Film Review by Kam Williams
Riveting
Retrospective Revisits President's Defining Moments
How
many immortal speeches have been delivered by U.S. presidents and
other American icons? Lincoln's "Four score and seven years ago"
Gettysburg Address, FDR's "We have nothing to fear but fear
itself," Eisenhower's beware of the "Military-Industrial
Complex" farewell address, JFK's "Ask not what your country
can do for you" inaugural address, Dr. King's "I Have a
Dream" speech, and Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this
wall," are among the handful which have stood the test of time.
Barack
Obama has ostensibly left behind not just one but a cornucopia of
historic orations likely to be remembered for generations to come.
That is the contention of The Obama Years: The Power of
Words, a riveting documentary which discusses, in non-partisan
fashion, a plethora of his addresses for the ages.
Narrated
by Jessie Williams of Grey's Anatomy, the movie features a mix of
archival footage from speeches and in-depth analysis by experts.
Among the luminaries sharing insights are Pulitzer Prize-winner
Doris Kearns-Goodwin, Rice University Professor Douglas Brinkley and
former Obama strategists David Axelrod and Jon Favreau.
The
reverential biopic unfolds chronologically, starting with the keynote
speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention which instantly turned a
little-known State Senator from Illinois into an overnight sensation.
Obama's next remarkable highlight arrived in March 2008 when he
salvaged a floundering presidential campaign with a unifying
reflection on race delivered at Philadelphia's Constitution Center.
Later
that year in Denver, he was widely lauded for his stirring acceptance
of the Democratic nomination on August 28th, the 45th anniversary of
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" March on
Washington speech. Obama subsequently spoke very emotionally about
the Trayvon Martin shooting, the Sandy Hook elementary school and
Charleston church massacres, bringing the grieving Emanuel A.M.E.
congregation to tears with an a capella rendition of Amazing Grace at
the end of the eulogy.
Just
as moving was the President's touchstone sermon commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March, uttered on location at
the Edmund Pettus bridge, site of the infamous Bloody Sunday attack
on protesters by Alabama State Troopers for simply attempting to register to vote. For folks
interested in lighter fare, there's Barack's stand-up routine at the
2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where he roasted
a red-faced Donald Trump about everything from hosting The Apprentice
to spearheading the Birther movement.
A
riveting retrospective revisiting an array of Barack Obama's defining
moments!
Unrated
Running time: 60 minutes
Distributor: The Smithsonian
The Obama Years will air on the Smithsonian Channel on:
Thursday March 9th @ 9:00 am ET/PT
Saturday March 18th @ 8:00 am ET/PT
Tuesday March 21 @ 5:00 PM ET/PT
(Check local listings)
To see a trailer for The Obama Years, visit: https://players.brightcove.net/pages/v1/index.html?accountId=376817008&playerId=By25FGTv&videoId=5279649992001&autoplay=true
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