Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment

It's a fly-on-the-wall documentary cinema verite as three powerful men are coming to an epic battle. President John F. Kennedy wants to enforce the integration of the University of Alabama. His younger brother Robert F. Kennedy is the Attorney General of the United States. George Wallace is the Governor of Alabama and insists on fighting the federal government.

This serves as a piece of historical document. It's not pushing the agenda one way or another. It is simply showing the situation as it existed. There is surprising tension despite the known history. I can't wait for the movie.

On June 11, 1963, the Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, attempted to flout federal law and deny entrance to the University of Alabama to two black students who had been accepted. This documentary shows us the tense events of that day in a brilliant, stirring way. Aside from the momentous event itself, it works because of the unprecedented level of access it had into both sides - President Kennedy and Governor Wallace's inner circles - as well as its approach of simply being a fly on the wall. Aside from a few explanatory remarks occasionally made by the narrator, we see the events as they were, phone calls, brainstorming sessions, and all. The documentary has additional strength in just how specific it is - this one confrontation, not attempting to show the larger context or events which led up to it dating back centuries.

The two students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, were both just 20 years old at the time, and they're frankly awe-inspiring. To think of facing something like this at the age of 20 boggles the mind. When asked why they have to go to this school, Hood responds with great dignity, "Being a resident of the state, I feel that I'm entitled to an education in the state." What we see most from them is poise and quiet courage.

On the federal side, it was fantastic to see each man in his role operating so well: Nicholas Katzenbach, the deputy attorney general, who was on the ground in Alabama, phoning back to Washington D.C., a man who was very canny in helping to shape the strategy in confronting Wallace, and well controlled in delivering the message to his face. Robert Kenney, the attorney general, for the delicate balancing act he struck between enforcing the federal law to let these kids attend the university, and not using strong arm tactics which could have incited violence or given Wallace a public relations win. And of course, John F. Kennedy, who we only see a few times, thoughtful and taking inputs, but then delivering his leadership and his vision so eloquently (see the excerpt from his speech at the end). At the top, you see vision, in the middle, you see strategy, and on the ground you see execution - and each layer in full communication with and influencing the other, as a good organization should. Anyway, all of them, including the students of course, are heroes.

On the state side, what can I say? Wallace ran on a platform of segregation forever and while stating that he believed both races were better off apart, he doesn't attempt to justify the drastically worse conditions blacks had been living under over the past century. Portraits of confederate generals hang on the walls of his office, and he muses over their bravery for having stood up for what they believed is right. As for the Civil War, he says "There were just a lot more of them than there were of us," and by those pronouns and by his stand for "state's rights," it's crystal clear that a century after a rebellion over slavery ended, he represents a majority of people who never accepted that outcome. What's perhaps most frightening is the support we see him getting from white citizens of Alabama, young and old. He's not portrayed as a monster, we just see him as he is, playing with his grandkids, just as RFK plays with his kids, but his words are vile and obviously on the wrong side of history. However, one thing he got right was his ominous warning that the South would have its say during the next presidential election, and to this day, the region holds great power for the Republican Party. And to his credit, a couple of decades later, he recognized the error of his ways and apologized, though that's obviously not shown here.

This is just a fantastic little time capsule, and even for events you may be familiar with, it's well worth the 52 minutes it takes to watch it. Oh, and here's that quote from President Kennedy that night, pushing for what would become the Civil Rights Act the following year, and just five months before he was assassinated (the documentary aired on television just one month before that fateful day):

"I hope that every American will stop to examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.

We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution. The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. Whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.

If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would be content with the counsels of patience and delay?

One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves. Yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic oppression. And this nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free."

Although this Film, with its Remarkable Access to Gov. Wallace and the Kennedy White-House is Even-Handed and Fair,

and Plays Out More or Less as it was Happening Around the July 11, 1963 Time-Frame, It Wasn't Staged, it was Shot Cinema Verite Style and Edited After the Fact.

A Few Things are Happening Behind the Scenes that Basically Assured the Kennedy Administration that the Outcome would Not Require the Use of Federal Force.

Taking Wallace at His Word, it is Alleged that Wallace Told the White-House He Would Stand Down After a Show of Principles, but the Federal Govt. Was Still Preparing for Anything to Happen.

It was a Night-Before Commitment that Things would Eventually be for the Good of the Country. (Alabama was the only State that refused integration of Universities).

Wallace Knew in His Heart of Hearts this was a Lost Cause.

On Screen He Says (paraphrasing)...I still believe that the Civil War was a stance of fighting for what you believe in...It was just that there were more of them then there were of us.

The Same Could be Said of His Current Dilemma...He was Fighting for What He Believed. Both Races were Better Off Apart, but the Overwhelming Majority of the States were Allowing Integration and Alabama Stood Alone, Fighting, but Still Alone.

The Outcome was a Done Deal Before it Happened and Wallace Stood in the Doorway to Block the Students (Vivian Malone, James Hood) from Entering.

Once, for Symbolic Reasons and Fulfilling His Promise to the Citizens. But the Second Time the Students Arrived...Wallace Walked Away, and the "Crisis" was Over.

Still, the Film was a Break-Through for Documenting an Important Historical Event with "A Fly On the Wall" Perspective and for that it is Priceless.

Note...President Kennedy was gunned-down in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, a month after the film was released. His brother and Attorney General, Robert, was killed by an assassin, 5 Years later, in June of 1968.

A truly remarkable documentary which had cameras with all the principals involved in the confrontation between Governor George Wallace of Alabama and the federal courts in letting two black students enroll in the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. I was awed at witnessing the planning sessions of President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, General Abrams, Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, etc. The University had already approved the admission of the two students; Alabama was the only remaining state which had not fully integrated its university system, and Governor Wallace vowed to stand at the entrance and prevent the students from entering. What the federal government will do when that happens is the focus of the documentary? The tension is real! The drama is real! The participants are real! A most extraordinary documentary I never knew existed before it bowled me over when I saw it in 1981 in a theater, and again when recently shown on the Turner Classic Movies channel. I would have thought it could never have been made. After all, I'm sure Governor Wallace knew it was a lost cause, yet he gave permission for the film makers to film him and his staff and the confrontation. The principals were covered by four teams of film makers and most of the footage appeared unstaged. Shots of Robert Kennedy at home with his kids and George Wallace with his daughter (or granddaughter) helped to make them more human rather than larger than life. The sense of history was overpowering. A must see for anyone interested in the civil rights movement or any of the participants.

Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Robert Drew's fascinating documentary takes a look at the battle between President Kennedy and Alabama Governor George Wallace. Kennedy and his brother Robert are seen trying to get Wallace to step down and allow two black students to enroll at the University of Alabama but the governor stands to his ground. After PRIMARY, director Drew was given more access to Kennedy and it's pretty clear that the two of them knew this decision would be something big so it's pretty incredible that so much was able to be captured for this film. It runs just 53-minutes but there's certainly some drama here even though you know what happened at the school. I thought the film was extremely well-made and especially towards the end when the countdown starts on getting the two students into the school. Getting to see Robert Kennedy listening to what's going on in Alabama was pretty fascinating and you can see the drama going on just by looking at his face. Also, seeing the aftermath of the events was also rather special. It's hard to believe that this film was released just a month before Kennedy was assassinated so in some ways that gives it even more power when viewed today. It's hard to believe that this type of stuff was happening such a short time ago but this documentary does a very good job at capturing the moods at the time.