Primary (1960)

Very bad documentary

I heard about 'Primary' on NPR. I rented it with the impression that it would be a very candid documentary about the 1960 Democratic primary. The candidness, I was told, was on account of it the being the first time video cameras followed candidates on the campaign trail. The show talked about the movie being a glimpse into a time where candidates were not self-censored as much and were more themselves on the campaign trail.

But, the hosts' talk of seeing Humphrey's "common touch" or him "railing against the eastern media," and their talk of Kennedy and his "youth appeal" are just hype and over-selling. It looked no different than a modern campaign (same pandering, etc.) except that the candidates were different and the people at the rallies wore different styles of clothing. Of everything that I disliked about the movie, it was that NPR hyped it up to be something it wasn't.

I'm not a student of documentary filmmaking, so I can't say whether this was a truly groundbreaking movie. But as for its entertainment value, I can say that I do watch documentaries, and this was one of the worst I've ever seen. There was no overarching narrative that tied everything together and gave the movie any kind of momentum; so you felt like you were just sitting there for an hour, not going anywhere. The images were shown entirely out of context, with little narration.

If you want to see film of Kennedy or Humphrey, or of people in little Wisconsin towns from 1960, this movie may be for you. But if you're looking to spend an hour of your life watching an interesting documentary about campaigns before the advent of youtube and the 24-hour news cycle, then I suggest you look elsewhere. May 24, 2008

Robert Drew is High on Himself.

I would've given this documentary four stars, except I didn't like it. It was great seeing the footage of Kennedy. And showing Humphrey seeking out people to shake their hands as opposed to Kennedy who was mobbed with young autograph seekers, was a fabulous vignette that encapsulates the fascination with and popularity of Kennedy. But for a 53 minute documentary, it still played too long. So that brings us down to three stars. Still forgivable. But what is not forgivable is a documentarian that tries to outshine his/her subject. Robert Drew does just that. And it's not in the actual footage of the film. It's in the production of this DVD. Throughout the film there is a rather conspicuous "RD" in the bottom right corner of the screen. It obviously stands for Robert Drew, the filmmaker, and it was never in the original film. It's so utterly obtrusive and egotistical, and an unprofessional move for someone who purports to portray the objective truth. It looks ridiculous, and I have never seen anything like it on DVD or VHS. It is only seen on tv where every station feels it necessary to put their self-conscious logo in the corner as if we might not know what the heck we're watching. But I've never heard of a filmmaker so in love with himself that he felt it necessary to intrude on the image in such a pathetically insecure way. Quite the contrary, most self-respecting filmmakers would never allow such an egregious self-promotion at the expense of the integrity of the film and image. I mean could you imagine Martin Scorsese putting an "MS" in the corner of the screen on his DVD release of Taxi Driver. Aside from the fact that people might think the film is benefitting multiple sclerosis research, it would be a ridiculous way to "sign" the film. Some people might say, who cares, you hardly notice it (but it truly is conspicuous), but look at it this way. Robert Drew's making a DVD. They say, "Robby, what do you think of the DVD so far?" He says, "It's great, but do you think it'd be possible to put my giant initials in the corner through the whole thing?" They say, "Sure, but isn't that kind of tacky. I mean most people just want to see the film you made and the footage of John F. Kennedy, not your lame initials." And he says, "True, but nobody knows who I am. The initials are in. And I want to pimp my company in the special features section, too. And I also want a giant bio on me and I want a big section on my 'statement,' whatever that means." And of course they did all that too. Interesting shots of Kennedy, and an interesting study of an American filmmaker who can't get enough of himself. February 14, 2006

A Robert Drew classic!

This is a classic from the famed Robert Drew and shows JFK and Hubert Humphrey, 'unplugged'. I very much like the behind-the-scenes footage and off-the-cuff remarks. Well done.
Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA

BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)

December 30, 2005

Interesting historical document

This is an interesting Robert Drew documentary of the final days of the 1960 Democratic primary in Wisconsin, between Minn. Senator Hubert Humphrey and Sen. Kennedy. The packaging and most commentary focuses on JFK, but actually there is fairly equal coverage of both campaigns, and I think it's a disservice to Humphrey to ignore that.

It was, of course, a very interesting election year, with Kennedy's eventual razor-thin victory over Nixon in the general campaign. New campaign techniques, especially the mass appeal of television, were evolving along with the tried and true machine politics and stumping. You see quite a bit of that here in PRIMARY.

This Wisconsin primary was very much a toss-up at the time, as well as strategically important for the nomination, so you see the candidates working quite hard to get out and connect with voters. Kennedy fans will love to see JFK working the crowds (one shot has five or six young women literally sprinting down a sidewalk to him) as well as election night with his wife and staff waiting for the results to come in. Jackie Kennedy also figures prominently. At one stump stop before a Polish crowd, right before election night, there is some great editing of Jackie's brief remarks to the crowd, with shots of her hands nervously playing behind her back. They did something similar with Kennedy as well. Kennedy's Catholicism was still a big issue, yet to be neutralized, which many will find interesting.

However, I think the portions devoted to Humphrey, the "orator of the dawn," are equally interesting. Lyndon Johnson once said that Humphrey prepared for a major address "by taking a deep breath." Probably the best segment of the entire documentary is Humphrey talking to a group of less than thirty farmers; he had an extraordinary ability to connect concrete, national political issues to the interests of the voter. While not too familiar with this primary fight beyond this documentary, I got the sense that Humphrey was making a strategic mistake by spending so much time with rural voters in the final week, which he should already have solidified, instead of reaching out to urban constituencies and cutting into Kennedy's appeal there. Wisconsin was basically his back yard, and he shouldn't have lost that state.

One of the more interesting sequences is on voting day, where Drew takes us through quick snatches of Wisconsinites opinions of the candidates over quick shots of the legs and shoes of voters in the booth. You get the sense of a wide variety of people participating from the different styles and evident economic standing and the accompanying anonymity, which is a subtle commentary on democracy.

The approach of this documentary was technically and structurally revolutionary at the time. That also means that it's often confusing and difficult to watch. Virtually no narration accompanies it, no music apart from the crowds singing the awful campaign songs, and the editing focuses strictly on the two candidates interacting with voters. Thus, little historical context is provided for those wanting it, and there is virtually no insight into the internal operation of the campaign. The sound editing is often jumbled, so by no means expect to make out everything people are saying, but the camera work is probably better than ought to be expected.

Thus, PRIMARY is more a historical document of a particular and interesting political moment. It doesn't function to illuminate and explain an era for you. Little the candidates do or say are individually important, but it gives you the flavor of the politics of the time.

I saw the VHS version of this, which didn't have any extras. If the DVD has an English subtitle track, that would be useful to watch it with. July 15, 2004

You can skip this one

I looked forward to watching this dvd. However, it is a bit boring, even for political junkies. It was one of the first political documentaries, and so has real historical value. However, it could have used a modern commentator to put everything into context. The film relies too heavily on long scenes focussing on the candidates maybe saying something, maybe not, and what they do say is not always worth the time. June 8, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...