Uh...we have the 1998 American Experience piece on Reagan is probably more than enough for any red-blooded American.
Gary Handman PS: I'm still trying to forget Ronnie, myself (the guy who famously offered as a justification for unrestricted logging of California old growth, that "If you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all." Also the guy who, in dealing with student protesters, stated, "If there's going to be a bloodbath, let it happen." Also the guy who suggested selling off the Bancroft Library to make money for the state) > Hello there, > > I have been asked by one of our clients to assess the interest level in > the > educational market for the new documentary about Ronald Reagan. The film > just premiered at Sundance and has been getting wonderful press (NY Times, > Colbert Report, etc) and reviews. More information about the film is > listed > below. I am wondering how interested you all would be in acquiring this > film > for your libraries? It seems that this film uncovers footage and a side of > the president that hasn't been seen beforebut I wonder is the > educational > market just too saturated with films related to Reagan? > > I appreciate any thoughts you have about this! Thank you for your time. > > EUGENE JARECKI¹S REAGAN, DEBUTING FEB. 7 ON HBO, EXPLORES AN ICONIC > AMERICAN > PRESIDENT > A glamorous leading man with the common touch, a dedicated ³Cold Warrior² > who helped negotiate the most sweeping accords in history with the Soviet > Union and a staunch proponent of smaller government, Ronald Reagan remains > an enigma even to many of his closest advisors. > A fresh examination of the fascinating paradoxes surrounding the man, the > myth and his legacy, Eugene Jarecki¹s insightful documentary REAGAN > follows > the 40th president¹s rise from small-town lifeguard to revered architect > of > the modern world. This textured study investigates how Reagan¹s homespun > political vision fueled a seismic career, one whose reverberations still > shape American life. > Balancing the conflicting versions presented by colleagues, historians, > supporters and family, while combining archival footage, never-before-seen > interviews and the words of Reagan himself, Jarecki assembles a rich > portrait of a contradictory figure who spun his movie stardom into > political > gold and became the leader of the free world. > Tracing his subject from small-town boyhood to heady Hollywood days, > Jarecki > discovers a man whose offhand amiability masked a steely resolve. When > his > acting career faltered after World War II, Reagan reinvented himself, > first > as president of the Screen Actors Guild, then as a pitchman for products > ranging from cigarettes to laundry soap. He eventually landed the role > that > would send him down another path, as official television and corporate > spokesperson for General Electric. Reagan¹s travel on behalf of the > company > to small towns around the nation provided him with a unique political > education as he gave speeches and mingled with GE¹s workers. The one-time > FDR enthusiast and supporter of the New Deal gradually abandoned his > liberal > roots for more conservative pastures. > By the 1960s, his transformation was complete. Standing beside > archconservative Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee for > president, > Reagan became a charismatic voice for conservatism in America. As the > civil > unrest of the era exploded nationwide, Reagan rode the white, > working-class > backlash all the way to Sacramento and two terms as governor of > California. > Reagan¹s willingness to allow the National Guard to confront demonstrating > students with tear gas and attack dogs earned him a reputation as a tough > traditionalist. The support and admiration of the so-called ³silent > majority² buoyed his unsuccessful campaigns for the presidential > nomination > in 1968 and 1976, and in 1980, he topped the GOP field to run against and > beat incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter. > Once in office, Reagan proved more pragmatic than dogmatic. After > campaigning for lower taxes, his administration raised taxes in six of the > eight years of his presidency. Regardless, his charm and affability won > the > hearts of the American public, which overwhelmingly reelected him in 1984. > He denounced the U.S.S.R. as an ³Evil Empire,² demanded that the Soviets > ³tear down the [Berlin] Wall² and authorized the ambitious Star Wars > Initiative to keep America militarily dominant. But at the same time, > Reagan was engaged in negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev that resulted in > a > sweeping agreement to reduce their nuclear arsenals. > His administration was rocked by the Iran-Contra affair after it emerged > that arms had been sold in exchange for hostages and then, against the > will > of Congress, the proceeds had funded Nicaraguan ³freedom fighters.² > REAGAN > takes an in-depth look at the scandal, which almost derailed his > presidency, > offering details on the president¹s role and Secretary of Defense Caspar > Weinberger¹s refusal to turn over cabinet meeting notes. > Jarecki also explores how Reagan¹s personal beliefs aligned with his > public > policies and finds that this stalwart symbol of conservative family values > was also quietly open-minded on social issues. > Since Reagan left office in 1989, his name has become a mantra for > Republican politicians seeking credibility, symbolizing a return to > traditional values and a strong stand in the culture wars against liberal > ³elites.² But the truth, as Jarecki reveals, is far more complex. > Others featured in the documentary include former White House chief of > staff > James A. Baker; former White House senior advisor Pat Buchanan; former > White > House speechwriter Peter Robinson; Arthur Laffer, economist and architect > of > trickle-down economics; former CIA operative Frank Snepp; Ronald Reagan > Legacy Project founder Grover Norquist; son Michael Reagan, who works to > keep the legacy alive; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frances > Fitzgerald > (³Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold > War²); official biographer Edmund Morris; Annelise Anderson and Martin > Anderson, co-authors of two best-selling books about Reagan; author Will > Bunch (³Tear Down This Myth²); author Lou Cannon (³Reagan²); author Thomas > Frank (³What¹s the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart > of > America²) and journalist Dan Rather. > -- > Kristin Cooney > kris...@rocofilms.com > ro*co films educational > 80 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 5 > Sausalito, CA 94965 > (415) 332-6471 x203 > (415) 332-6798 fax > www.rocoeducational.com > > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library UC Berkeley 510-643-8566 ghand...@library.berkeley.edu http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." --Francois Truffaut VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
