between the life of Teddy and the lives of both Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. However, not surprisingly, the bulk of the show is about the life of Teddy. Topics covered was his family background, his first wife, his moving to the Dakotas to be a gentleman rancher, his forays into politics, his co-leading the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War and Teddy's odd way he came to the White House. As for Franklin, much of the show is about his youth and college life and just a big of Eleanor's family and early life is discussed.

Like most of Ken Burns' documentaries, this one is top-notch. It features the usual interviews, use of photographs with the roving camera lens as well as a few verbal re-creations. Overall, very good and extremely balanced---with much praise for Teddy as well as an examination of his many shortcomings. Among the best work Burns has done and well worth seeing...and a very promising first episode.