The Eleanor Roosevelt Story

Richard Kaplan's Oscar-winning documentary about Eleanor Roosevelt does a good job focusing on the major events in her life. However, there was a lot more on which they could have focused. You see, Eleanor was a political activist from early on. So much so, that J. Edgar Hoover's FBI started keeping a file on her. She wrote articles for The Nation indicting the injustices that thrived in the United States. Indeed, Eleanor was more ambitious about establishing the social programs than Franklin was. When John Kennedy published "Profiles in Courage", she said that he should've had more courage and less profile, referring to his friendship with red-baiting Sen. Joe McCarthy.

On its own, "The Eleanor Roosevelt Story" is a good documentary. I haven't seen any of the other documentaries that got nominated for Best Documentary Feature that year, so I can't compare it. Worth seeing.

I am NOT anti-Eleanor Roosevelt in any way, however, this Oscar-winning film is not something I could recommend. Why? Well, because the film does not seem like a biography at all--perhaps not even a documentary. Instead of giving a semi-balanced and occasionally critical analysis of her life, it's more an effusive tribute the the lady. While some like this sort of thing, I hate it for a film about anyone to be so gushing and fully of flowery prose (as the narration was written by a noted poet, Archibald Macleish). Heck, if I were Mrs. Roosevelt, I'd be turning in my grave or haunting those who made the film because it seems so unreal--like she was being nominated for sainthood! Her life was indeed fascinating and she was an admirable woman, so perhaps there is a better documentary you can find about her---I'd just steer clear of this one.

By the way, I did mention that this was an Oscar winner. Considering Eleanor Roosevelt had just recently died and was beloved by many, I can understand why the film was a winner. Today, however, I can't see it even being nominated because of its style. Plus, she is no longer held in such high regard as younger people have begun to forget who she was and her remarkable life.

Also, there was one portion of the film I did like--the discussion of her very bleak childhood. I really wanted to hear more about this and found a more human side to her here. Later, though, it got pretty bad.