Theodore Roosevelt

I needed something to keep on in the background to get a few things done before I went to bed and a special on Teddy Roosevelt seemed to fit the ticket. It did NOT! It kept me up for 4 hours! And I got absolutely nothing done, but I did learn a lot about him. I attribute a lot of credit to keeping my attention on the program to the actor who played him - a Brit (of course!), Rufus Jones.

Since I am not a scholar of TR, I was unaware of the glaring omissions in the program. Please reference Good with major omissions by lima-2 written on 1 June 22 to get some extra information. Information which should have been included, IMHO.

I started out giving this mini series 9 stars, but after reading lima-2's review, I had to take away one star for their omissions.

Yes, this is long. It needed to be. What this man packed into one lifetime is beyond anyone else's imagination.

Sit back and enjoy it. Be prepared to be sucked in, so start earlier than I did!!

Using contemporary photos and film footage combined with reenactments and commentary from noted historians, this program explores Roosevelt's life in depth with an emphasis on the factors that led to his attitudes and decisions.

The first episode starts with his sickly childhood and his father's conviction that Teddy could triumph over any affliction or impediment through zealous effort (a lesson that resonated with Teddy his entire life). It then explores his pampered formative years and Teddy's life changing nighttime visit to the slums that changed his perspective on the unfairness and lack of equity between the rich and poor in America. The episode follows his rise in Republican politics and his battles to change the party from a tool of the wealthy into a force for reform. The first episode ends with the Republican elitists seeking to sideline him by making him Vice-president, a job with no power and little influence. That move majorly backfires when President McKinley is assassinated in 1901 catapulting Roosevelt to the American Presidency.

The second episode follows T. R. through his "Trust Busting" square deal Presidency, the details of the start of the U. S. construction of the Panama canal, Teddy's long regretted decision not to run for a third term, his influence through The World War, and his death at the age of 60.

This was a well rounded, thoughtful and even handed look at a man who swam against the political currents and won the love and respect of the American public. The production doesn't shy away from presenting him as a bit of a nut and an egomaniac, but it also portrays him as a man who got things done through sheer force of will.

My only quibble with the series is that the producers chose to divide it into only two episodes instead of 5 one hour shows. I'm not sure the average viewer wants to invest two an a half hours per episode.

As a documentary? It's great. I love a good documentary. But I'm also in the entertainment industry. The bits of this docu series that are actually acted out are the highlights of the series. If the History Channel had given the series enough funding, this could have easily been made into one of the greatest adaptations of a historical figure ever made.

But they didn't. It's half documentary, half acted. It it was fully acted, it would have taken 2 or 3 more seasons to pace it properly. But it would have been worth it. They got the right actors, the cinematography of what was made was great. Is what was made good and worth watching? Yes, I'd give it 9 stars if this didn't bug me so much. I'm dinging it out of principle; this needed to be a real adaptation of Theodore Roosevelt's life, not just a documentary.

I can't say a lot about this mini-series that hasn't already been mentioned, pro and con, by other reviewers. With over five hours of broadcast time, a lot of major and minor details about TR were covered. The most knowledgeable scholars were interviewed. Even his family members were given an opportunity to speak.

I was severely disappointed, though, that there was no mention of his Nobel Peace Prize, the first earned by a sitting American president Or of his Great White Fleet sent on a round-the-world tour, to project American sea power to all parts of the globe. TR put the world on notice that the United States was now major military force to be reckoned with. If you blinked, you also missed the quick visual reference to his posthumous Medal of Honor award, posted at his grave site just before the closing credits. It would not have taken much time to include those important points to such a monumental tribute to his life.

Enjoyed this production, especially Rufus Jones as TR. I thought they glossed over his second term as POTUS though. It captured the spirit of the man and the age well.